Dicey 911 service pushes Elgin fire chief to call for cell tower

The fire chief in the rural community of Elgin is calling on the government to insist cellphone companies provide service to Albert County residents and visitors.

We don't have a lot of services in our area but they still take the taxes out ... so we're asking the government to push these companies to do something.- Kent Steeves, Elgin fire chief

Kent Steevesknows of"numerous occasions" where people have been unable to call 911 or where service has been so spotty, first responders couldn't gather the information they needed.

"Maybe they get one bar and get part of a call in to 911 and then lose it,"SteevestoldInformation MorningMoncton."And then we get a call from 911 that says, 'The last thing they said is that they can see the windmills,' but they can't give us much detail because they lost them.

"We are asking for one of the major carriers of cellphones in our province to invest in a cell tower to give us cell coverage within the Elgin parish and the Elgin area."

Poor service taxes resources

Steeves said in situations where details are vague, volunteers with the Elgin Fire Department often have to call on surrounding first responders to help.

"It tends tocreatea bit of havoc trying to rally resources to go find them," he said.

"Sometimes we have to even call in our mutual aid partners from Salisbury,Riverview,Petitcodiacto come and help us to try and find people, so we end up tying up a lot of resources for a lost telephone call."

Steeves said theElgin area has many people working in the woods for forestry companies and is also very popular withoutdoor enthusiasts.

"People are out on their four-wheelers, on their snowmobiles, or they're just out hiking or out enjoying our Pollett River ... they have no form of communication to get help if there's any problems."

Petition growing

So far about 300 people have signedthe petition, and Steeves said he also has several letters of support from local businesses and outdoor groups who want improved cell service.

Everybody carries a cellphone very few have land lines. I believe the government should be forcing [the cell company's]hand or pushing to do a partnership with them.- Elgin Fire Chief KentSteeves

CBCNews contacted Bell and Rogers to find out if either plannedto add a cell tower.

Bell spokesperson Isabelle Bouletwrote, "We don't have any immediate announcements about enhanced wireless coverage in Elgin,but we're always open to discuss funding partnerships with all levels of government to expand in areas that are unable to support only private investment by carriers like Bell or our competitors."

Heather Robinson, who speaks for Rogers, wrote, "We are alwaysexploring opportunities to expand our network and always welcome conversations with local communities about improved coverage."

Steeves said he has also spoken to both companies but now plans to also put pressure on the provincial government.

"We don't have a lot of services in our area but they still take the taxes out... so we're asking the government to push these companies to do something and we're also asking these companies to step up to the plate and helpout."

Alert Ready quiet in Albert

Steeves pointed to the recent Alert Ready test across Canada last week that saw smartphonesbuzzing.

In the Elgin area, the poor cellphone service meant only those connected to WiFi at the time of the emergency alert received the notice.

"It's just another situation where apparently the people that are in that area aren't going to matter, or they're not going to receive those calls and we'll have to fend for ourselves."

• Alert Ready to send emergency messages to smartphones
• Glitches reported as emergency alert testing resumes across Canada

Steeves estimated about three-quarters of all the 911 calls that come in are from cellphones.

"Everybody carries a cellphone very few have land lines. I believe the government should be forcing [the cell companies']hand or pushing to do a partnership with them."