Residents of South Bruce Peninsula now benefit from Next Generation 911 (NG911), a major advancement in emergency communications technology delivered through South Bruce Peninsula's fire dispatch provider, St. Catharines Fire Services.
The successful launch of NG911 by St. Catharines Fire Services enhances emergency call handling for the 36 municipalities it serves across Ontario, including South Bruce Peninsula. The Ontario government, through the Solicitor General has provided $4,016,982 in funding to support St. Catharines Fire Services' transition to NG911.
NG911 represents a multi-stage, transformative upgrade to the traditional 911 system. While the process for callers remains the same -- dialing 911 in an emergency -- the new system introduces several enhancements designed to improve speed, accuracy, and system resilience, 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.
Through its partnership with St. Catharines Fire Services, South Bruce Peninsula residents now benefit from a modernized emergency communications infrastructure designed to strengthen public safety outcomes.
Mayor Kirkland says, "The implementation of Next Generation 911 is a significant step forward in protecting our residents and visitors. Through our partnership with St. Catharines Fire Services, South Bruce Peninsula now benefits from enhanced technology that improves the speed, accuracy, and reliability of emergency response. We are grateful to the province, through the Solicitor General office of Honourable Michael Kerzner, for the investment in this critical infrastructure. This upgrade strengthens our emergency services today and positions us for even greater capabilities in the future, ensuring our community remains safe, connected, and resilient."
For more information about fire services in South Bruce Peninsula, visit https://www.southbrucepeninsula.com/en/index.aspx