Lethbridge’s emergency communications centre receives 9-1-1 dispatch upgrades

Emergency call services in our region have recently undergone a transition to a newly modernized “Next-Generation 9-1-1” network.

The Public Safety Communications Centre at Lethbridge’s Fire Station 1 has transitioned their call centre from analog to a new IP network known as ESInet in compliance with new guidelines from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). This means outgoing calls will be easier to locate and provide redundancy during outages and disruptions.

The Communications Centre is responsible for fire and police dispatch services for Lethbridge and 23 surrounding communities in southern Alberta, and handles over 165,000 calls annually.

The nationwide transition requires telecommunications providers to update their networks to accommodate by March 31^st of next year. Calling 9-1-1 will be no different between now and until all networks are fully updated.