Cellphone calls to 911 and Sitka police and fire lines are failing, city says

Cellphone callers in Sitka cannot reach 911 or the police and fire business lines, the City and Borough of Sitka said Wednesday. The city gave residents direct numbers to use until service returns.

To reach the Sitka Fire Department from a cellphone, call 907-738-3473. To reach the Sitka Police Department from a cellphone, call 907-738-3151. For non-emergencies, the city asks residents to email the police department at [email protected].

Landline calls still connect to 911 and to both business lines, according to the city's public service announcement. The phone outage affects city facilities, including the police and fire departments.

Phone carriers know about the problem and are working toward a fix, the city said. The announcement gave no timeline for repairs. The city said it will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Sitka has lost 911 access before. Alaska News reported a July 31 outage that left some Sitka phone customers unable to reach 911. Residents were told to call dispatch directly during that outage.

The state's emergency plan for Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport lists 911 as the first number to call for the dispatcher who covers police, fire and ambulance. The airport also has a dedicated ring-down phone that rings directly into the Sitka Public Safety Communications Center for use during aircraft emergencies, the plan says. The plan names disruption of cellphones as a possible result of a disaster. It notes that rural communities may have other ways to communicate, such as CB or marine radios, when phone service fails.