British Columbians may soon be able to call, text, and send photos to 911 operators

The British Columbia government is investing millions to upgrade the 911 calling system, allowing for location tracking of callers and the sending of texts and photos during emergencies.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the $150-million investment will upgrade the aging system to the Next Generation 911 system and make it more compatible with evolving technology.

Oliver Gruter-Andrew, CEO of E-Comm 911, which handles most of B.C.'s emergency calls, says the funding is a game-changer for the public safety agency.

He says operators will be able to precisely track the location of a caller, receive a text in an emergency, and have new options for responding to people needing mental health support.

Up until now, local governments have been the main funders of the 911 service, but Gruter-Andrew says the looming financial costs have been daunting for cities and municipalities.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has mandated the implementation of Next Generation 911 and the decommissioning of current 911 networks in Canada by March 2025.

E-Comm is experiencing staffing shortages and there have been delays for those needing help during an emergency, but Farnworth says that isn't the focus of this announcement.

"This is about upgrading the technology that allows the individuals at 911 to be able to do their job,'' he said.

"So, it will be an improvement in the service, at the same time as other work (is) underway with E-Comm in terms of staffing and the operations side.''

Gruter-Andrew says the new technology will make a difference to staffing requirements.

"Staffing pressure is the highest challenge for E-Comm and so many other agencies, whether it's in the first-responder world or elsewhere,'' he said during the announcement Wednesday at Firehall No. 1 in Saanich, B.C.

"I see this as a fundamental platform build on which we can develop solutions that will help us with the staffing crisis as well as other challenges.''

Sharing photos with 911

Donald Grant, the president of the B.C. Emergency Communications Professionals union, says people will be able to share photos and videos with dispatchers. 

Grant says while the upgraded technology and provincial funding is welcome, there is still no solution for the staffing shortage. 

He says January was a record-breaking month for 911 calls on Vancouver Island, with more calls coming in compared to "any other January in [their] history."

"[With] all these different types of media, we need to make sure that there are 911 operators there to assess [and] communicate with first responders," he said. 

While they're working to hire more staff, Grant says it'll be crucial to have trained dispatchers ready when the new system comes into play. 

"We need to get ready for being able to take pictures, text messages and videos because that's just going to add to the workload and the stress that 911 operators are under," he said.