Police are advising anyone facing an emergency to use a mobile to dial 999 due to a problem with phone lines.
The force said BT Group have notified them of problems affecting telephone services across a large area of the east of Scotland.
Areas affected include West Lothian, Falkirk , West Stirlingshire, North Lanarkshire and the west side of Edinburgh .
BT are currently working to restore services to everyone as soon as possible.
In the meantime, anyone with an emergency is advised to use a mobile telephone to call 999 where possible.
If this does not work they are advised to flag down any emergency service vehicle that is not using their blue lights, or go to the nearest police station, hospital, fire or ambulance station to report the problem.
A police spokesman said: "Police patrols are out in the affected areas and a multi-agency response has been initiated.
"In the first instance, relatives and neighbours of elderly or vulnerable people in affected areas are asked to check on them more frequently, as their assistance alarms may not operate correctly."
