Chambana Sun

METCAD 9-1-1 services have been restored following a brief system outage on March 7, 2024. The outage, which affected multiple areas in the state, including Champaign County, was resolved by AT&T, who is still investigating the root cause of the issue. According to reports, the outage was due to a failure within AT&T's infrastructure.

Upon discovering the outage, METCAD immediately activated its emergency outage plan and transferred its 9-1-1 lines to Vermilion County 9-1-1. However, Vermilion County's system was also affected, prompting METCAD to reach out to Macon County 9-1-1 for assistance. The 9-1-1 lines were then transferred to Macon County's facility, where they were able to relay details of Champaign County's 9-1-1 calls for local dispatching.

In a statement, a METCAD spokesperson expressed gratitude for the public's understanding and patience during the disruption, stating, "We appreciate the public’s understanding and patience during the local disruption to 9-1-1 services." They also extended thanks to the staff at Macon County 9-1-1 for their support during the event.

AT&T eventually rerouted Champaign County's 9-1-1 calls back to METCAD after resolving the issue. The Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator and the FCC are currently investigating the matter to prevent future occurrences of such service interruptions.

The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of reliable emergency services and the need for swift and effective responses during unexpected disruptions.