St. Catharines Fire Services adds Prince Edward County to the list of dispatch partners

Mar. 20, 2024, St. Catharines, Ont. – St. Catharines Fire Services (SCFS) welcomes another municipality into the mix as Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue (PECFR) joins the list of cities using St. Catharines emergency dispatch services.

“We are honoured to serve as the backbone of emergency response for so many cities as we continue to add municipalities to our growing list,” said St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper. “Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue can look forward working with our dispatch team as they continue to ensure seamless communication and coordination, empowering firefighters to protect lives and property with efficiency and precision.”

In addition to welcoming Prince Edward County, SCFS provides emergency dispatch services to many municipalities across Niagara including Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, Thorold, Wainfleet and West Lincoln as well as Haldimand County and Norfolk County. There are 16 municipalities in Hastings County who also use St. Catharines dispatch services including Bancroft, Carlow Mayo, Centre Hastings, Deseronto, Faraday, Hastings Highlands, Limerick, Madoc, Marmora and Lake, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Quinte West, Stirling Rawdon, Tudor and Cashel, Tweed, Tyendinaga, and Wollaston.

The agreement assists PECFR as the deadline approaches for all municipalities to move over to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) Next-Gen 911 (NG 911) system.

The new system will bring innovative new technology to replace Ontario’s 30-year-old 911 voice-based infrastructure once it is fully operational. The CRTC requirement means that all provinces, municipalities and their Primary Public Safety Answering Point (PPSAP) providers need to meet the new NG-911 standards no later than March 4, 2025, at which time the legacy systems will be disconnected.

“Our dedicated team of first responders is always ready to serve, and this new dispatch service will help us respond more effectively and efficiently in emergencies,” added Prince Edward County Fire Chief Chad Brown. “We look forward to working closely with St. Catharines Fire Services (SCFS) to ensure the highest level of fire services for our residents.”