Lighting struck South Sound 911 Fire Communications just before 9 p.m. last night, possibly blowing fuses which affect VHF radio communications. CenturyLink is expected to resolve the issue today. This does not affect incoming 911 calls or agencies operating on the new 800 MHz or 700 MHz radio systems.
Affected fire agencies are on radio watch until further notice. (Dispatchers first attempt contact via radio; if no response the dispatcher will phone the station.)
South Sound 911’s Fire Communications Center is located in Lakewood, though operations are scheduled to move to Puyallup in mid-June. The move provides an interim upgraded facility until South Sound 911’s new unified public safety communications center is constructed in Tacoma at the site of the old Puget Sound Hospital. There, fire and law enforcement emergency communications will work together in a centralized facility constructed to meet current standards for emergency operations.
* UPDATE: Operations were back to normal as of 1:11 p.m., May 5, 2017. *