Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 to take over answering 9-1-1 calls

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The way 9-1-1 calls are answered in the Fraser-Fort George, Bulkley-Nechako, Cariboo and Kitimat-Stikine regional districts is changing. Starting in 2026, Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1, a service provided by the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, will answer the four regional districts’ 9-1-1 calls, determine the nature of the emergencies and transfer callers to police, fire or ambulance dispatch centres as required. 

“Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 will provide our partner regional districts with a more autonomous 9-1-1 call answer service that can respond to the needs of northern communities and residents,” says Lara Beckett, Chair of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.

The regional districts have had a contract with Vancouver-based Emergency Communications for BC Inc. (E-Comm) to answer 9-1-1 calls since 2014. When Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 takes over this role next year, 9-1-1 calls will be answered in Prince George for these four regional districts.

“Bringing the 9-1-1 call answering service back to north central BC will create new job opportunities and economically benefit the region,” says Mark Parker, Chair of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.

“As our 9-1-1 call answer costs continued to increase, we needed to identify a more financially sustainable option for our residents,” says Margo Wagner, Chair of the Cariboo Regional District.

In 2024, a total of 104,476 9-1-1 calls were made in the regional districts, with 47,671in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, 23,013 in the Cariboo Regional District,19,591 in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine and 14,201 in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako. 

“We look forward to Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 being able to apply local knowledge and provide a better experience for our residents when they need emergency services,” says Cyra Yunkws, Chair of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.

When Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 takes over the call answer service, calls will continue to be transferred to the same dispatch centres as under E-Comm. Calls for police services are dispatched by the RCMP Operational Communications Centre in Prince George, calls for fire/rescue services are dispatched by the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s Fire Operations Communications Centre in Prince George and calls for ambulance services are dispatched by the BC Ambulance Service in Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops. 

Learn more about Fraser-Fort George 9-1-1 and the 9-1-1 call answer service

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