3.8°C Not observed 
The day many residents within the northern Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) have been waiting for is fast approaching. On Nov. 24, residents living in the District of Lillooet and the communities of Texas Creek, Pavilion Lake, Fountain Valley, Seton Portage, Bralorne, Gold Bridge, Gun Lake, Gun Creek, Tyaughton Lake, and Marshall Lake will be able to enjoy the benefits of having access to 9-1-1 emergency telephone service.
Efforts by the SLRD continue to finalize agreements that would see First Nations communities included in the 9-1-1 service area at a later date. In the interim, those communities should continue to use the current 10-digit emergency phone numbers in their areas for police, ambulance and fire services.
Whenever a 9-1-1 call is made, caller information is displayed on a computer screen controlled by the 9-1-1 operator.
It’s important for people to know that while the operator can view that information, the caller will still have to confirm the phone number and location that they are calling from, which means it is vital for people to know their correct address.
It’s even more important for people making 9-1-1 calls from a cellphone to provide the operator with accurate location information.
Never call 9-1-1 just to see if it works. If you call 9-1-1 by accident, stay on the line and explain what’s happened to the operator, do not hang up.
When a hang-up occurs, the 9-1-1 operator will call back. If there’s no response, someone will have to be dispatched to investigate the call, usually the police. If there is no emergency, response to a real emergency may be delayed resulting in potentially tragic consequences.
It’s also important to note that criminal charges can be laid against anyone who maliciously abuses the 9-1-1 system.
If you don’t have fire protection now, 9-1-1 will not provide you with fire protection
services. To verify whether or not you live within a fire protection area, contact the SLRD.
In Lillooet, contact the District of Lillooet municipal office.
As implementation day approaches, there are a number of things that people can do to ensure that they will obtain the maximum benefit of having 9-1-1 emergency service.
Clearly display designated street addresses so they can be easily seen from the roadway. Reflective signs work best.
Don’t program 9-1-1 into your phone’s speed dial and if you have an alarm system, never program 9-1-1 into your system’s auto-dialer.
Post your phone number and address by each phone in your home or place of business.
Teach everyone in your family the proper use of 9-1-1.
