Government outlines new plan for bringing 911 service to the N.W.T.
911 service will have at least 7 dispatchers for territory, expected by June 2019
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has come up with a structure for bringing 911 into the territory.
On Monday, the government released its outline for the service, which is expected to be available June 2019.
It's an important service to have, because anyone unfamiliar with the territory may not know what number to call during an emergency, said Ashley Geraghty, the 911 program manager.
Even people who live in the territory may not remember which number to call during "the stress of an emergency," he said.
Geraghty is responsible for the design and implementation of the program.
In the Northwest Territories, there have been problems in the past with 911 calls. In 2016, a Yellowknife resident tried to call 911 to report a fire at a local business, only to discover that the service was not in place. The resident had to drive to the fire hall to get help.
In 2001, a driver picked up a snowmobiler with a broken leg on Prosperous Lake. The driver first tried to call 911 before driving the man to Stanton Territorial Hospital.
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The proposed system would include sharing a space between the HSS Med-Response team and 911 dispatchers, Geraghty explained, cutting down on the cost of space, equipment, and training.
Geraghty said the 911 service would have at least seven dispatchers for the territory and, would run on a system similar to ones that operate in the south.
What happens when you call 911?
It starts with a question: "what is your location?"
Maybe you don't know how to provide CPR and the person needs CPR, that's something our dispatchers would talk you through how to do it over the phone.-Ashley Geraghty, N.W.T. 911 program manager
The question allows the dispatcher to send help, even if the call drops.
That's because the N.W.T. doesn't have infrastructure in place that can track a caller's location or phone number.
"We will send everything to you because we don't know what the emergency is, we just know there is an emergency somewhere, and we know the where," Geraghty said.
After determining the location, the dispatcher will ask what emergency service the person needs.
Depending on the situation, the dispatcher will forward the call to the correct department.
Dispatchers can also provide medical pre-arrival care, meaning they can provide simple medical assistance over the phone, according to Geraghty.
"Maybe you don't know how to provide CPR and the person needs CPR, that's something our dispatchers would talk you through how to do it over the phone."
Not all councillors convinced
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs presented the structure for 911 services to Yellowknife city councillors on Monday.
Coun. Niels Konge said he didn't want residents to be paying for a service they are already receiving.
The 911 service will cost anyone with a phone in the territory about $1.77 per month, per phone. Geraghty said it should also include services like OnStar.
"As a consumer, that doesn't seem very fair," said Konge. "Especially as a taxpayer of Yellowknife, when I still have to keep paying for the services we are already providing our taxpayers."
"I absolutely agree that we need a 911 number," said Coun. Shauna Morgan, but added that she thought the 911 system could be integrated into the current dispatch system, run by the City of Yellowknife.
Geraghty said the cost of working with the city would have been significantly higher than the current plan.
The Northwest Territories will be the second territory to get a 911 service across the entire territory. In 2016, a 911 territory-wide service was implemented in Yukon.