NYC emergency call system crashes

NEW YORK -- The computerized system that processes New York City's emergency calls went down for two hours on Monday, forcing dispatchers to handle emergencies manually.

The city's computer aided dispatch system (CAD) went down around 2:30 p.m., CBS New York reported. Only the ambulance system experienced a disruption. Calls in the police and fire dispatch system remained intact.

While the system was down, dispatchers had to take down information about emergencies by hand, then send out ambulances verbally, rather than through the CAD system.

The New York City Fire Department said their personnel are trained for such occurrences and can easily make a transition from automated to manual operations if necessary.

In May, 2013 the CAD system crashed twice in 24 hours and officials are unclear on what the cause was. Former mayor Mike Bloomberg's administration unveiled a $2 billion call center in 2012, with updated technology.

Elected officials in New York have criticized the call system, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to reexamine the city's 911 system.