Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver, B.C.—In what’s believed to be a first for a 9-1-1 emergency call centre in Canada, E-Comm (Emergency Communications for British Columbia) is adding a registered clinical counsellor and certified assistance dog to its public safety team.

“Working behind the scenes, emergency call takers and dispatchers are the first, first responders and are on the frontlines of incredibly serious situations,” said Oliver Grüter-Andrew, E-Comm President and CEO. “We see this mental health and wellness initiative as an important way to help our staff cope with the day-to-day challenges of the job, especially in the aftermath of emotionally-wrought calls and events.”

Lynn Gifford, a specialist in trauma stewardship, joins E-Comm as its full-time Workplace Wellness manager along with certified assistance dog Koltan, a four-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever.

“We are honoured to be able to work directly with this team of dedicated emergency communications professionals,” added Gifford. “Whether they are answering or dispatching emergency calls or maintaining critical technology that are lifelines for first responders, the work of E-Comm staff is essential to public safety.”

Before joining E-Comm, Gifford and Koltan were focused on supporting police, paramedics, nurses and social workers, who can also experience trauma in their line of work while caring for others.

Research shows emergency call takers and dispatchers experience an elevated level of emotional distress doing their work compared to other professions and their exposure to duty-related trauma can lead to occupational stress injuries including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As part of E-Comm’s Critical Incident Stress Team program, therapy dogs have visited E-Comm in the past, providing comfort and support following serious events.

“Combined with peer support, and other health and well-being initiatives, we are focused on making sure our staff remain healthy both mentally and physically,” shared Grüter-Andrew. “I liken it to being on an airplane. You need to put your own oxygen mask on first if you want to help others.”

“PADS has a strong commitment to first responders, whether they are in the field or at the other end of a call to 9-1-1,” said Laura Watamanuk, PADS Executive Director. “We’ve enjoyed providing support to E-Comm in the past through informal de-stress events with our puppies in training, so we’re thrilled that they now have a full-time canine member on their team. The timing of this could not be more fitting, given it’s Emergency Service Dispatchers’ week – a time to acknowledge the critical role of 9-1-1 staff and the unique challenges of the job.” Koltan is purpose bred and trained for his role and his ability to help dissipate stress and increase wellness. “He’s shown us just how brilliant he is at his job, and we know, together with Lynn, they will be of great support to
E-Comm staff,” added Watamanuk.

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Photo/Interview Opportunity
E-Comm invites the media to its Lower Mainland emergency communications centre at 3301 East Pender Street on April 8 between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. to meet Lynn Gifford and Koltan, along with PADS Executive Director Laura Watamanuk. An E-Comm call taker/training specialist will also be available to speak with media.

Please confirm your attendance in advance by emailing [email protected]. 

Note: Photo identification is required to enter the E-Comm building. Photos and video in the Emergency Communications Centre is permitted under specific conditions.

This announcement comes during this year’s Emergency Service Dispatchers’ and 9-1-1 Awareness Week (April 7-13, 2019). Proclaimed by the Province of B.C., the annual week recognizes the critical role of call takers and dispatchers in keeping the public and police, fire and ambulance personnel safe.

About E-Comm
E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley. For more information visit www.ecomm911.ca.

About PADS
Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) breeds, raises and trains fully certified assistance dogs. Our service (mobility & PTSD) and hearing dogs provide life-changing independence to those with physical disabilities other than blindness. Our accredited facility dogs work with community professionals, such as teachers, RCMP and psychologists to help support healthy communities. PADS is a fully accredited member of Assistance Dogs International.

Media Contacts:
E-Comm
Sam Corea
[email protected]

Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS)
Tara Doherty
604-527-0556 x.236
[email protected]

The new South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre, was officially opened on March 6, 2019 by B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, the Capital Regional District (CRD), local police agencies and E-Comm, Emergency Communications for British Columbia.

The Centre will handle an estimated 100,000 9-1-1 calls each year from central and southern Vancouver Island residents and is dispatching for 15 police agencies.  Find out more.

Here is a gallery of images from the official opening.

Saanich, B.C.—An estimated 100,000 9-1-1 calls will be answered each year by the new South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre, officially opened today by B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, the Capital Regional District (CRD), local police agencies and E-Comm, Emergency Communications for British Columbia.

The new two-storey, 1,200-square-metre, post-disaster facility, built and owned by the CRD and operated by E-Comm, amalgamates 9-1-1 call-answer, police call-taking and dispatch services for the Central Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria police departments and 11 RCMP detachments in the central and southern Vancouver Island region.

Construction of the $13.1-million facility began in October 2017, and was completed in late fall 2018 on time and under budget. The CRD provided funding for the initiative, with oversight provided by the South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Steering Committee, composed of police chiefs from Central Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich, and Victoria, and representatives of the RCMP, the Province of British Columbia, CRD and E-Comm.

The centre has been operational since late January, following the successful transition of all police agency call-taking and dispatch operations over a two-week period. To the end of February, the centre received more than 9,600 9-1-1 calls.

E-Comm has operated British Columbia’s largest consolidated emergency communications centre, based in the Lower Mainland, since 1999, managing approximately 20 million 9-1-1 calls. The 70-member team at the South Island Centre joins 540 other E-Comm emergency communication professionals dedicated to helping save lives and protect property through both its 9-1-1 operations and public safety technology.

About the CRD

The CRD is the regional government for 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, serving more than 392,000 residents. With more than 200 service, infrastructure and financing agreements with municipalities and electoral areas, the CRD plays a key role in providing services that can be delivered efficiently and effectively through region-wide or shared service delivery models. These include the regional water supply, solid waste, wastewater treatment, regional parks, housing, 9-1-1 call-answer, and recreation facilities. For more information, visit www.crd.bc.ca.

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Additional information about the South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre is available in this media backgrounder.

Quotes:

Government of British Columbia
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General

“We want British Columbians to have services they can count on and a swift response when they need help. This major public safety initiative will enhance 9-1-1 call-answer and police dispatch services across central and southern Vancouver Island. Consolidating dispatch services and joining forces to operate out of a shared, state-of-the-art facility will improve coordination between agencies so they can better respond to large emergencies that cross municipal boundaries, improve service to the public and increase officer safety.”

Capital Regional District
CRD Board Chair Colin Plant

“The CRD welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with partners to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. This new centre is a strong example of how working together will improve efficiencies and help us to meet post-disaster standards.”

Central Saanich Police Service
Chief Constable Les Sylven

“This new dispatch centre provides us with surge capacity when there’s a major incident requiring a police response, such as a major collision on the Pat Bay Highway. The dispatchers can also quickly coordinate a multi-agency response when there’s a sudden spike in calls. We know the officers in Central Saanich, the citizens in our community, and those throughout the region will be well-served by this new centre.”

Oak Bay Police Department
Chief Constable Andy Brinton

“Obviously our number one mandate is public service and public safety. And the first line of contact for anybody calling for our service is going to be through a call taker at this dispatch centre. I have full confidence that anyone in Oak Bay who calls for a service is going to be impressed and they’re going to be served well.”

RCMP
Chief Superintendent Sean Sullivan, Island District RCMP Commander

“We are well aware that crime has no borders. And to see three call centres blended together to make one will give us outstanding efficiencies. It’s going to definitely improve the service to Vancouver Island residents and it’s going to help improve safety for our members who are out there each and every day putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe.”

Lois Karr, RCMP Director of Operational Communications Centre Program

“We’ve been talking about this consolidated centre for more than four years. What I see here is exactly what the vision was right from the beginning – call takers and dispatchers working together out of one facility. The call takers and dispatchers in this building are the first of the first responders. They have a crucial role for the public. And they are a lifeline for police, especially our RCMP members working in smaller detachments and in rural areas of Vancouver Island.”

Saanich Police Department
Chief Constable Bob Downie

“The coordination between different police units is made better by having a single consolidated centre. If Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria are all working on the same call, it’s run out of one call centre. We don’t have to worry about transferring that call or the dispatch responsibilities from one centre to another. It’s all done here, it’s all done seamlessly, it’s all done under one management team, and the region’s going to be better served because of it.”

Victoria Police Department
Chief Constable Del Manak

“With this new centre, we can take a regional approach to regional issues. Our police officers cross municipal borders on a regular basis. We know that when dealing with calls that cross municipal borders, managing those incidents through three call centres was inefficient. Having a regional emergency communications and dispatch centre that provides us with shared resources for overall public safety is such a positive step.”

E-Comm
President and CEO Oliver Grüter-Andrew

“E-Comm exists to help create safer communities in British Columbia and this initiative is an outstanding example of what can be achieved through collaboration, partnership and hard work. All E-Comm staff share a dedication to public safety that makes me incredibly proud. We are ready to continue to serve police officers and Vancouver Island residents to the very best of our ability no matter what the circumstance or time of day.”

Media Contacts

Capital Regional District
Andy Orr, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
250-360-3229
[email protected]

E-Comm, Emergency Communications for British Columbia
Jasmine Bradley, Manager Corporate Communications
604-603-7245
[email protected]

Central Saanich Police Service
Les Sylven, Chief Constable
250-544-4230
[email protected]

Oak Bay Police Department
Andy Brinton, Chief Constable
250-592-2424
[email protected]

RCMP Island District
Cpl. Tammy Douglas
District Advisory NCO (Media Relations)
250-380-6174
[email protected]

Saanich Police Department
Sgt. Julie Fast
250-475-4337
[email protected]

Victoria Police Department
Cst. Matt Rutherford
250-361-8263
[email protected]

Media Relations
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
250-213-3602

The winter 2019 edition of e-communiqué, E-Comm’s quarterly stakeholder newsletter, is now available online and in PDF format. Check out our publications page to view previous issues.

In this edition you’ll find:

• A feature story on the start of operations for the new South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre. The centre amalgamates 9-1-1 call-answer and police dispatch services for the Victoria, Saanich, Central Saanich and Oak Bay police departments and local RCMP detachments.
• CEO Oliver Grüter-Andrew’s recap on recent service expansions and update on E-Comm’s new strategic plan.
• E-Comm’s year-end media outreach initiative that highlights the top 10 reasons not to call 9-1-1 in 2018.
• A recap of recent emergency planning exercises for high-risk scenarios that require multi-agency response and E-Comm’s Wide-Area Radio Network.
• E-Comm representatives at national conferences (APCO and CITIG) discussing industry topics and presentations related to public safety communications.
• E-Comm connecting with the community at various events from October to December 2018.

For immediate release – February 20, 2019

Vancouver, B.C.—E-Comm, the organization operating the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C., is now providing dispatch services for 15 fire departments in the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) and seven fire departments in the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO).

Dispatch moves occurred over the last two weeks, with E-Comm completing all transitions at 6:05 a.m. today.

E-Comm has been the 9-1-1 answer point for the RDNO and FVRD since 2014 and 2016 respectively. This transition further strengthens this public safety partnership as E-Comm will now be providing call-taking and dispatch services for fire departments within these same regions.

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E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and now provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley. For more information visit www.ecomm911.ca.

Media Contacts:

E-Comm
Jasmine Bradley
604-215-5023
[email protected]

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

Regional District of North Okanagan
Ashley Gregerson
250-550-3707
[email protected]