Haldimand County is now a Next Generation 911 community

Residents of Haldimand County now benefit from Next Generation 911 (NG911), a major advancement in emergency communications technology delivered through Haldimand’s fire dispatch provider, St. Catharines Fire Services.

The successful launch of NG911 by St. Catharines Fire Services enhances emergency call handling for the 36 municipalities it serves across Ontario, including Haldimand County. The Ontario government, through the Solicitor General, has provided $4,016,982 in funding to support St. Catharines Fire Services’ transition to NG911.

NG911 represents a multi-stage, transformative upgrade to the traditional 911 system. While the process for callers remains the same—dialling 911 in an emergency—the new system introduces several enhancements designed to improve speed, accuracy, and system resilience, including:

• Quickly providing emergency operators with more accurate data to help determine the caller’s location and phone number
• Increasing reliability and cybersecurity, which are key elements of the new system
• Providing more backup capabilities should a failure occur within the system
• In the future, supporting new features, such as Real-Time Text and live emergency video calls

Through its partnership with St. Catharines Fire Services, Haldimand County residents now benefit from a modernized emergency communications infrastructure designed to strengthen public safety outcomes.

"NG911 strengthens our ability to respond when every second counts," says Haldimand Fire Chief Jason Gallagher. "With enhanced location accuracy, faster access to critical caller information, and a more resilient system behind the scenes, this upgrade ensures our team can act quickly and confidently in any emergency. We’re grateful for our partnership with St. Catharines Fire Services and the provincial support that made this advancement in public safety a reality for Haldimand County."

The transition to NG911 does not change how residents access emergency services. In an emergency, dial 911 as always.

For more information about Haldimand fire services, visit haldimandcounty.ca/fire.