911

The Service

The 9-1-1 service improves the quality of life in rural and urban communities. It can be used to quickly contact emergency services (ambulances), fire departments or police services.

Our responsibility

To ensure that emergency calls are received, analyzed, and dispatched to responders without delay.

When to call 9-1-1?

To notify of serious or menacing situation, such as:

A medical emergency;
A fire;
A road accident with injured people;
An environmental threat (for example, a toxic spill); and
A crime in progress.

For a Non-Emergency Crime

9-1-1 is for emergency situations only. To report a non-emergency crime, please dial the number of the police detachment nearest you.

Before calling 9-1-1

Remain calm;
Ensure your own safety by stepping away from immediate danger;
Evaluate the situation;
Identify the type of emergency;
Call 9-1-1;
Pay close attention, as the dispatcher will ask you which service you need (police, fire or paramedics) in order to direct your call to the appropriate dispatch centre;
Speak clearly;
Listen and answer the dispatcher's questions; and
Be ready to stay on the line with the dispatcher;

Information to Provide

Type of emergency (medical, fire, serious crime, etc.);
The exact address where the emergency is located;
Telephone number where the caller can be reached;
Number of injured people; and
What care is given.

Do not hang up until the dispatcher receiving the information has authorized you to do so.

Since 2000, all Prescott and Russell rural properties have been provided with a sign indicating their rural address. This common system for rural addresses was developed by the Prescott and Russell Emergency Services in partnership with the municipalities and some local organizations.

To learn more, please refer to the 911 Standards.

Benefits of the Rural Address

It is unique to your rural property and includes a number, a street name as well as the name of the municipality.
It is essential to the delivery of 9-1-1 services, permitting all emergency services to find your address more quickly.
During emergency calls, it provides pertinent information to paramedic services, police services and fire departments by showing up on the screen at the response centre.
It is useful for delivery services, bus drivers, service companies, customers, and friends so they can easily find your house or business.

Post and Signage

Your rural civic address number is shown on the blue sign installed on a white post at the edge of your property.

Your responsibility

Each owner is responsible for the maintenance of their post. It must not be altered in any way. The post has a specific height and the number is reflective.

Keep trees, bushes, snow, and any obstructing object away from your post.
Remember, if emergency services personnel (paramedics, police and firefighters) cannot see your sign, this will have a definite impact on the time it takes to get to your home or business.

New Posts or Replacing Posts

Contact your municipality directly, as it is responsible for installing poles and signs when registering a new rural address. If your pole is damaged, please also contact your municipality.

Our Support

The United Counties of Prescott and Russell are proud to support the Farm 911 Emily Project, which encourages farmland owners to assign civic addresses to vacant land entrances.

Mandate

Farm accidents on rural property can occur in remote locations, often several kilometres from the nearest residence, making it difficult for first responders to reach an emergency. By assigning a civic address to each farm property entrance, a 9-1-1 roadside sign can be installed, making it easier for first responders to more easily locate the entrance in an emergency.

When a homeowner acquires a building permit, they also receive a 9-1-1 sign. However, many of our farmers' fields are located at a distance from their house. Putting up 9-1-1 signs on farm laneways and entrances provides more accurate locations to our first responders.

History

The Farm 911 Emily Project was created following a tragic and fatal farm accident, in which seven-year-old Emily Trudeau lost her life on a rural property in Tweed, Ontario. Emergency services were called to the scene, but first responders were unable to locate the exact location, due to a lack of an address. Although they were eventually flagged down on the roadside, Emily unfortunately suffered traumatic injuries and later passed away in hospital.

Objectives

This project is critical to improving emergency response in a rural area like Prescott and Russell. The United Counties of Prescott and Russell encourage property owners to learn more about the program and to request these civic addresses and signs. Each municipality has its own requirements that must be met for a property entrance to qualify for a civic address, as well as its own fee structure for the assessment and installation of signage. Property owners are asked to contact their municipal authority directly, who will assess the safety and suitability of the driveway to accommodate emergency vehicles. The municipality will then collaborate to ensure the proper installation of 9-1-1 signs.