City council has voted to enter an agreement to share 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) space with neighbouring Alberta municipalities. The city received a request from East Central 911 (EC911) located in Wainwright, Alta. to co-locate in the Lloydminster Secondary 911 PSAP.
Alberta provincial standards for 911 PSAPs call for a secondary point to move operations into in case a primary point becomes unusable. Lloydminster is currently configuring a secondary 911 at the Operations Centre, which can sustain up to three positions if necessary. EC911 is a primary 911 PSAP providing emergency 911 and dispatch services for 26 separate municipalities.
The city already has an agreement with EC911 to back each other up in case of an equipment failure. Councillor Michael Diachuk sees it as an opportunity to be a good neighbour, saying we offer a lot of help and may need it reciprocated someday.
“Our turn will come someday when we need assistance. I can’t say that I want it to come quick, but it’s good to know that if you have a good relationship with your neighbour, and you need help, it’s going to be there,” says Diachuk.
Diachuk adds that there are already agreements in place to assist neighbouring municipalities with firefighting services if need be. Currently, the city has budgeted $55,000 to complete the secondary PSAP, and including EC911 would be cost neutral. The city also projects that there may be cost savings with the implementation of Next Generation 911 services in 2023.