The Ontario government is dialing 9-1-1 to help first responders with a new encrypted digital emergency radio system.

“You need the right equipment, you need modern, reliable equipment and, sadly, Ontario’s public safety radio network is outdated,” Premier Doug Ford said Thursday at an Ontario Provincial Police detachment near Alliston.

“It’s falling apart, it’s crumbling. These critical systems are no long compatible with the systems used by first responders across North America,” he said, referring to the existing analog radios that date back some 20 years.

Citing the open bidding process, Ford declined to comment on how much the new police, fire and ambulance radio system would cost.

“It’s going to be substantial,” he said of the “massive undertaking” that will cover 750,000 square kilometres across Ontario and will entail the building of modernized telecommunications towers and transmitters.

The system will be phased in starting in 2021 and fully operational within five years.

It will be used by the province’s more than 38,000 emergency responders, including OPP officers, fire fighters, paramedics and others.

Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Michael Tibollo said the changes were urgently needed.

“The daily service outages experienced with the network compromise our front-line and emergency responders’ ability to react to emergencies and put the safety of the public at risk,” said Tibollo.