NEWS RELEASE
HAMILTON POLICE SERVICE
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On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, Hamilton Police received a 911 call from a citizen who was stuck on a wooded trail in the west end and unable to exit due to icy conditions. The citizen was a member of our deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and speech impaired (DDHHSI) Community and was not able to communicate with the call taker verbally. Call takers used Bell video relay service, a video calling feature, to gain critical information from the caller as they began to deploy resources. Video relay is just one of many ways the DDHHSI Community can access 911 in case of an emergency.
While attempting to determine the exact location of the caller, Emergency Services utilized ‘what/three/words’, an advance GPS location application, to pinpoint the exact location of the citizen.
Hamilton Police, Hamilton Fire and Hamilton EMS were able to collaboratively locate and rescue the citizen by using available technology.
Further technological improvements are on the horizon for our community as Hamilton Emergency Services work towards a migration to Next Generation 9-1-1, expected later in 2025.
For more information on video relay service, click here.
As always, to provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online.
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