Next generation 911 in the works

By Cali Doran

BELLEVILLE – We all know to call 911 during an emergency, but could one text save your life?

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission  is holding a hearing to consult with individuals on what changes they would like to see if they could make “text with 911” available for all Canadians.

Many emergencies services are limited to standard phone calls.  The current system allows for the deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired community to register there phones to have the ability to text with 911. The introduction of next generation 911 will make texting available for all Canadians to communicate with emergency services. This will also allow for the exchange of photos, videos and medical records that will lead to safer, faster and more informed emergency responses.

But moving to texting with 911 is not an easy task says 911 co-ordinator for Hastings County, Colette Tanner.

“The 911 system was not created to send or receive text messages,” said Tanner. 

“Everyone has a different computer system, everyone has a different dispatch system and phone system. One system comes out and then everyone’s got to figure out how am I gonna get that information into my system and have each of them be able to communicate with one another. So it is a huge project”

Although it is a huge task to create and implement a system that will allow for everyone to text with 911, emergency services are seeing the benefits of having this a part of the system.

“Anyway that the members of the public can get a hold of us is a good thing” said Staff Sergent Rene Aubertin, of the Belleville Police Services. Aubertin goes on to explain that the “Belleville police is preparing for it already, the dispatchers have been going through some training to get themselves familiar with the system.”

“Any technology that allows the callers to communicate more affectively with the 911 service is going to allow greater detail of the medical emergency from our perspective, to make sure that ambulances are dispatched more appropriately” said Carl Bowker, Deputy Chief of the Hastings Quinte Paramedic Services.

The hearing is a first step towards creating a system that will allow for individuals to not only call but text with 911, and share pictures, videos, medical information and much more.