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Vancouver, B.C. — E-Comm, Emergency Communications for British Columbia Incorporated, is pleased to announce its 2016-2017 Board of Directors. The announcement follows today’s Annual General Meeting, held at the emergency communications centre.

“We are confident that with the skills, experience and leadership of our Board of Directors we will be well supported as we work toward our vision of safer communities in British Columbia, through excellence in public safety communication,” said David Guscott, E-Comm president and CEO.

E-Comm’s board is composed of 19 directors and includes elected officials, representatives of emergency services and the provincial government, in addition to municipal staff and local community and business leaders.

2016-2017 Board of Directors:

1. Doug Campbell, Independent Director, Board Chair
2. Councillor Bruce Bell, nominated by Maple Ridge and City of Pitt Meadows
3. Becky Denlinger, nominated by Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
4. Barry Forbes, Independent Director
5. Mayor Jack Froese, nominated by Township of Langley, Cities of Surrey and White Rock
6. Lois Karr, nominated by RCMP
7. Jocelyn M. Kelley, Independent Director
8. Anne Kinvig, Independent Director
9. Councillor Raymond Louie, nominated by Metro Vancouver
10. Jack McGee, nominated by Independent Police Boards (Port Moody, West Vancouver, Transit Police, Abbotsford, New Westminster)
11. Councillor Bill McNulty, nominated by City of Richmond
12. Paul Mochrie, nominated by City of Vancouver
13. Clayton Pecknold, nominated by Ministry of Justice
14. Karl Preuss, nominated by The Corporation of Delta / Delta Police Board
15. Bob Rolls, nominated by Vancouver Police Board
16. Kathy Steegstra, nominated by BC Emergency Health Services
17. Councillor Mary Trentadue, nominated by Belcarra, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody
18. Mayor Richard Walton, nominated by District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, Village of Lions Bay
19. Terry Waterhouse, nominated by Township of Langley, Cities of Surrey and White Rock

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia and handles approximately 1.35 million emergency calls per year for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Squamish-Lillooet Regional Districts and 22 other regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to the Alberta and U.S. borders, to north of Prince George. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police and fire departments and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.

Media contact:

Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1 Corporate Communications
604-215-4956
[email protected]

Vancouver, B.C. — Today the Port Moody Police Department (PMPD) moved its emergency call-taking and dispatch services to E-Comm. PMPD is the 17th police agency within southwest B.C. to integrate into E-Comm’s consolidated emergency communications centre; a transition that was the result of months of extensive operational and technical planning by PMPD and E-Comm.

Devon Moon, who’s been a Port Moody dispatcher for close to eight years and joined E-Comm as part of the transition, assumed command of Port Moody’s dispatch channels from within the E-Comm communication centre at 8:13 a.m. Immediately following the cutover Port Moody Chief Constable Chris Rattenbury made a special radio broadcast from E-Comm to PMPD members: “This is Chief Constable Rattenbury speaking to you from E-Comm. This is an exciting day that comes after a lot of hard work from a great many people. Welcome to E-Comm and have a great shift everyone.”

The Port Moody Police Board approved transitioning dispatch services to E-Comm following an internal analysis that concluded the change would provide additional safety enhancements for officers and the public. Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay, Chair of the Port Moody Police Board, said Port Moody’s primary focus was to find a dispatch partner that aligns with PMPD’s goals of a safe community and organizational excellence.

“Our police department has strong ties to the community and we are extremely proud of the level of service they provide to residents,” emphasized Mayor Clay. “The additional staffing resources we are now able to call upon through our partnership with E-Comm means more resources to support our community, enhancing service for our residents and increasing officer safety.”

All PMPD dispatchers were offered positions at E-Comm prior to the transition. PMPD staff have been familiarizing themselves E-Comm’s communication centre over the past several months, while E-Comm call-takers took part in cross-training to learn about Port Moody’s operations, community and geography in order to provide a broader base of support for their new colleagues.

“E-Comm has a longstanding relationship with the Port Moody Police Department which has been utilizing our radio system for more than 15-years,” added E-Comm CEO David Guscott. “We’ve been dispatching Port Moody Fire Rescue since 2002 and are ready to provide the same high-quality call-taking and dispatch service to their police department.”

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 centre in British Columbia and handles approximately 1.4 million emergency calls per year. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police and fire departments, including Port Moody Police and Port Moody Fire-Rescue, and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.

Media contacts:

E-Comm 9-1-1
Jody Robertson
604-215-4956
[email protected]

Port Moody Police Department
Cst. Angela Fisher
604-469-4657
[email protected]

 

Videos

 

Vancouver, B.C. — Today the Delta Police Department (DPD) successfully transferred its emergency call-taking and dispatch services to E-Comm. The transition was seamless with veteran DPD dispatcher Karen Irwin, who joined E-Comm as part of the move, assuming command of dispatch at 7:26 a.m. DPD is the 16th police agency within southwest B.C. to integrate into E-Comm’s consolidated emergency communications centre.

Immediately following the changeover Delta Chief Constable Neil Dubord made a special radio broadcast from E-Comm to Delta officers: “This is Chief Neil Dubord calling to you from E-Comm. Welcome everyone to E-Comm. Today comes after a lot of hard work from everyone. Have a great shift – thank you.”

Earlier this year the Delta Police Board approved transitioning services to E-Comm following a multi-year evaluation of the department’s dispatch options that determined the move would provide additional operational benefits that would enhance officer and public safety. Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, chair of the Delta Police Board, said Delta’s priority was to make sure its residents and police department have the best and most efficient service possible.

“We are longtime partners with E-Comm as all of our first responders use the organization’s radio system and they have been dispatching for Delta Fire and Emergency Services for more than ten years,” said Mayor Jackson. I am pleased with our new police dispatch partnership and am confident in E-Comm’s ability to provide a level of service that supports Delta’s ‘no call too small’ approach.”

Benefits of E-Comm’s consolidated dispatch model includes being able to draw upon a larger workforce to help manage sudden increases in 9-1-1 calls, greater access to top-tier technology and achieving economies-of-scale through shared resources and infrastructure.

“Dispatch is a critical element of police response, which is why thorough preparation was our top priority for today’s transition,” added E-Comm President and CEO David Guscott. “We’re eager and ready to share our large team of experienced staff, our technology and purpose-built facility with residents and officers in Delta and we are proud to be their partners in public safety.”

All DPD dispatchers were offered positions at E-Comm prior to the transition allowing for the same staff that have been performing dispatch duties to continue in these roles. Training sessions have been underway over the past several weeks to help transitioning staff familiarize themselves with their new communication centre, while E-Comm call-takers have been involved in cross-training to learn about Delta’s operations, community and geography in order to provide a broader base of support for their new colleagues.

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 centre in British Columbia and handles approximately 1.3 million emergency calls per year. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 34 police and fire departments, including Delta Police and Delta Fire & Emergency Services, and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.

Media contacts:

E-Comm 9-1-1
Jody Robertson
604-215-4956
[email protected]

Delta Police Department
A/Sgt. Sarah Swallow
604-940-5016
[email protected]

Videos

 

 

 

Vancouver, B.C.—Today at 8:49 a.m. E-Comm officially became the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in the Upper Fraser Valley. British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 centre is now responsible for answering the frontend portion of 9-1-1 calls for the City of Chilliwack, Village of Harrison Hot Springs, Districts of Hope, Kent and Mission and Electoral areas A-H. E-Comm call-takers will then immediately transfer calls to the appropriate police, fire or ambulance agency.

“This change will be seamless for our residents and anyone with an emergency should continue to dial 9-1-1 as usual,” explained Paul Gipps, CAO of the Fraser Valley Regional District. “Our priority is ensuring communities within our region continue to receive high-quality 9-1-1 service, and we feel E-Comm is able to provide this level of service—all at a significant cost savings.”

The transition was smooth, with the first call received by E-Comm at 8:50 a.m. The call was from Chilliwack and was a request for the RCMP.

“9-1-1 is a lifeline, which is why thorough preparation was our top priority for today’s transition,” said E-Comm President and CEO David Guscott just prior to the changeover. “We’re eager and ready, to share our large team of experienced 9-1-1 staff, our technology and purpose-built facility with residents in the Upper Fraser Valley and we are proud to be their partners in public safety.”

Approximately 60,000 emergency calls placed each year from the Upper Fraser Valley are now being routed to E-Comm. Highly-trained call-takers will quickly confirm which agency the caller requires and for which location before transferring police calls to the Chilliwack RCMP, fire calls to Fraser Valley Regional Fire Dispatch and requests for ambulance to BC Emergency Health Services’ dispatch centre in Vancouver.

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E-Comm is the Primary 9-1-1 Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) for 25 regional districts and other communities spanning from Vancouver Island to the Alberta and U.S. borders, to north of Prince George and is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia. E-Comm also provides dispatch services to 33 police and fire departments and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.

Media contact: 

E-Comm 9-1-1
Jody Robertson
604-215-4956
[email protected]

Fraser Valley Regional District
Jennifer Kinneman
604-702-5056
[email protected]

Vancouver, B.C.—To help raise awareness about the impact on emergency services, E-Comm has released a list of the top calls that shouldn’t have been placed to 9-1-1 in 2015.

“We want to remind people about what’s at risk when 9-1-1 is used as an information line or for other reasons that do not meet the test of a true emergency: A police, fire or medical situation that requires immediate action because someone’s health, safety, or property is in jeopardy or a crime is in progress,” explains Jody Robertson, E-Comm’s director of corporate communications.

Almost 3,400 9-1-1 calls flow through E-Comm every day. Robertson says while the majority of people use 9-1-1 responsibly, calls like the ones on this year’s top ten list waste valuable emergency resources by tying up 9-1-1 call-takers’ time.

This year’s top reason not to call 9-1-1? Requesting the number for a local tire dealership.

“My job is to treat every call as an emergency, no matter how illogical it may seem on the surface,” says E-Comm 9-1-1 call-taker Harrison Kwan, recipient of this year’s top nuisance call. “We are trained to ask questions in case a caller is in distress and can’t speak freely. It’s only when I’m completely satisfied that the call is not a real emergency that I can disconnect and go back to answering other 9-1-1 calls. And that takes time.”

2015 top ten reasons to not call 9-1-1:

1. Requesting the number for a local tire dealership
2. Reporting an issue with a vending machine
3. Asking for the non-emergency line
4. Because a car parked too close to theirs
5. “My son won’t put his seatbelt on”
6. Coffee shop is refusing to refill coffee
7. Asking if it’s okay to park on the street
8. “My roommate used my toothbrush”
9. Asking for help getting a basketball out of a tree
10. Reporting that their building’s air system is too loud and they can’t sleep

“We hope that our message that 9-1-1 call-takers can’t answer questions or manage non-emergency situations on 9-1-1 lifelines will encourage people to learn more about 9-1-1,” adds Robertson. “There’s lots of information on our web site—ecomm911.ca—about when to use 9-1-1 and when to use non-emergency numbers for police, fire and ambulance, along with easy access to those numbers and free education materials available for order, including learning tools for children.”

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E-Comm is the Primary 9-1-1 Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) for 24 regional districts and other communities spanning from Vancouver Island to the Alberta and U.S. borders, to north of Prince George and is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia. E-Comm also provides dispatch services to 33 police and fire departments and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.

Media Contact:
Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-4956
[email protected]

Available multi-media

Audio from top 9-1-1 nuisance call from 2015

Audio from second top 9-1-1 nuisance call from 2015