Oshawa Fire Services Now Dispatches & Alerts All Durham Region Fire Services

Pickering Fire Chief Stephen Boyd, Oshawa Fire Chief Stephen Barkwell and Ajax Fire Chief Aaron Burridge together at Oshawa Fire Station 1 Headquarters. The three fire services recently consolidated their dispatch operations.

The City of Oshawa and Oshawa Fire Services (OFS) are pleased to announce that OFS has expanded its dispatch/alerting operations to cover the entire Durham Region, following the consolidation of dispatch services with Ajax and Pickering Fire Services.

This consolidation allows Oshawa to serve as the sole municipality dispatching/alerting for the entire regions’ fire services, demonstrating that OFS and the City of Oshawa are leaders in efficiency, innovation and collaboration.

The dispatch amalgamation is part of a comprehensive modernization program to provide state-of-the-art communication and dispatch systems by March 2025. This program supports the CRTC-mandated transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) – the new, modern system replacing the old 911 system.

Benefits of NG911

This new system makes calling 911 more reliable and efficient. It allows community members to send voice calls, photos, videos and text messages directly to 911, helping emergency responders get the information they need quicker.

NG911 will also help OFS better manage natural disasters, and direct calls based on the caller's location.

The City is committed to establishing a centre of excellence for 9-1-1 fire dispatch operations, serving all of Durham Region with cutting-edge, secure, and resilient infrastructure and systems.

For information about Oshawa Fire Services, visit oshawa.ca/Fire and @OshawaFire on Twitter.

For City of Oshawa updates, visit Oshawa.ca/NewsCentre to follow us on social media, subscribe to news and alerts, and have your say on Connect Oshawa.

Quotes:

"The consolidation of our dispatch services with Ajax and Pickering is a great example of collaboration,” said Mayor Dan Carter. "We are honoured to have Oshawa Fire Services leading the way by dispatching for the entire Durham Region!"

“Safety of our community and surrounding municipalities is paramount,” said Councillor Brian Nicholson, Chair of the Safety and Facilities Committee. “The overall goal of NG911 is to make emergency responses faster and more effective and improve overall safety for everyone.”

"Oshawa is leading the way with this dispatch unification," said Councillor Rick Kerr, Vice-Chair of the Safety and Facilities Services Committee. “This merge of services will greatly increase the safety of and service to our community and to those in Durham Region."

Photo Caption:

Pickering Fire Chief Steve Boyd, Oshawa Fire Chief Stephen Barkwell and Ajax Fire Chief Aaron Burridge together at Oshawa Fire Station 1 - Headquarters. The three fire services recently consolidated their dispatch operations.