Triple zero dispatchers in Victoria resorted to using pen and paper as calls came in during a surprise outage yesterday.
Systems went offline for almost two hours between 5.30pm and 7.15pm before it was fully restored, a parliamentary inquiry heard today.
Triple Zero Victoria confirmed to 9news.com.au the outage was unplanned but staff were able to continue taking calls using a backup plan.
“Triple Zero Victoria’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system experienced an unplanned outage around 5.30pm yesterday, and backup measures were enacted to minimise impact to the community,” a spokesperson said.
“The CAD resumed normal operations at 7.15pm and the cause is being investigated.
“Our staff are highly trained in Victoria’s CAD backup procedures, which are consistent with all other Australian jurisdictions.”
A board met in parliament today in Victoria to discuss the reason behind the outage.
The inquiry is also investigating how many emergency calls were made during the two-hour period.
It is unknown if any callers were negatively impacted.
Triple zero in Victoria received an average of 7894 calls per day in the 2023-2024 financial year.
Premier Jacinta Allan told media today there will be an investigation into the incident.
“There are further investigations underway both on the cause of the outage and any potential impacts that may have affected,” she said.
“When the government has that further advice, we’ll provide that information.”
