News Release Archive
ENVIRONMENT--911 SERVICE EXPANDED ----------------------------------------------------------------- 911 service is just days away for people living in five counties in southwestern Nova Scotia. Environment Minister Wayne Adams, the minister responsible for the Emergency Measures Act, said 911 service will be operational in Annapolis, Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens Counties on June 17. The expansion of service will benefit approximately 127,000 residents in the five counties. This is the second expansion of 911 service in Nova Scotia this year. On April 1, 911 began operating in Colchester, Cumberland and East Hants. 911 has been operational in Kings County since 1992. By the end of 1996, every Nova Scotian will use 911 to contact police, fire and ambulance services in an emergency. Calls made within Annapolis, Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens County will be handled by trained call takers at the RCMP telecommunications centre in Yarmouth. All staff have been given specific training by Maritime Tel & Tel (MT&T) on the handling of emergency calls. When a call is made to 911, the computer screen in front of the trained call taker displays the caller's name, address and telephone number. It will instantly identify the emergency services closest to the person in need, speeding up the delivery of assistance. 911 is a joint initiative of the province of Nova Scotia and MT&T. The Emergency Measures Organization is funding the program, which has cost approximately $6 million. MT&T is implementation manager for the project, which includes system design and maintenance, all training and procedures for 911 call takers, and management of the database, - which provides the civic address of every residence and business in Nova Scotia. The database is updated every 24 hours to ensure accuracy. "Government is all about improving the lives of citizens. 911 can be a life saver and that is why we are putting it in place across the province," said Mr. Adams. Colin Latham, president and CEO of MT&T, indicated the 911 system adds immeasurable value to local telephone service. "911 is a step forward in our efforts to use telecommunications to improve the lives of Nova Scotians," Mr. Latham said. "As implementation manager, we want to continue to ensure the system is the best and this is why we're committed to quality assurance, whether it pertains to the network, the database or the call takers." -30- Contact: Paul McEachern 902-424-2575 trp June 10, 1996 - 12:45 p.m.