CALGARY (Staff) — The 9-1-1 emergency telephone service will soon be available across Alberta.
Negotiations between communities and Alberta Government Telephones are under way to start the service. Pilot projects in such diverse communities as Grande Prairie, High Level, Turner Valley and Black Diamond are already in place, said Grahame Blundell of public safety services.
The government has been investigating how to introduce an efficient, inexpensive service for the last two years, he said.
“Two different surveys showed the vast majority want a province-wide system and that they are prepared to pay for it,” said Blundell. Cost would range between 50 cents and $1 per month per telephone line.
The 9-1-1 system is an answering service where a caller is connected by a dispatcher to emergency services. In Alberta the enhanced system is used where the caller’s name, address, previous calling history and other information is flashed on a screen.
