New Brunswick is modernizing its 911 dispatch system — and it’s beginning in Bathurst.

The Bathurst Public Safety Answering Point became the first in Atlantic Canada to use the next-generation 911 service late last month.

Public Safety Answering Points are the first point of contact for 911 calls, where emergency dispatchers assess the situation and co-ordinate the appropriate response.

“It’s completely different from what we are used to, whereas before you would release a call one way and now in a different way, it’s a process of getting used to it, and that’s going quite well,” said Carole Landry Scott, manager with the Bathurst Police Force Communication Centre.

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These changes will bring services in line with new federal government standards and combine the answering points in the province’s major hubs to form a virtual one that functions together.

“The technology that we are implementing under next-gen 911 is setting the stage and foundation to allow these future features to be implemented,” said Gail Hamilton, director of NB 911.

The province says emergency calls have more than doubled over the last decade, and the current infrastructure is over 30 years old.

The current system doesn’t support current communications needs like cellular, data and smart technologies.

“Going from an older voice-based technology to modern digital platform technology provides an upgrade that allows for better data sharing between dispatchers and first responders,” said Hamilton.

Future functions will include allowing the public to text and send pictures and videos in real time to 911.

“That is going to make us more efficient and everyone more efficient, and seconds count in these types of calls,” said Landry Scott.

The next city in line to make the transition will be Fredericton.

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