Kitchener takes over fire dispatch services in Stratford
Fire services in Stratford will soon be dispatched out of Kitchener.
Kitchener Fire Chief Bob Gilmore says the local department already dispatches for Waterloo, Cambridge and Waterloo Region’s four townships. Now they’re adding the City of Stratford to the list.
“The big reason it’s happening is the CRTC [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission] is implementing what they call Next Generation 9-1-1 and [for] a lot of the smaller dispatch centres, it’s an exorbitant cost to upgrade their technology,” Gilmore said. “And so it’s trending throughout the province actually that the smaller centres are being absorbed by the bigger regions.”
The province says Next Generation 9-1-1 will allow the public to share more information with 911 dispatchers including text messages and video. It will also give emergency operators and dispatchers the ability to identify the location of a call using GPS coordinates.
Emergency communication centres across Ontario have until March 2025 to transition to the new system.
Last month, the province pledged to spend $78 million on telecommunications infrastructure to help municipalities and emergency response centres make the switch.
Kitchener Fire will get just under $714,000 of that money.
Gilmore says it won’t be a problem for Kitchener to take on Stratford’s call volume.
“Their call volume is approximately 2,400 calls a year. So we’re currently about 32,000 in the region, so we’d go to 34,000 [calls per year].”
Gilmore says employees with Stratford’s dispatch centre have been re-assigned and will not lose their jobs. Kitchener Fire currently has 17 dispatchers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
DEVELOPING 2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Arkansas in 1995. Almost 30 years later, a suspect was identified
Nearly 30 years after a six-year-old girl disappeared in Western Arkansas, authorities have identified a suspect in her abduction through DNA evidence.
Dolphins 'smile' at each other when they play and to avoid misunderstanding, study finds
For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other.
Pit bulls in B.C. pet mauling tested positive for meth, cocaine, says city
Three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month in Kamloops, B.C., tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, and the city is going to court to have them put down.
Tax rebate: Canadians with low to modest incomes to receive payment on Friday
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.