St. Catharines Fire Services is proud to announce the successful deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG911) for its Emergency Communications Centre, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to enhancing public safety and emergency response services.
Today's (March 4) launch of NG911 represents a multi-stage, transformative upgrade to the traditional 911 system. While the process for callers to connect with a 911 operator remains the same, the new system will offer several enhancements to reduce wait times and ensure the system remains secure, including:
- quickly providing emergency operators with more-accurate data to help determine the caller's location and phone number
- increasing reliability and cyber security, which are key elements of the new system
- providing more backup capabilities should a failure occur within the system
- in the future, supporting new features, such as Real-Time Text and live emergency video calls.
The Ontario government has provided $4,016,982 in funding to support St. Catharines Fire Services' transition to NG911.
"Upgrading Ontario's public safety communications will be a game changer," said Hon. Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario. "Next Generation 9-1-1 gives first responders real-time, life-saving information which means a faster, more effective emergency response. Our government will always have the backs of those who protect our province. That's why we are proud to provide funding to Niagara for this new technology which will mean more calls will be answered, more lives will be saved and people across the city can count on emergency services when it matters most."
"Upgrading Ontario's public safety communications will be a game changer," said Hon. Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario. "Next Generation 9-1-1 gives first responders real-time, life-saving information which means a faster, more effective emergency response. Our government will always have the backs of those who protect our province. That's why we are proud to provide funding to Niagara for this new technology which will mean more calls will be answered, more lives will be saved and people across the city can count on emergency services when it matters most."
"NG911 will make emergency communications in St. Catharines more efficient and reliable, which means quicker emergency response, more accurate information for first responders, and ultimately, help to reach people when and where they need it most. This upgrade will save time - and in emergencies, time saves lives," said St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe. "We're grateful for the Ontario government's investment in Next Generation 911."
The NG911 deployment comes as part of a tri-party collaboration with Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Parks Police, working with Bell, the official network provider, and technology provider, Motorola.
It comes on the heels of significant capital investment by the City in St. Catharines Fire Services' Emergency Communications Centre to facilitate NG911 and enhance future capacity for the service.
STC Fire and Emergency Services provides fire emergency communications services for 36 municipalities across the province and handled 19,390 emergency calls for response and approximately 45,000 non-emergency calls in 2025.
"Our Emergency Communications Centre professionals are the steady voice in someone's worst moment," said St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper. "Before firefighters arrive on scene, it's our emergency communicators who bring calm to chaos, gather critical information, and set the entire emergency response in motion. This new NG911 system is faster and more reliable than the previous 911 system and can help our communicators and firefighters save lives in St. Catharines, and in our 35 municipal partner fire departments across Ontario."
These changes will not affect the public in how they make or experience 911 calls. Please dial 911 in case of an emergency.