Local police and fire services will get provincial funding to upgrade to Next Generation 9-1-1 Service.
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Personnel from City of Brantford Fire Department, County of Brant Fire Department and Brantford Police gathered at the main fire hall on Clarence Street Wednesday afternoon as Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma announced $2.7 million in funding for the upgrades.
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“The current 9-1-1 systems are built on old analog voice technology and aging physical infrastructure with limited capabilities,” said Bouma, likening the current technology to old rotary dial phones. “We look forward to a world-class 9-1-1 system as our first responder partners implement the new, advanced digital networks.”
The County of Brant Fire Department will receive $1,382,501, while Brantford Police Service will get $834,136, and $481,111 is ear-marked for the Brantford Fire Department.
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Bouma, who has served as a volunteer firefighter in St. George, said the upgraded service would allow 9-1-1 communication centers to identify the location of a call using device-based GPS co-ordinates and allow users to text directly to 9 -1-1 resulting in rapid and effective emergency responses.
“NG 9-1-1 will improve both the user and provider experience,” said the MPP. “Emergency operators, dispatchers and communicators are the heroes of public safety, and putting modern 9-1-1-technology at their fingertips will allow for faster deployment of first responders and better protect the people of Ontario.”
Brantford Fire Chief Todd Binkley said the government funding is an investment in the community and fire safety.
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“The upgrade to NG 9-1-1 will allow our highly skilled fire communication operators to more effectively process emergency calls and dispatch the necessary fire resources not only for our community but to the other fire departments we provide dispatch services to,” he explained .
The NG 9-1-1 Transition Funding from the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General will ensure that services in municipalities will be upgraded by the CRTC’s deadline of March 2025.
Similar upgrades for paramedic services in Ontario will be funded by the Ministry of Health.
“This conversation started over a decade ago about the need for this infrastructure, but the big roadblock was who is going to fund it,” said Brantford Police Chief Robert Davis. “I really want to acknowledge the Ford government for having the foresight to realize this was a major barrier for all the municipalities, that has now been eliminated.
“By having this grant to support the infrastructure… this is a game changer and does make a significant improvement to public safety.”
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