Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

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]

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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

Vancouver, B.C.—Today at 9:15 a.m. E-Comm—British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 Primary Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP)—became the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in the city of Nanaimo and the regional districts of Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley. The changeover to E-Comm will be transparent to residents of central Vancouver Island, who should dial 9-1-1 as usual.

Approximately 57,000 9-1-1 calls are made each year from the Central Island area, which will now be answered by E-Comm’s many highly-trained 9-1-1 call-takers. E-Comm staff will quickly confirm which agency the caller requires and for which location before transferring the call to local police call-takers in Courtenay, fire call-takers in Nanaimo and ambulance call-takers in Victoria.

“This is an important day for Central Island residents who are accustomed to high-quality 9-1-1 service,” said Mike Dietrich, (Acting) Director Social & Protective Services with the City of Nanaimo. “Based on E-Comm’s outstanding track record over the past 16-years operating as a PSAP, we are confident in the communication centre’s ability to continue to deliver this same level of service.”

After months of collaborative technical and operational planning, the transfer of 9-1-1 services occurred seamlessly with the first call coming into E-Comm at 9:23 a.m. The call was a request for the ambulance service.

“Public safety is always a priority and the new partnership with E-Comm will ensure our communities receive added operational and technical benefits,” explained Colin Haime, Deputy Chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo. “This includes a larger workforce to handle high call volume as well as increased security and resiliency.”

Conrad Cowan with the Cowichan Valley Regional District added that there will also be significant cost savings. “The Central Island 9-1-1 partnership chose to relocate services to E-Comm because we felt this would provide our regional districts with the most cost effective, high-quality operational and technical expertise, along with a robust infrastructure with many layers of redundancy for our residents,” said Cowan, Manager, Public Safety Division.

Part of the robust preparations surrounding this morning’s transition included multiple test calls across both regional districts. Geography familiarization was also part of the preparations with the many geographical and other special attributes of the new service area being a focus of call-taker training, along with the policies and procedures for individual agencies.

“Whenever we embark upon a new service partnership preparation is our top priority,” explained David Guscott, E-Comm President and CEO. “9-1-1 is a critical lifeline for people in need of immediate help from first responders, and we are committed to providing high-quality, responsive 9-1-1 service to our new partners and the residents of central Vancouver Island.”

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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: 

E-Comm 9-1-1
Jody Robertson
604-512-3242
[email protected]

City of Nanaimo
Philip Cooper
250-755-4532
[email protected]

Regional District of Nanaimo
Christina Gray
250-390-6554
[email protected]

Cowichan Valley Regional District
Conrad Cowan
250-746-2562
[email protected]