Orillia's 911 system getting $1.6M digital upgrade

Orillia's emergency dispatch is moving to a $1.6-million digital system that improves location accuracy in multi-storey buildings, with the full cost covered by a provincial grant.

Orillia's 911 dispatch centre is in the final testing stages of a $1.6-million digital overhaul that will improve how precisely dispatchers can locate callers, with the entire bill covered by a provincial grant, according to the city's fire chief.

Fire Chief Chris Ferry said the city is transitioning to Next Generation 911, or NG911, a system that replaces traditional copper phone lines with a fully digital, fibre-optic and cloud-based platform.

Earlier timelines pointed to a January rollout, but the system is now expected to go live in late winter or early spring, once extensive testing with Bell Canada wraps up.

Hundreds of tests under way

"We're still testing with Bell," Ferry told OrilliaMatters. "There are five to six hundred tests that we have to complete to make sure the system works exactly the way it's supposed to."

Testing is being carried out at the primary dispatch centre at Fire Station 1 and repeated at a fully equipped backup centre at Fire Station 2, to make sure service continues no matter what.

For residents, nothing will change when they pick up the phone in an emergency.

"When people dial 911, it will come through just like it always has. Residents won't notice any changes. The difference is all on our end."

The upgrade is part of a nationwide shift that will move all primary and secondary 911 call centres in Canada away from older Enhanced 911 systems.

Better location accuracy

One of the biggest improvements is location accuracy. Current systems rely on X and Y coordinates, while NG911 adds a third, vertical coordinate that helps dispatchers figure out which floor of a building a caller is on.

"That Z coordinate will help us better pinpoint someone's location, especially in multi-storey buildings. It's already good, but this makes it more precise."

Text-to-911 and video-based emergency calls will eventually be supported, but Ferry said those features are still years away. "There's still work to be done before we get there," he said.

The transition will not affect staffing at Orillia's dispatch centre. Ferry confirmed there will be no job cuts, reduced hours or layoffs tied to the new system, saying it has no impact on staffing levels.

Outside technology providers have been contracted to install and maintain the system, train dispatchers, and handle cybersecurity and monitoring — work Ferry said falls beyond the city's in-house expertise.

To guard against disruptions, Orillia will run the existing Enhanced 911 system and the new NG911 platform side by side during the switchover, letting technicians monitor performance and fix problems as they come up.

The system is also backed by three separate fibre-optic connections, including backup lines from Oro-Medonte and Severn Township. All three would have to fail at once to knock the service offline, at which point Bell would automatically reroute calls to another 911 call centre, Ferry said.

The roughly $1.6-million cost is being fully covered through provincial grant funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General, with no impact on municipal tax dollars.

The city plans a formal public announcement once the system officially launches, outlining timelines, funding and future capabilities. Until then, Ferry said, residents can expect the same level of service as always.