Provincial Public Safety Telecommunications Network (PPSTN) is a public safety radio network managed through a partnership between the Ministry of Government Relations, SaskPower and the RCMP.
PPSTN provides public safety users such as fire departments, police services, emergency medical services, emergency preparedness and volunteer search and rescue groups with interoperable radio communications that allows them to communicate with each other during times of emergency.
The executive board consists of one member from each partner and is responsible for providing strategic direction, approving operating and capital budgets and policies and managing the PPSTN.
Nearly 8,000 radios are currently on the network and it continues to grow, along with 260 repeater sites that enable signals to be transmitted and received over a wide area.
Participation in PPSTN is voluntary, since broad participation enables the highest levels of interoperability, which results in better public safety communications and responses.
Participation
A user agency must qualify through its jurisdictional authority to order radio equipment supplied as part of this program.
Qualifying frontline agencies, with approved radio equipment can use the system and include:
- municipal fire and rescue services;
- municipal police;
- EMS services;
- provincial ministries and agencies; and
- volunteer search and rescue chapters
You will need to fill in the applicable forms on this page in order to start the process.
Fees and Costs
The Government of Saskatchewan will retain ownership of all equipment it has purchased and distributed through the program and/or allocated to user agencies.
A Provincial User Fee Program has been established to help reduce costs for network users. User agencies pay $40 per radio per month. The actual cost of operating the radios is estimated to range from $70 to $90 per radio per month. The difference between the actual cost and the end users cost is funded by the Sask911 levy on consumer telephone bills as set by The Saskatchewan Telecommunications Act.
Additional costs could include:
- Shipping – The program will cover the cost of shipping the initial order of radios to a user agency. All subsequent shipping costs for maintenance and repair will be the responsibility of the agency.
- A video and written installation guide will be provided with the radios; however, it is recommended that experienced installers be utilized to ensure proper equipment operation.
- Installation/Maintenance/Repair – The user agency is responsible for these costs.
- Radio Accessories – Program allocated mobile radios come with a basic mounting apparatus. Portable radios come with an antenna, battery and one charger per agency. All additional accessories such as vehicle antennas, cables, microphones, etc. are the responsibility of the user agency.
For those municipalities that contract policing services, the RCMP manages the radios for those municipalities that contract policing services with them.