While the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) is now live at Chatham-Kent (CK) police and fire, the evolution of the national emergency communication system continues locally.
Chatham-Kent (CK) EMS has its own dispatch system and won't be live on the NG 9-1-1 system until October 2026, according to Acting General Manager of CK EMS Peter Morassutti.
CK police and fire share the new emergency response system and D-2 data, or additional data, such as texting and video and photo sharing capabilities, won't be available until 2027, according to Police Chief Kirk Earley. Neither will information like building layouts or floor plans that can be transferred to first responders to help them precisely locate someone on a particular floor of an apartment building, the chief added.
Emergency officials also told reporters during a media information session on Thursday afternoon that the new NG 9-1-1 system can pinpoint the location of a distressed caller to a radius of 10 feet or less. That accuracy was previously 100 feet radius.
The new system will also allow for faster response times, and Chief Earley noted that police response times have been cut by one second so far this week, adding that he'll have a fuller picture of how much quicker they will be around June 2026.
CK Police Project Manager Sarah VandenBrand said the new system is ready to handle present-day calls and handle the new data load coming in the future.
"When we designed the infrastructure for Next Generation 9-1-1, we designed it to cover us for both the D-1 and D-2 [data]. So the system is absolutely scalable, and we're ready to consume the data when it gets to us," said VandenBrand.
VandenBrand noted that since the launch of the NG 9-1-1 on Monday, the information transfer by cell phone providers for dropped calls is quicker, allowing first responders to follow the "bread crumbs" faster and more precisely.
"Instead of just having that one static drop that we were getting on the analog network. Now being on digital, as that cell phone moves, we are seeing that on our mapping capabilities as well. So, if we have an instance of a vehicle traveling, we can actually see where they're going already. We can see it as that cell phone moves around the network," VandenBrand noted.
Amy Dawson, CK Police Emergency Communications Centre Manager, said her operators get an average of 3,000 9-1-1 calls each month, and approximately 80 per cent of them come from cell phones.
When it comes to cybersecurity, VandenBrand said the new NG 9-1-1 is not linked to the internet, is not prone to a cyber attack, and can't be hacked.
"It's completely cut off from the internet. So, there can be no external attack on our system. We actually locked it down so that nobody can gain access, and it's completely separated by its own extensive firewalls and government-standard security," she said.
NG 9-1-1 ensures that Chatham-Kent’s first responders have access to the most modern and reliable network available, allowing emergency responders to receive real-time digital information from callers, providing a safer, more connected community.
Officials noted that making a 9-1-1 call has not changed. Residents still dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.
