Transitioning to Next Generation 911
Chief Danny Smyth
“911—What’s your emergency?” – This simple response is repeated thousands of times across Canada every year. If you have telephone service, chances are you are familiar 911. The 911 system is relied upon as a safety net in our society. People know that when they call 911 for help someone is coming – be it police, fire, or paramedic service.
What people may not realize is how significant the Winnipeg Police has been in the development of the 911 emergency service that we all take for granted. In fact, the Winnipeg Police pioneered the first three-digit hotline in North America. I am old enough to remember that 999 was the number to call when you needed help. In retrospect, this seemed like an odd choice given that everyone had a rotary dial phone and dialing nine took the longest.
This week Tried and True focuses on the next generation of the 911 system. As a county we are transitioning from an antiquated legacy system to a new system in line with the wireless digital age we are in. This initiative is timely because we are seeing more and more evidence of the legacy system deteriorating and failing. A recent Winnipeg Free Press article tells the story of a malfunctioning landline that dialed 911 and had police dispatched to respond to a false call for help. In fact, people have become so reliant on the 911 service, that one of our biggest challenges is people misusing or abusing the 911 service for the wrong reasons.
911 emergency service is part of what’s known as Public Safety Access Points (PSAPs). There are hundreds of PSAPs operating throughout Canada. In Manitoba there are two primary PSAPs. One operates out of Brandon and provides service to Brandon any many of the rural areas of Manitoba. The other PSAP is dedicated to Winnipeg. The Winnipeg PSAP is operated by the WPS and is staffed by Winnipeg Police employees (not police officers). This PSAP is located within Winnipeg Police HQ.
PSAPs and the 911 safety net have two components: the technological part of the system, and the operational or people side of the system. Ken Borce is the Manager of the Communication Center, and has assembled a dedicated team to ensure our transition to NG911. He does a terrific job outlining that journey in his article below. The WPS will be investing $6M in upgrades to both hardware and software components of NG911 over the next few years. There is also a short video put together by ESRI that summarizes the why and how of this transition.
The operational side of the PSAP is about the people. The WPS has over 110 dedicated people who run the Communication Center operations at a cost of about $13.8M a year. From call takers, coaches, trainers, and supervisors, these are the people who have first contact with people in crisis and make sure help is on the way. They are also the lifeline for the police officers in the frontline who rely on them for the vital information necessary to do our job.
On a personal note, I want to acknowledge and thank Ken Borce for all the hard work he and his team have put into planning and ensuring a successful transition to NG911. We are positioned to be among the first PSAP in Canada to throw the switch to the new system in 2024. I wish you well in your new role and promotion at CancerCare Manitoba.
Ken Borce
Manager of Communications
Several decades ago, people living in North America had to check their phone books to find the correct seven-digit number to reach police, fire, or medical emergency services for their respective municipalities. There was no single number to reach emergency responders when it is needed the most.
That changed in 1959 when the Winnipeg Central Police pioneered the first three-digit emergency hotline in North America. This innovative approach allowed Winnipeggers to call for help by dialing 9-9-9. This number replaced dozens of seven-digit emergency phone numbers that Winnipeggers marked in their phone books.
Fast forward to the present day, Canada’s 9-1-1 infrastructure is barely keeping up with the mounting needs of the public. The current copper-wire-based 9-1-1 system was built around landlines. Though upgrades were made throughout the years, the system still lags behind exponential technological advancements (e.g. wireless devices, internet, GPS, etc.) that are readily available to the general public. As of September 2021, there were 39.8 million mobile wireless subscriptions in Canada. Between 2014-2021, Canada added 11.6 million mobile wireless customers, increasing its subscriber base by 41%. More Canadians have mobile phones than landlines.
Because of the widespread use of these technologies, members of the public requiring to reach emergency services, through 9-1-1, have higher expectations. Additionally, the proliferation of movies and TV shows depicting futuristic 9-1-1 capabilities contributes to the skewed public understanding of 9-1-1 services in Canada.
In order to meet the demands of today’s wirelessly-connected society, the outdated 9-1-1 system has to digitally transform to an internet protocol (IP) based platform—Next Generation (NG) 9-1-1.
NG9-1-1 is a standards-based IP infrastructure that will enable Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) in Canada, also known as 9-1-1 Centres, to receive voice and multimedia 9-1-1 communications from the public. This nationwide project will utilize geographic information systems (GIS) to more accurately locate 9-1-1 callers who require police, fire, or ambulance services.
What does this mean to you, the people we serve?
Since NG9-1-1 will modernize the backbone of 9-1-1 services in Canada, this will result in a significantly enhanced emergency services delivery. The caller's accurate location information and phone number will be automatically provided to the 9-1-1 call taker, enabling a more efficient 9-1-1 response that does not heavily rely on the caller’s ability to verbalize vital information such as the location of the emergency.
In the current state, 9-1-1 call takers need to ask and clarify their precise location. When all the pieces of NG9-1-1 are implemented, 9-1-1 professionals will be able to find you even in situations where you are not able to speak (e.g. assailant is on-premise, medical emergencies). Those precious seconds could save lives.
NG9-1-1 enhances the ability of PSAPs to receive 9-1-1 calls from mobile phones and other wireless devices as well as receive multimedia data from the caller, which is presently not possible with the current 9-1-1 system. Multimedia data such as images, videos, and sensor data (e.g., heart rate from a wearable device) provide public safety agencies with mission-critical information and improved situational awareness, allowing them to make informed decisions to keep the public safe in an effective and efficient manner.
· With the improvements and technological advancement that NG9-1-1 will bring, we cannot miss the most important facet of this project—you, the people we serve.
· Alongside infrastructure investments, operational changes, and technological implementations is public education. The consumer of 9-1-1 services is you. It is therefore crucial that public safety agencies, including the Winnipeg Police Service, educate the public not only about NG9-1-1 but also (and more importantly) about the 9-1-1 services of today.
· Emergencies do not and will not wait for NG9-1-1 implementation. If you are in a situation where your life is in an immediate danger, you need to be able to reach 9-1-1 and provide vital information without delay.
· When you call 9-1-1, it is crucial that you provide your location first. Without your location information, emergency field responders will have challenges to find you. You need to listen carefully and respond to the questions of the 9-1-1 call taker. These questions are designed to obtain critical information in order to dispatch emergency field responders.
· Remember, 9-1-1 is for emergency situations where there is an immediate danger to your life or others.
The public safety agencies in the City of Winnipeg and across the country are working collaboratively to transform our aging 9-1-1 system to better serve the public, the Winnipeg Police Service leading some of the NG9-1-1 discussions on a national level. This multi-year project requires thorough planning and investments.
Over sixty years ago, Winnipeg pioneered the three-digit emergency number in North America. During that period, the society that we live in has had tremendous changes. Today, Winnipeg continues to pave the way as we are well-positioned to digitally transform our aging 9-1-1 system.
NG9-1-1 is not just the next shiny thing. NG9-1-1 will transform how the public will receive an emergency response and the way public safety agencies meet the growing demands of the community that we serve.