BC RCMP says the Next Generation 911 system will begin rolling out across British Columbia in the next week, starting Oct. 26.
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British Columbia’s RCMP says the Next Generation 911 (NG9-1-1) rollout will begin in the next week across the province, led by E-Comm 9-1-1.
RCMP said NG9-1-1 is federally mandated to replace older infrastructure and is intended to support emergency communications with faster and more options.
The RCMP said the only initial difference the public will notice is a new automated callback system for calls that are disconnected or abandoned, with those calls being operated by E-Comm.
RCMP said the migration starts on Oct. 26 at BC RCMP Headquarters in Surrey and at the RCMP Island District in Courtenay, which provides air, marine and traffic units across Vancouver Island.
The RCMP said NG9-1-1 will eventually allow people reporting emergencies to use text capabilities and share streaming video, though those features are not expected for several years.
E-Comm Interim President and CEO Nancy Blair said the transition is “a critical step in modernizing how emergency calls are received and managed in British Columbia,” adding that the work “strengthens the reliability of our 9-1-1 system today, while laying the groundwork for future technologies that will better support both the public and first responders.”
The provincial government provided $150 million to start the progression of NG9-1-1, with the funding announced in 2023.
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