The province is helping first responders improve communication when they go into rural areas.
They are upgrading the province’s public safety communications service with Bell Mobility who will be responsible for end-to-end service delivery and the ownership and operation of towers, radios and antennae, as well as other needed infrastructure.
Dauphin Fire Chief Cam Abrey says the new equipment will replace the outdated FleetNet system.
“Emergency services in Manitoba operate on a trunked radio system that’s known as the FleetNet system and that includes RCMP, EMS, Fire Services. There are a great number of services on the Fleet Net System. However, the system is quite antiquated. Parts availability for MTS to keep that system up and running has become rarer and rarer. As Premier Pallister said in his media release, they were even buying parts off of EBay in order to keep the system running.”
Abrey says the new system will help first responders connect with dispatch and others while in areas normally lacking in coverage.
“This new system is going to replace all of that. it’s going to have greater coverage, greater reliability, and better interoperability between RCMP, and EMS, and Fire so that we can all communicate with each other as we are responding to incidents.”
The new equipment will include radios with GPS, which can track the location of first responders to improve their safety. Advanced radio encryption will ensure police operations are secure and the equipment will be compatible with other systems outside of Manitoba to enable co-ordination during emergencies.
Total project costs for the replacement of the public safety communications service is expected to be $380 million.
