黑料吃瓜网

A new 911 system is set to save lives, according to assistant fire marshal Rick Lindsay.

Speaking to Inuvik town council on Monday, he laid out the basics of dialing 911 in the region, which he said should be implemented by Nov. 12 at the latest.

As a result, 鈥渨e don鈥檛 want anyone calling prior to it rolling out, because you won鈥檛 get anyone on the phone,鈥� Lindsay told Inuvik Drum.

Implementation won鈥檛 mark a major difference for Inuvik, he said. 鈥淏ut you take Paulatuk or Sachs Habour, just the fact you can get somebody online that can walk you through basic first aid鈥� could be life-saving.

A former ambulance attendant, Lindsay said he recalled four people who died because they couldn鈥檛 access first aid. If someone has access to first aid instruction via 911, it could make all the difference.

Lindsay added that residents shouldn鈥檛 forget local emergency numbers. For example, dialing 222 for fire sends the call to Alberta and then back to Inuvik. Calling 911 would add another step, where the 911 centre would have to transfer to Alberta, and add to the wait time for assistance.

Also on Monday, Fire Chief Cynthia Hammond told council that her service could benefit from the 911 service.

鈥淲hen our landlines are down, right now we have to send out a public notice,鈥� she said, explaining its unpredictable when this can occur and the notification includes an alternate cell number.

鈥淎t 2 in the morning, we don鈥檛 know if our landlines are down, then we have no way to communicate to the public other than through Facebook, or 鈥� our town website.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 almost a back-mechanism. If 222 isn鈥檛 working, 911 is still going to work because the cell phones are still working.鈥�

Once it begins, residents will dial 911 and an operator will ask their location. After confirming this, the operator will determine whether callers need fire, police or ambulance services and get a call back number.

However, Lindsay told council the service will not create cell phone coverage where it doesn鈥檛 exist, and will not create emergency services that were previously unavailable.

He also cautioned against making non-emergency calls, using the example of raven eating a resident's garbage, or car slipping into a ditch.

Additionally, if a resident can鈥檛 speak English or French, a translation service will be available, which Lindsay said will include regional Indigenous languages. In these instances, the translator will stay on the line until help arrives.

The service will also include a monthly cost of $1.70 per phone line. Satellite phones can also be used to contact 911.

Lindsay said the service is 鈥渂ound鈥� to save lives in the region.

鈥淭his鈥檒l help. This really helps,鈥� he said.