By Alessia Proietti

System national in 2023

Red Deer allocates $1.29 million provincial grant towards Next Generation 9-1-1 telephone system

Feb 15, 2022 | 10:07 AM

Red Deer city council approved on Monday the use of an additional $1.29 million in provincial grant funding towards the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) telephone system.

The NG9-1-1, an expansion in 9-1-1 services mandated by the Canadian Radio-Television and Broadcasting Services (CRTC), was proposed to the national public in 2013. Advancements include 9-1-1 communication via text messages, video calls, sending pictures, and medical information easily to first responders. All telecommunications providers must update their networks to get ready for NG9-1-1 by Mar. 1, 2022.

Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) is working towards replacing the 30-year-old telephone system in call centres to this new internet-protocol (IP) network. It will allow various telephone, internet, and data-based devices to access emergency services through connected Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

Some other changes to be implemented gradually until its full replacement in March 2025 include:

• Desk phones replaced with more capable softphone applications
• Contacting 9-1-1 via Real-Time Text (RTT) by April 2024
• Detailed location information for emergency response
• Additional data made available, like vehicle telematics or building schematics
• Communicate via video call
• Real time 24/7/365 cybersecurity and monitoring

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Budget preparations for the project in Red Deer began in 2015, however, the City states it was not made clear until recently as to what the standards and costs were for the transition to NG9-1-1.

As a result, the estimated capital costs for its implementation are greatly higher than what was originally anticipated. The current capital budget has allocated $324,000 of funds, however, the estimate is now between $1–1.2 million.

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency provides emergency call centres with an annual 9-1-1 Wireless Grant to help with operations. The grant is funded through a 9-1-1 levy charged to customers on their monthly cell phone bills by all telecommunications providers. The City states the 9-1-1 Wireless Grant for Red Deer has been approximately $1.6 million per year for the last several years.

In 2021, the Alberta 9-1-1 Centres lobbied the government to raise the levy to cover the costs of implementing the NG9-1-1 services. The levy was raised from $0.44 to $0.95 per month on all Alberta cellphones. For Red Deer, the grant for 2022 will be $2.98 million, an increase of $1.29 million.

Council approved Monday this additional $1.29 million will be allocated for the transition to NG9-1-1, including the added operating costs such as staffing, maintenance, IT, and cybersecurity.

Over 1.33 million 9-1-1 calls are made in Alberta each year. The new IP based system will go live nationally in 2023.