On January 14, the City of Hackensack Fire Department issued a warning about a significant cellular service interruption that would affect the city's capacity to make 911 calls. Residents were instructed by officials to use the red Gamewell fire alarm pull boxes scattered throughout Hackensack to report emergencies if they are unable to contact 911. Firehouses and dispatchers receive a direct alert when a pull box is activated. The department attested to the fact that these boxes are always watched over and perfectly functional. Crews are still manned and prepared to respond to emergencies throughout the city, according to fire authorities. In order to guarantee prompt reporting during the outage, the agency asked locals to share the information. As the City of Hackensack keeps an eye on the issue, members of the Hackensack Police Department, Hackensack Fire Officers IAFF Local 3172, and Hackensack Fire Fighters IAFF Local 2081 backed the notice.