A member of Parliament is trying to find a solution to the lack of cellphone service in parts of the province after a New Brunswick fire chief expressed concern over public safety.

"We've evolved so quickly as a society from internet and cell service being a relatively new technology to being a crucial technology," said Alaina Lockhart, the Liberal MP for Fundy Royal.

Lockhart said she has been in talks with Kent Steeves, chief of the Elgin Fire Department, who has been lobbying for reliable cellphone coverage in Albert County for months.

• Elgin chief steps up call for cell service in Albert County 
• Dicey 911 service pushes Elgin fire chief to call for cell tower

The fire chief said emergency crews and the people they're trying to help are at a disadvantage because service is spotty or non-existent.

Lockhart agreed.

Not only is cell coverage important for innovation and social inclusion, she said, it's also necessary for safety.

"This is an issue I hope we can work together and try to resolve," Lockhart said.

She said Ottawa recently announced the Connect to Innovate program, which will spend $500 million by 2021 to bring high-speed Internet to 300 rural and remote communities in Canada.

To date, according to the federal government website, almost $368 million in Connect to Innovate money has been approved for service providers in all provinces and territories but New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Can't solve it alone

Lockhart said government can't solve all the issues on its own and needs to be working alongside cellphone companies and discuss what's holding service back.

"Clearly, these companies operate with a business case, so because of the sparsity of uptake, the business case might not be there for them to proceed," she said.

"But when we're talking about safety and social inclusion and innovation, then I feel that's a place where government can co-operate to make sure we provide a level of service to all of our citizens."

Steeves said he has been talking to Bell Canada about building onto a tower near Boyd Mountain.

Chief gets little response

The fire chief would not reveal how much it would cost to add to a cell tower but said it would be lower than the cost of a fire truck, which can range from $150,000 to $1 million.

Isabelle Boulet, a spokesperson with Bell Aliant, said the company doesn't have any announcements to make right now about "enhanced" service in Albert County.

Although Lockhart said cellphone coverage in rural areas has been discussed with the province, Steeves said the provincial government hasn't responded yet.

He's still hoping the province will help cover some of the costs of bringing cell service to Albert County.

Province suggests it's aware

Alexandra Davis, a spokesperson for New Brunswick's Department of Public Safety, said about 60 per cent of 911 calls come from cellular phones.

 "We recognize the benefit that the proliferation of cellular phones has had in allowing residents to call for help from more remote locations," she said.

She said cell services are delivered by the private sector, but the government works with service providers like Rogers and Bell to ensure they are aware of the priorities.

"We look forward to discussing this important issue and working with cellular service providers to develop a solution and better understand their future plans for the delivery of emergency services in this region," Davis said.

A fire chief in rural Albert County is continuing to lobby the province for help getting reliable cellphone coverage in the area, and is now pressing Bell Canada to expand one of its towers.

Kent Steeves, chief of the Elgin Fire Department, said the government has not been responsive but he hasn't given up hope it will help cover some of the costs of bringing cellphone service to this part of southeastern New Brunswick.

Steeves said emergency crews and the people they're trying to help are at a disadvantage because service is spotty or non-existent.

"It's extremely frustrating and disheartening when you don't know sometimes where to start and what the best options are to go and getting that person," he said.

• Dicey 911 service pushes Elgin fire chief to call for cell tower 
• Volunteer firefighters not impressed when 911 call goes dead 
• Response time questioned after fire rips through Elsipogtog apartment building

If someone were bleeding after a chainsaw accident or fell over a cliff at Gordon Falls, help wouldn't necessarily be fast.

"Those give us more opportunities to get there quicker and get the resources there faster," Steeves said of cellphones.

"We have absolutely no cell service. You might hit the odd pocket here and there, but very seldom do you ever get anything more than a bar and very seldom do you get that."

The fire chief said he has been talking to Bell Canada about building onto a tower near Boyd Mountain. 
Isabelle Boulet, a spokesperson with Bell Aliant, said the company doesn't have any announcements to make right now about enhanced service in Albert County.

A need for cell service

In the spring, a petition calling on the province to take an interest in the problem gathered 300 signatures. The province has also received 30 letters from businesses, including Irving Woodlands and Corridor Resources.

"We keep lobbying the government and asking them to consider the livelihood and the lives and well-being of their constituents that live in our area," Steeves said.

"We've seen a lot of money promised and spent in many different areas. [I'm] not saying that all those areas are not important, but many of them certainly don't save lives."

CBC News asked the province to respond but has not heard back.

'A different animal'

Steeves said the lack of cell service could even put firefighters at risk responding to car crashes, especially those involving electric and hybrid vehicles.

If they had cell service, they could use their iPhones and iPads in the fire truck to determine what lines to cut in a hybrid vehicle.

"If we cut into the main power supply of those vehicles, it's 400 volts, or how to extinguish those batteries is a different animal now than what we have with the conventional vehicles now," he said.

The fire chief would not reveal how much it would cost to add to a cell tower but said it would be lower than the cost of a fire truck, which can range from $150,000 to $1 million.

Going the distance

The Elgin area has many people working in the woods for forestry companies and is also popular with outdoor enthusiasts, he said.

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

People have had to drive long distances to knock on someone's house to get a landline or have come into the four corners of the community to reach someone at the fire department or use a pay phone.

Little to work with

"Usually, that has added a fair amount of time to those rescues," Steeves said.

Calls have come into 911 with one bar, and the last thing the operator heard was "we can see the windmills from here."

That covers a large territory, so Salisbury, Petitcodiac, Riverview have also had to respond so the area can be narrowed down.

"That's a big area to work off of."

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 Steeves knows 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," Steeves told Information Morning Moncton. "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 to create a 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, Petitcodiac to 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 the Elgin area has many people working in the woods for forestry companies and is also very popular with outdoor 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 signed the 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 Kent Steeves

CBC News contacted Bell and Rogers to find out if either planned to add a cell tower.

Bell spokesperson Isabelle Boulet wrote, "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 always exploring opportunities to expand our network and always welcome conversations with local communities about improved coverage."

The Elgin Fire Department is facing a critical shortage as nearly half of the force's volunteers are close to retirement and there are not enough younger people in the rural community stepping up to replace them.

The volunteer fire department protects roughly 2,500 residents in the southern New Brunswick community, which is about 60 kilometres south of Moncton.

Elgin Fire Chief Gary Steeves said the volunteer department has not been able to replace their aging force with new and younger recruits.

The problem, Steeves said, is many younger people, who would normally have joined the volunteer force, are not willing to commit to the hours and training required to do the job.



Steeves said that means older volunteer firefighters are continuing to do the job even if it is pushing them to their physical limits.

"I am scared. I see lots of guys out there lugging hoses and stuff that I know should not be doing it," Steeves said.

"But they are committed to doing this thing."

Nearly half of Elgin's 22 volunteer firefighters are over 60 years old and some can no longer physically perform all of their duties.

Capt. Winston Steeves, 69, said his days of running into a burning building weighed down with heavy air packs and rescue gear are over. He said his body just can't take that physical stress anymore.

"When you get all the equipment on and you are working under pressure, you know you could have a heart attack," he said.

The fire chief said the older firefighters are at risk if there is not a fully functioning fire crew in the community.

"If you have a huge fire and you've got guys maybe going down with heart problems and doing more than they should, that's always a concern of mine,:" Gary Steeves said.

He said the department's trying to recruit at least 10 new volunteers to ease the burden on the older firefighters.

Moncton's Regional Fire Centre says many rural fire departments across the province are in the same situation as Elgin and are struggling to recruit younger volunteers.