From mountainous areas to forested landscapes and pristine oceanside communities, North Island 9-1-1 is island decision-making for island solutions. For 25 years the North Island 9-1-1 Corporation (NI911) has supported local residents when they needed it most. NI911 manages the provision of 9-1-1 service including dispatching calls for fire, police and ambulance response for six regional districts covering over 60,000 square kilometers over Vancouver Island and portions of the Sunshine Coast.
The participating shareholders include Regional District of Mount Waddington, Strathcona Regional District, Comox Valley Regional District, qathet Regional District (excluding Lasqueti Island), Alberni-Clayquot Regional District and District #69 of Regional District of Nanaimo. In 2017, NI911 was successfully awarded the fire dispatch service contract for the Peace River Regional District.
The corporation works co-operatively to provide a 9-1-1 system that connects residents to emergency personnel. Agreements are in place with E-Comm for the primary 9-1-1 call answering service and the City of Campbell River for fire dispatch.
“Annually over 78,000 calls go to 9-1-1 and NI911 ensures quick, effective service delivery,” explains North Island 9-1-1 president John McNabb. “We are a local company that thrives on providing the quickest, most reliable service to our residents. Seconds count and we take that seriously.”
The corporation, which uses state-of-the-art Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software and an IP-based radio system, provides an enhanced fire dispatch service that meets and/or exceeds NFPA 1221 and NENA standards for fire dispatch. Owning and operating the equipment for over 50 fire departments emphasizes the importance NI911 invests on local, community assets.
“North Island 9-1-1 fire dispatch and staff demonstrate their value daily with their dedication, creativity and resourcefulness. Thanks to their hard work and assistance behind the scenes we’ve been able to do a better job keeping up with evolving demands of operating an emergency service business as well as serving our community during both non-emergency and emergency situations. The dispatchers’ contributions to the team are a reflection of our priorities as a department and the importance that we place on doing a good job,” says Don Bardonnex, City of Courtenay Fire Chief.
On Oct. 26, N1911 completed a strategic planning session. Developing strategic goals and a path forward is essential to ensuring quality services are offered.
“We continue to look to enhance our service delivery of the 9-1-1 and fire dispatch response service to the six shareholders of the North Island 9-1-1 Corporation,” said McNabb. “We are proud of our island-based solution to serve over 50 local fire departments in the central to north island region and portions of the coast. And look forward to continuing to support our residents when they need it most.”
FMI: www.ni911.ca