Parkland Ambulance Care has completed the launch of the Next Generation 911 at its medical communication centre in Prince Albert, marking the final step in Saskatchewan’s transition to a fully digital emergency call handling system.
The upgrade went live Tuesday, Dec. 9, making Parkland the third and last medical communication centre in the province to move from an analog 911 system to the modern Next Generation 911 platform.
Lyle Karasuik, director of public affairs for Parkland Ambulance Care, said the change represents a major improvement behind the scenes in how emergency calls are processed and shared across the province.
“What NG911 does is move us from the analog world to the digital world,” Karasiuk said. “It enhances our ability to be accurate and responsive and strengthens public safety communications as we move into the future.”
Under the new system, emergency calls are routed using internet-based networks rather than traditional telephone infrastructure. This allows calls to be transferred more smoothly between communication centres during periods of high call volumes or major incidents.
Karasuik said this is especially important during emergencies such as wildfires or severe weather events.
“If our centre in Prince Albert is extremely busy, those calls can automatically be moved to one of the other communication centres that may now be experiencing the same influx,” he said. “The seamless transition is much easier and smoother in a digital environment.”
Submitted Photo
A colour coded workstation light used at the Parkland Medical Communication Centre indicates call status, with green showing availability and other colors signaling active or waiting calls.
Another major benefit of NG911 is improved location accuracy, particularly for mobile phone users and people travelling or calling from rural areas.
Karasuik said modern smartphones generate detailed location data that the previous analog system was not designed to handle.
“The technology behind NG911 allows us to pinpoint callers with greater accuracy, even when they are unsure exactly where they are,” he said. “That is crucial for rural highways and remote locations.”
The upgrade also includes a significant hardware overhaul inside the Prince Albert communication centre. Traditional telephone handsets have been removed and replaced with fully digital, touchscreen workstations operating on a fiber optic network.
In addition, a new visual system uses color-coded lights at each workstation to silently indicate call status and call queues for staff.
“This technology helps our team work more efficiently in a very busy environment,” Karasuik said. “Our centre handles about 1,000 calls a week on average, so anything that improves speed and accuracy makes a meaningful difference.”
Karasiuk said the transition to NG911 does not change how residents dial 911 and does not require any action from the public. The upgrade primarily improves how calls are handled behind the scenes, ensuring emergency services can respond faster and more reliably while preparing the system for future enhancements as technology evolves.
“It enhances our ability to be accurate and responsive and strengthens our public safety communications as we look to the future,” Karasiuk said.
With Parkland’s transition now complete, all three medical communication centres in Saskatchewan are operating on the same digital platform, aligning them with modern emergency communication systems used across Canada and North America.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
