Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver, B.C.— At 10:25 am today, E-Comm—British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 public-safety answer point—also became the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in the Fraser-Fort George, Cariboo, Kitimat-Stikine and Bulkley-Nechako regional districts.

The approximately 71,000 emergency calls placed each year from these four regional districts will now be routed to E-Comm, where a substantial team of trained 9-1-1 call-takers will quickly confirm which agency the caller requires and in which location. Calls will then be transferred to the same dispatchers in Prince George and Kamloops who currently dispatch police officers, firefighters and paramedics to emergency situations.

After seven months of collaborative technical and operational planning, including the engineering, design and installation of new 9-1-1 infrastructure, the changeover was successfully completed this morning. This followed more than 160 test calls across all regional districts as representatives of the Fraser-Fort George Regional District looked on.

“This is an important day for all residents of the regional districts of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG), Cariboo, Kitimat-Stikine and Bulkley-Nechako, who are accustomed to high-quality 9-1-1 service,” said Art Kaehn, RDFFG Board Chair, who was in the emergency communication centre for the official changeover.

“We chose to relocate our service to E-Comm because it is able to deliver increased staffing during sudden influxes of high 9-1-1 call-volume, provide a robust infrastructure with many layers of redundancy for our residents, and provide the necessary expertise to satisfy current and future technical 9-1-1 requirements—all at a significant cost savings,” added Director Kevin Dunphy, Chair of the RDFFG 9-1-1 Committee.

Part of the robust planning prior to transition also included more than 540 hours of training to familiarize E-Comm staff with the many geographical and other special attributes of the regional districts, even though dispatching will continue to be managed locally. The switch will be transparent and seamless for callers and anyone in need of emergency services should dial 9-1-1 as usual.

“E-Comm has managed more than 14-million incoming 9-1-1 calls in our 15-years of service,” said David Guscott, E-Comm President and CEO. “We remain committed to maintaining our excellent track record of swift and efficient 9-1-1 call-answer for our new partners as our focus is on safer communities in B.C. whether you live in Quesnel, Smithers, Terrace or Richmond.”

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E-Comm 9-1-1 is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C., serving Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish, SLRD (south) and now the regional districts of Fraser-Fort George, Cariboo, Kitimat-Stikine and Bulkley-Nechako. Total 9-1-1 call volume in 2013 was almost 862,000. E-Comm also provides dispatch services to 33 police and fire departments throughout the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Squamish-Whistler areas, and operates the wide-area radio system used throughout Metro Vancouver by police, fire and ambulance personnel.

In October-November of 2014, 15 other regional districts (Northern Vancouver Island and Central Interior) will also move its 9-1-1 call-answer to E-Comm.

Media contacts:

E-Comm 9-1-1
Jasmine Bradley
604-215-5023 or 604-640-1342 (pager)
[email protected]

Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
Renee McCloskey
250-960-4453

Cariboo Regional District
Shelly Burich
250-392-3351

Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
Bill Miller
250-696-3211

Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine
Bob Marcellin
1-800-663-3208

Vancouver, B.C.—Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained are one of the best defences in the event of a fire, dramatically reducing deaths and injuries. As part of Fire Prevention Week (October 5-11), E-Comm’s fire dispatch team is reaching out to the public to help raise awareness of the importance of regularly testing smoke alarms and understanding what to do in the event of a fire.

E-Comm Fire Dispatcher Jeanine Gibson explains that whether you live in an apartment, house or condo, smoke alarms are a key part of any home escape plan.

“There’s a good chance you will hear the smoke alarm before you smell or see smoke, which means escaping earlier and potentially avoiding devastating circumstances,” says Gibson. “Smoke spreads fast where there is fire, and working smoke alarms provide a critical early warning so you can get outside quickly.”

Important fire safety tips to help keep you and your loved ones safe:

• If your smoke alarm sounds due to fire, evacuate the building and call 9-1-1.
• If you see or smell smoke, don’t wait for your smoke alarm to sound, get out of the building and call 9-1-1.
• Don’t assume smoke alarms are connected to an alarm service or that someone else has already called the fire department. Call 9-1-1 yourself to confirm help is on the way.
• If you’re cooking and the smoke alarm goes off and the situation becomes too much to handle, evacuate the building and call 9-1-1.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area.
• Test your smoke alarms every month by pushing the test button; replace batteries regularly and don’t delay with replacing them if you hear warning chirps indicating low battery.
• All smoke alarms in your home should be replaced every 10 years.

“Talk with your family about fire safety tips on a regular basis so they will be prepared in the event of a fire emergency,” adds Gibson. ”Create an escape plan that lists ways out of every room in your home and designate an outside meeting point as a safe place to meet.”

The theme for this year’s National Fire Prevention Week is Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives; Test Yours Every Month. For more fire safety tips and information visit www.fpoa.bc.ca.

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E-Comm answers more than 860,000 9-1-1 calls each year for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast Regional District, Whistler, Squamish and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (south) and dispatches for 18 fire departments. For tips on using 9-1-1 and more information about E-Comm visit www.ecomm911.ca or follow E-Comm’s Twitter feed @ecomm911_info.

Media Contact:
Jasmine Bradley
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-5023 or 604-640-1342 (pager)
[email protected]

 

This fall, 9-1-1 call answer services for nine interior regional districts will move to a new service provider.  Read the news release from the Regional District of Central Okanagan here.

The North Island 911 Corporation will be using a new model to delivery primary 911 call answering services, following a study of options for 911 call-taking and fire dispatch. Read the news release here.

Vancouver, B.C.—E-Comm, the regional emergency communications centre, is pleased to announce its 2014-2015 board of directors. The announcement follows today’s Annual and Special General Meeting (ASGM).

“On June 8 E-Comm celebrated 15 years of service and I’d like to commend our board of directors past and present, for their leadership and expertise in achieving this milestone and for their contribution to E-Comm’s vision of safer communities in B.C. through excellence in public-safety communication,” said David Guscott, E-Comm president and CEO. “We are pleased to have such accomplished professionals govern our organization.”

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

2014-2015 Board of Directors:

• Jocelyn Kelley, Independent Director, remains as Board Chair
• Penny Ballem, representing City of Vancouver
• Gary Bass, representing RCMP
• Councillor Alan Campbell/Fire Chief Len Garis, representing City of White Rock, City of Surrey and Township of Langley
• Mayor Mike Clay, representing Independent Police Boards (Port Moody, West Vancouver, Transit Police, Abbotsford, New Westminster)
• Mayor Ernie Daykin, representing Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows
• Councillor Diana Dilworth, representing Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Belcarra, New Westminster
• Barry Forbes, Independent Director
• Linda Lupini, representing Emergency Health Services
• Councillor Gayle Martin, representing Metro Vancouver
• Councillor Bill McNulty, representing City of Richmond
• Mayor Darrell Mussatto, representing District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, Village of Lions Bay
• Clayton Pecknold, representing Ministry of Justice
• Karl Preuss, representing The Corporation of Delta / Delta Police Board
• Patrick Quealey, representing Ministry of Justice
• Bob Rolls, representing Vancouver Police Board
• Sheldon Stoilen, Independent Director
• TBD, Independent Director

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E-Comm 9-1-1 answers approximately 860,000 9-1-1 calls each year for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish and the southern portion of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, provides dispatch services to 32 police and fire departments, and operates the wide-area radio system used throughout Metro Vancouver by police, fire and ambulance personnel.

Media contact:

Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-4956 or 604-640-1342 (pager)
[email protected]