The way callers communicate with 9-1-1 operators will soon change in Richmond.
When the new Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) system is in place, callers will be able to communicate with 9-1-1 operators using voice, text messages, pictures and even video.
Richmond residents will be able to stream video from an incident, send photographs of damage or suspects, transmit medical and accessibility information to responders, and more.
The system was approved at Monday's city council meeting and will have to be passed by all Metro Vancouver municipalities as well.
When all cities have ratified the new system, the contract will be signed by Metro Vancouver with Telus Communications, allowing telecommunications networks to switch to modem Internet Protocol (IP) technology.
Currently, 9-1-1 dispatch centres use a civic address to identify the location of a caller. In order to make the transition to NG9-1-1, the city will have to provide specific Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to Telus, which will be the sole NG9-1-1 service provider for all of B.C.
GIS will play a vital role in the system, allowing for better communication and location services. Since there is no provincial body acting as a GIS data collector, Telus will receive and aggregate this information into their datasets.
In 2022, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the body that regulates telecom providers, mandated the industry to transition to NG9-1-1.
The CRTC approved an agreement between Telus and local governments to ensure municipalities comply with the switch to the new NG9-1-1 system by providing their GIS data.
Since Metro Vancouver is responsible for 9-1-1 call answering services via its service provider E-Comm 9-1-1, it requires all of its municipalities to enter the contract by Oct. 14.
Once all members have authorized their contracts, Metro Vancouver will then enter into the agreement with Telus, no later than the end of October, a timeline mandated by the CRTC.
According to the province, E-Comm handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 9-1-1 call volume and will receive $90 million in provincial funding for technological upgrades.
This amount is part of a $150 million package to offset local government costs in this transition, with the remaining $60 million going towards municipalities across the province to support the switch.
The decommission of legacy 9-1-1 services mandated by the CRTC will occur on March 4, 2025.
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