JACKSON, Tenn — Worry spread among some residents of Madison county as word spread about a text alert from Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) that cell calls to 911 were dropping.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) released a statement as a precaution for cell phone callers to call a land-line after reports that some cell 911 calls experienced dropped service.

There were some isolated instances in West Tennessee of cell calls to 911 being dropped.  This only occurred once in Madison County.  There were a few instances in other counties in West Tennessee like Hardin and Shelby.

“This was never a 911 service issue, the problems were quickly identified as wireless carrier problems.” said Kim Augustine, Madison County 911 Director.  According to Augustine, as soon as they became aware of the problems state and local 911 authorities notified wireless carriers.

Around 6:00 pm on Monday cell phone providers isolated an issue and made repairs.

As of Tuesday calls to 911 from cell phones are working as they should, said Augustine.

There is the possibility that if you are close to a county line or depending on the cell tower service your call you may end up in an adjacent county but every 911 office has the ability to forward your call to the proper responders.

If you are a Madison County resident it is a good idea to store the land-line numbers in the event you need them

The land-line numbers for emergency service are
Jackson TN 731-425-8430
Madison County 731-423-6098