Edmonton is set to implement a new identification system in its extensive pedway network to enhance emergency response efficiency, the city revealed on Monday. The intricate system of underground and above-ground walkways spanning 13 kilometers and linking 40 buildings and parkades poses a challenge in accurately pinpointing emergency calls, according to a city news release.
Ian Hosler, overseeing the city’s pedway unique identifier program, detailed that the walkways will be labeled with distinctive numbers on signs within or near them. During a news conference, he emphasized the significance of these unique identifiers in guiding emergency service dispatchers to the precise location of the emergency and facilitating access.
Hosler explained that the new system will enable dispatch screens to display the caller’s location, access points, and operating hours, streamlining the response process. The city initiated the system’s design a few years ago amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, collaborating with downtown building owners due to an increase in incidents requiring emergency response.
The unveiling of the new system was conducted during a news conference in a pedway linking the Enbridge and Manulife buildings in downtown Edmonton, in the presence of officials from Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and the Edmonton Police Service. Grant Ward, EFRS’s chief of emergency communications, highlighted how the identification numbers will guide first responders to specific locations, optimizing response times.
Kay Anderson, director of EPS emergency communications and operations management branch, emphasized the system’s impact on expediting emergency responses by reducing location-related delays. The installation of numerous signs in downtown pedways is already underway, with a total of 500 signs slated for deployment throughout the system in the coming weeks. The Corona and Government Centre LRT stations are part of the system, with future inclusion planned for MacEwan University.
