Regional District to take over 9-1-1 services in 2026
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George announced last Wednesday that it will be taking over 9-1-1 call services in 2026.
Currently, 9-1-1 calls are administered by the Vancouver-based company Emergency Communications for BC Inc. (E-Comm). The Regional District has had a contract with E-Comm for 9-1-1 call services since 2014.
According to the press release on the change, once the Regional District takes over, 9-1-1 calls will be answered in Prince George at the Regional District’s Public Safety Operations building. The Prince George call centre will also service the regional districts of Bulkley-Nechako, Cariboo and Kitimat-Stikine.
In an email to The Goat, Senior Manager of Public Safety Melanie Perrin said Prince George-based dispatchers will be more familiar with the needs of northern B.C.’s rural and remote communities than dispatchers in Vancouver.
“These factors will result in a more comprehensive evaluation of the initial call and potentially a quicker processing and transfer of the call,” Perrin wrote.
The call centre comes with economic benefits for the region, too, Perrin said. The centre will be staffed by locals, and the Regional District estimates that 12 jobs will be created for the call centre.
Costs for the service will be more expensive than the contract with E-Comm for the first four years it is in place, according to Perrin. However, having the Regional District administer 9-1-1 call services is more cost effective in the long term, she said. Perrin did not provide specific numbers on the long-term cost modelling for the service, though she said it would be less costly than the E-Comm service after four years.
“The Board of Directors and the regional district partners did not take on this decision lightly. The decision is based upon years of work,” Perrin added. “Our goal is to provide excellent public safety services to our residents. The new 9-1-1 call-answer service is an opportunity to further enhance the safety and well-being of the communities we serve.”
