Voices from Affected Community Members on Billings Emergency Services

911 service in Billings and Yellowstone County was restored after a nationwide outage resolved around 3 a.m. Thursday, with Verizon users previously affected. The Billings City/County 911 Communication Center operates 24/7 to coordinate emergency and non-emergency calls for both the city and county.

Impact of the Outage on Daily Operations

Community members rely on consistent access to emergency coordination when incidents occur. The restoration followed the outage that hit Verizon users, leaving gaps in immediate response options during that period. The 24/7 center continued its role linking calls to appropriate city and county responders once service returned.

Planned Adjustments to EMS Response

The Billings Fire Department is planning to integrate a nurse navigation system to improve EMS response efficiency by determining if a nurse can handle non-life-threatening calls remotely. This step targets better matching of resources to call types. Yellowstone County now uses the Everbridge app for emergency alerts, replacing the former CodeRED system in 2024, to notify residents of fires, weather, and local news.

Tools for Residents to Monitor Situations

Residents can check for current emergency and road closure situations by clicking the 'Emergency Alert' icon on the Billings Public Works website. The shift to Everbridge provides another direct channel for alerts that replaced the prior system two years ago. These options give community members ways to follow developments without waiting for calls.

The combination of restored service, the 24/7 center, the planned nurse navigation approach, and the 2024 alert system change shows ongoing adjustments to how emergencies are handled and communicated in the area. Residents can review the Emergency Alert section on the public works site for the latest road and incident details as situations develop.