Credit: County of Bucks
Problems with the computer-aided dispatch system (CAD) the Bucks County 9-1-1 center in Ivyland uses faced issues Saturday.
Starting around 8 a.m., reports the CAD was down and dispatchers were doing their duties the “old-fashion way” were coming out of Ivyland. Multiple fire officials confirmed the issue to LevittownNow.com and said the county is working to resolve it. Problems with the system persisted throughout the afternoon and technicians were reported to be working to restore the CAD, which is an important tool used by emergency dispatchers.
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“It is imperative to understand that no 9-1-1 equipment was malfunctioning during this event and that this was strictly a network connectivity problem. The 9-1-1 phone system and radio system continued to operate properly during the event; however, due to the network connectivity issues, we could not connect to the Computer Aided Dispatch system,” according to a statement from the county.
“This is a big problem, that for sure,” an official, who did not wish to be named because they are not authorized to talk to the media, said. They added, “I don’t think anyone is in any extra danger because of this.”
A backup dispatch center, which is located in the county building in Doylestown, was activated at 3 p.m., county spokesman Chris Edwards told LevittownNow.com.
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Levittown fire officials said their stations were put on “Code Red” status and volunteers manned the fire houses in case of emergencies.
Falls Township Fire Company Chief Mike McClellan his department had crew members sleeping at the station ready to handle calls coming from dispatchers. As of 4 p.m., the fire company handled about three calls, one being a water rescue.
