CUBA, N.Y. -- Like many, 85-year-old David Crowley still has a landline, and a phone with a cord attached to his Allegany County home where he's lived for more than 60 years.

What You Need To Know

  •  A recent cell phone service outage prevented many customers from being able to call 911

  •  The outage has emergency leaders advising people to keep or get a landline phone

  • Cell outages impacts emergency dispatch services

Unlike most, it's in the bathroom, across from the shower and next to the toilet.

"I put that phone there. It seems like every time you're in the bathroom, showering or otherwise, the phone rings," said Crowley.

While he does have a cell, there's also a phone in the breakfast room, right outside the kitchen and another in Crowley’s office.

He says he and his wife are very involved in their community and still get a lot of calls on their landline, but more importantly living in a rural area, it's a good security blanket in case of an emergency.

"Actually I consider it quite valuable, I guess,” said Crowley. “Being able to summon the fire department or medical help or whatever for us.”

Emergency leaders say when cell service is down anywhere across New York state, there is direct impact on dispatch operations.

"The inability for us to dispatch the proper emergency services for someone in need. It's impossible if someone doesn't have the ability to contact the center," said Scott Cicirello, Allegany County sheriff.

For those who contact the center from a landline, dispatchers are able to see someone's exact location, as opposed to a cell phone, which only shows the incoming number.

"You have to ask the questions; most people today rely on cell phones,” said Cicirello. “So, I think there should always be at least a landline or some other method for someone to be able to contact 911."

Whether it be in the bathroom or anywhere else in the house, homeowners like Crowley encourage others not to be so quick to flush their landlines.

“We consider it a lifeline,” said Crowley. “It could be, you know?”

Crowley also pointed out another relevant observation that fewer landlines also means fewer listings in the phonebook.

He says the book used to be pretty thick, but is now only about 60 pages, making it difficult to find out where people live.