by Dan Doyle | July 11, 2025
PENNSYLVANIA — A widespread, intermittent outage has impacted Pennsylvania’s 911 emergency call system, prompting urgent advisories and backup contact numbers from local and state officials as they work to restore full service.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) reported that several counties began experiencing disruptions to their 911 systems on Thursday evening. Although the outages are sporadic, they are affecting both urban and rural areas, raising concern over delayed emergency response times.
Officials are urging residents who are unable to reach 911 to call their local police districts or county emergency numbers directly until normal service is restored.
In Philadelphia, residents are advised to call their local police district directly if they cannot connect to 911:
- 1st District – 215‑686‑3010 / 215‑686‑3011
- 2nd District – 215‑686‑3020 / 215‑686‑3021
- 3rd District – 215‑686‑3030 / 215‑686‑3031
- 5th District – 215‑686‑3050 / 215‑686‑3051
- 7th District – 215‑686‑3070 / 215‑686‑3071
- 8th District – 215‑686‑3080 / 215‑686‑3081
- 9th District – 215‑686‑3090 / 215‑686‑3091
- 12th District – 215‑686‑3120 / 215‑686‑3121
- 14th District – 215‑686‑3140 / 215‑686‑3141
- 15th District – 215‑686‑3150 / 215‑686‑3151
- 16th District – 215‑686‑3160 / 215‑686‑3161
- 17th District – 215‑686‑3170 / 215‑686‑3171
- 18th District – 215‑686‑3180 / 215‑686‑3181
- 19th District – 215‑686‑3190 / 215‑686‑3191
- 22nd District – 215‑686‑3220 / 215‑686‑3221
- 24th District – 215‑686‑3240 / 215‑686‑3241
- 25th District – 215‑686‑3250 / 215‑686‑3251
- 26th District – 215‑686‑3260 / 215‑686‑3261
- 35th District – 215‑686‑3350 / 215‑686‑3351
- 39th District – 215‑686‑3390 / 215‑686‑3391
- Airport Unit (77th District) – 215‑937‑6816 / 215‑937‑6817
- DVIC OPS CENTER – 215-897-0800
Alternate Emergency Numbers by County:
- Philadelphia County: 215-686-8686 or 311
- Bucks County: 215-328-8500 / 215-357-8700
- Chester County: 610-436-4700 / 610-344-6456
- Delaware County: 610-565-6575 / 610-891-5200
- Montgomery County: 610-635-4300
- Northampton County: 610-759-2200
- Lehigh County: 610-437-5252 / 610-437-7751
- Berks County: 610-655-4911
- Allegheny County: 412-473-3056
- Armstrong County: 724-548-3431
- Beaver County: 724-775-1700
- Butler County: 724-282-1221
- Cambria County: 814-472-2100
- Clarion County: 814-226-6631
- Fayette County: 724-430-1277
- Greene County: 724-627-5387
- Indiana County: 724-349-9300
- Lawrence County: 724-656-9300
- Mercer County: 724-662-6110
- Somerset County: 814-445-1525
- Venango County: 814-677-0325
- Washington County: 724-229-4600
- Westmoreland County: 724-836-1551
While the exact cause of the outage remains under investigation, officials believe the disruption may stem from an issue with the Next Generation 911 (NG911) infrastructure or its service providers.
Governor Josh Shapiro’s office issued a statement saying the state is coordinating with PEMA, local 911 centers, and telecommunications partners to fully resolve the problem and restore statewide service.
No injuries or emergency failures tied to the outage have been reported at this time. Residents are encouraged to stay tuned to trusted news sources and official emergency management alerts for updates.
Delaware Valley News will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency and 911 is unresponsive, use the alternate numbers listed above.