On Tuesday, March 7 phone service shut down early morning in parts of Cook County. This marks the third time this winter damaged CenturyLink lines have interrupted phone service, including 911.
This time the outage affected the 388 (Gunflint Trail) and 475 (Grand Portage and Hovland) exchanges.
During the break, CenturyLink rerouted 911 calls in these areas to the respective fire halls.
“The safety of our residents in Cook County is always paramount and the number one priority of the Sheriff ’s Office,” said Sheriff Pat Eliasen.
Eliasen said that during the outage, “Anyone who needs emergency assistance in the 388 or 475 area should go to their fire hall as personnel are a direct link to the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office and 911 Dispatch.”
By 3 p.m. on Tuesday crews had fixed the damaged fiber and 911 and extended phone service was restored.
“The Sheriff ’s Office extends it thanks to the many volunteer firefighters and first responders who staffed our fire halls during this outage, and commend our dedicated dispatch professionals for their versatility in working through these outages,” said Sheriff Eliasen.
Cook County and the State’s Emergency Communication Network Division have been working with CenturyLink to identify a long-term solution to these outages.
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