Following a recent outage of telephone landlines and cellphone networks, Lewis County Emergency Management wants to remind residents how to contact 911 if service is unavailable.
In a Wednesday news release, the department included tips on contacting emergency services if network issues occur.
The tips include:
• Attempting to call 911 on a different cellphone or landline since some carriers use different circuits
• Dialing Lewis County Dispatch’s non-emergency number, 360-740-1105
• Physically going to a locally staffed fire department
• Calling your locally staffed fire department’s direct line
Additionally, emergency management recommends residents sign up for Lewis County Alert at lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management/lewis-county-alert/, which provides accurate and timely information in emergencies.
The department asks residents to avoid calling 911 in non-emergencies as a test.
“Our dispatchers are continuously working hard to keep our community safe,” the release states. “Calling just to check in or see if 911 is working, causes lines to be tied up for the real emergency.”
Additionally, Emergency Management would like to remind residents how to contact or visit fire districts in the county:
• Fire District 1 — Onalaska, 1733 state Route 508, Onalaska, 360-978-4182
• Fire District 2 — Toledo, 150 N. Second St., Toledo, 360-864-2366
• Fire District 3 — Mossyrock, 238 Mossyrock Road E., Mossyrock, 360-983-3456
• Fire District 4 — Morton, 214 Second St., Morton, 360-496-5183
• Fire District 5 — Napavine, 115 East Washington St., Napavine, 360-262-3320
• Fire District 6 — Rural Chehalis, 2123 Jackson Highway, Chehalis, 360-748-6019
• Fire District 6 — Adna, 268 Dieckman Road, Chehalis, 360-740-5241
• Fire District 8 — Salkum, 2490 U.S. Highway 12, Salkum, 360-985-2345
• Fire District 9 — Mineral, 104 Front St. W., Mineral, 360-492-5942
• Fire District 10 — Packwood, 12953 U.S. Highway 12 Randle, 360-494-4123
• Fire District 11 — Pe Ell, 800 N. Main St., Pe Ell, 360-291-2906
• Fire District 13 — Boistfort/Curtis, 997 Boistfort Road, Curtis, 360-506-5557
• Fire District 14 — Randle, 9978 U.S. Highway 12, Randle, 360-497-7745
• Fire District 15 — Winlock, 609 NW Kerron St., Winlock, 360-785-4221
• Fire District 16 — Doty, 179 Chandler Road, Chehalis, 360-291-2410
• Fire District 18 — Glenoma, 8022 U.S. Highway 12, Glenoma, 360-498-5337
• City of Chehalis — 500 NW Sitka, Chehalis, 360-748-3394
• Cowlitz-Lewis 20 — Vader/Ryderwood, 801 B St., Vader, 360-295-0906
• Riverside Fire Authority Headquarters — 1818 Harrison Ave., Centralia, 360-736-3975
• Riverside Fire Authority — 512 N. Pearl St., Centralia, 360-330-9854