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WARNING | PREMIER WARNS OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION RELIABILITY

Premier Brian Pallister told the media today that the Manitoba government is concerned about the condition of the province’s emergency mobile communication system.

“Manitobans trust that in an emergency they will be able to access the help they need on an urgent basis,” said Pallister.  “Unfortunately, the system relied upon by public safety and public service agencies – the police, fire, paramedics, and conservation officers who respond to calls for help – is 26 years old and has reached the end of its service life.”

Pallister said that replacement parts have not been made since 2003 and that repair technicians have had to resort to finding parts in other jurisdictions or on ebay.

The current system was installed 26 years ago and has come to the end of it’s life cycle. The Premiers said that cost of replacing the system is hundreds of millions of dollars.

He painted a picture of how bleak the situation is without radio communications.  Agencies responding to floods would not have the ability to interoperate, an ambulance en route from a call would not be able to co-ordinate with its dispatch to be rerouted to another emergency.  

The premier did not offer any solution to the issue but did say that the government takes the concerns seriously and are considering their options.

Blame for the breakdown in the system was laid on the former NDP government. 

“Notifications were made in October 2012 that a decision needed to be made by the end of that calendar year if future service risks to the system were to be mitigated,” said the premier.  “The end of the year came and went, and still no decision was made by the previous government.”

-News4 Staff-

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