Two years after 911 arrived, why does Yellowknife still use its 2222 number?

If you're experiencing an emergency in Yellowknife, what number should you call?

The answer, it turns out, isn't clear.

Nearly two years after the Northwest Territories introduced 911, the City of Yellowknife is still taking emergency calls to its seven-digit fire and medical response numbers (the local prefixes plus 2222), and the city wants to beef up its dispatch services.

It's unclear which emergency number provides the most efficient response, and there's some dispute over whether 911 or city dispatchers should process calls for EMS and fire services. 

City officials say there are ongoing issues with how information is shared between 911 and Yellowknife fire and ambulance dispatchers, creating challenges for emergency services and frustration for callers. 

The city would prefer it if city dispatchers could speak with callers directly, rather than get callers' information from 911.

The territory, meanwhile, says 911 dispatchers can provide immediate, over-the-phone care to callers while they wait for first responders to arrive. And it says everyone in N.W.T. should be calling 911 in the event of an emergency.

When a person calls 911 in Yellowknife, a dispatcher will ask what community they're in, and whether they need a police, fire or medical response. That's according to N.W.T. 911's standard operating procedure document, obtained by CBC News. 

A call for police is immediately transferred to the RCMP. 

A caller seeking a medical or fire response will be questioned further by the 911 dispatcher: asked what exactly happened and if they have COVID-19 symptoms, according to 911's protocols. Typically, 911 dispatchers relay that information to the city's fire and ambulance dispatchers, then send out the appropriate first responders. There are times in which 911 will bring the fire hall into the call.

This is different from how it works elsewhere, like in Yukon. 

There, a 911 dispatcher will take a call, ask the caller where they are and whether they need police, fire or ambulance, and then transfer the caller to the appropriate emergency service provider.

The territorial Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), which oversees 911, suggests there are good reasons for 911 dispatchers to be the point of contact for callers in distress. 

N.W.T. 911 can provide support on the phone for 3,800 medical issues and another 2,800 fire scenarios, a MACA spokesperson said in an email.