Kelowna, Kamloops fire dispatches uniting to improve emergency technology

Kelowna, Kamloops fire dispatches uniting to improve emergency technology

Published 10:45 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026

The dispatch desk at the Kelowna Fire Departmet’s main hall. —Image: Kelowna fire fighters

Two Interior cities are bringing the heat when it comes to the community safety around fires.

On Wednesday, May 6, Kelowna Fire Communications Centre (KFCC) and Kamloops Fire Rescue Dispatch (KFRD) announced a partnership to upgrade its dispatch systems through shared Next‑Generation 911 technology.

The technology aims to strengthen backup safeguards, maintain operational autonomy, and improve emergency communications.

“Reliable fire dispatch is critical to keeping people safe,” said Kelowna’s Assistant Fire Chief of communications and administration Jason Bedell. “This partnership strengthens the systems that support emergency response, ensuring our dispatch services remain reliable and resilient, while maintaining the same high service standards.”

The new system will be introduced in two phases. First, both dispatch centres will make the change onto shared Next‑Generation 911 technology. With both centres using the system, it will improve system stability, reduce the risk of outages as well as enable faster recovery and improve performance during extreme weather events.

Secondly, the additional backup safeguards that allow the dispatches to support each another during large‑scale emergencies, extreme call surges, or help in-case both a primary and backup dispatch site is unavailable.

“This partnership strengthens the reliability of fire dispatch services,” said City of Kamloops Assistant Fire Chief Scott Johnson. “The added safeguards ensure emergency calls can continue to be received and dispatched even in the event of a major disruption, helping protect service continuity during rare but high‑impact emergencies.”

The shift to Next-Generation 911 technology has been mandated by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission as dispatch centres transition away from legacy systems.

Besides the improvements, there are no changes to dispatch operations as staffing, response procedures, and service levels will remain the same.

Additionally, both dispatch centres will continue to operate as separate organizations, responsible for their own fire departments.

For the change to occur, both the City of Kelowna and the City of Kamloops each received $5.1 million in grant funding through the Next-Generation 911 application-based funding program, which is administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and funded by the Province of B.C. to support the transition.