Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver, B.C.—Today marked a historic moment for the Lower Mainland’s emergency service community as the first of 32 public-safety agencies transitioned to a new best-in-class radio system. Among the key features of the “next generation” radio system and equipment: Greater reliability, water immersion resistance, radio monitoring (enabling dispatchers to remotely activate radio microphones for improved responder safety), noise-cancelling technology to reduce background sounds and allow responders to be heard more clearly in noisy environments, increased coverage, audio clarity and security, GPS tracking, an expanded range of accessories and the ability to add new features through software upgrades in the future.

The New Westminster and Port Moody Police Departments were the first to transition today at approximately 6:30 a.m. with New Westminster Chief Constable Dave Jones and Port Moody Chief Constable David Fleugel each making inaugural broadcasts to their officers. Port Moody and New Westminster police have been using the existing E-Comm radio system since 2000 and 2002 respectively. Combined, both agencies generate more than 1.4 million radio transmissions each year.

“Radios are a tool we rely on heavily when protecting the public,” explained Chief Jones. “The enhanced capabilities with this system will help keep my officers safer during day-to-day events and large-scale emergencies. They are a lifeline.”

Port Moody Chief Constable David Fleugel echoed Chief Jones’ emphasis of the critical role and the impact on officer and public safety, adding that “the new radio system’s features will also greatly enhance policing operations, including providing stronger coverage and improved audio clarity as officers cross municipal boundaries during the course of their duties or in really tricky locations such as underground parking garages and building basements where signal strength can be a challenge.”

The replacement of the existing regional radio network is the largest and most complex technology project E-Comm and its emergency-service partners have undertaken since the current radio system was first implemented 1999. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics using the current E-Comm regional radio network (800 MHz EDACS – Enhanced Digital Access Communications System), are all transitioning to the new $60 million system in a phased approach that is scheduled through to the end of 2017. This is a planned replacement, with the new network based on digital radio technology known as Project 25 (P25) in the 700 MHz band, an open standard that public-safety agencies across North America have widely adopted. The P25 technology was selected and endorsed by the Lower Mainland emergency services community following more than a year of consultation, analysis and testing.

“The importance of a high-performing radio system for our public safety partners cannot be overstated,” said E-Comm President and CEO David Guscott. “While the previous network has served our region well for close to 18 years, the P25 system is more advanced, more rugged and more resilient.”

The P25 network is also fully encrypted, meaning first responder communication will be kept extra secure and the privacy of the public who are being assisted by emergency services will be better protected during the necessary transmittal of personal and private information over the voice network.

The new radio system will be used by 32 emergency-service agencies including all police departments and BC Emergency Health Services (BC Ambulance Service) in Metro Vancouver and Abbotsford, in addition to 12 fire departments in Metro Vancouver and the BC Conservation Service. Approximately 8,000 new radios will be deployed generating more than 130 million transmissions each year. Because this is a planned transition, the annual cost of the new radio network will be about the same as the annual cost of the current network, even with its enhanced features. The new radio system is expected to have an operational lifespan of 15 or more years.

-30-

Audio of inaugural radio broadcasts by New Westminster Chief Constable Dave Jones and Port Moody Chief Constable David Fleugel, video clips of Chief Jones’ broadcast and interview along with photos/b-roll footage of New Westminster Police officers available below.

About E-Comm
E-Comm operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province and is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in Canada, handling approximately 1.36 million emergency calls per year for Metro Vancouver and 24 other regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, to north of Prince George. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police agencies and fire departments in southwest B.C. For more information visit https://ecomm911.ca/

For more information, please contact:

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

Acting Sergeant Jeff Scott
New Westminster Police Department
604-529-2423

Constable Angela Fisher
Port Moody Police Department
604-469-4657

Available video:

Chief Constable Dave Jones interview
Chief Constable Dave Jones first broadcast
New Westminster Police Department next generation radio b-roll footage

VICTORIA – In an effort to enhance 9-1-1 call-answer and police dispatch services on Southern Vancouver Island, police agencies in Greater Victoria and the Capital Regional District (CRD) will join forces and operate out of a new shared state-of-the-art post-disaster facility.

Read full release here. 

Vancouver, B.C.—E-Comm’s 9-1-1 call-takers are reaching out to the public today with their top ten examples of calls they received in 2016 that unnecessarily tied-up emergency lines.

Call-takers Jim Beland and Chris Faris had the top two 9-1-1 nuisance calls of the year: a broken gym locker and someone enquiring about job opportunities with the police.

“I’d like to be able to say that calls such as the ones on our top ten list are rare, but unfortunately this isn’t the case,” says Jim. “As call-takers our job is to treat each call like an emergency until we can determine otherwise, and this takes time. We want our time reserved for people who need help because they have a legitimate emergency.”

Chris Faris agrees. “Unfortunately, we do get a lot of people who call 9-1-1 thinking it can be used as an information hotline. We get a lot of calls that start off with ‘this is not an emergency but…’ and that’s a concern when we know there are other people out there who need our help.”

E-Comm receives approximately 1.35 million calls every year to 9-1-1 and any time a 9-1-1 line is taken up for a reason that does not require immediate action from emergency services, lives could be at risk.

2016 top reasons to not call 9-1-1:
1. Requesting help opening a broken gym locker
2. Enquiring about job opportunities for a family member interested in police work
3. Because an electric shaver would not turn off
4. Requesting a ladder to get a soccer ball off the roof
5. How best to get a drone down from a tree
6. Tired of waiting in traffic
7. “There’s a big spider in the bathroom”
8. Complaining they couldn’t get into a nightclub
9. Because their teenager refused to do chores
10. “Can you tell me what time it is?”

To learn more about when to call 9-1-1 visit ecomm911.ca—resources include non-emergency numbers for police, fire and ambulance, and free education materials available for order.

-30-

E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia, handling approximately 1.35 million emergency calls per year for 25 regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, to north of Prince George. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police and fire departments in southwest B.C.; and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province. For more information visit https://ecomm911.ca/.

Media Contact:

Jasmine Bradley
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-5023
[email protected]

Available multi-media

Photo of Jim Beland, quoted in news release.

Portion of call-taker audio from top 9-1-1- nuisance call for 2016.

Portion of call-taker audio from second top 9-1-1 nuisance call for 2016.

Vancouver, B.C.—As part of today’s Great British Columbia ShakeOut drill, E-Comm is reminding people that they should only call 9-1-1 during a natural disaster if it is a life-safety emergency.

“One of the most important ways people can support emergency services after an earthquake, large or small, is to help keep 9-1-1 lines free for life-safety emergencies—situations where immediate help from first responders is required,” says Jody Robertson, E-Comm’s director of corporate communications. “Call-takers are there to help people and lives are put at risk when 9-1-1 is treated like an information line.”

Following the 4.7-magnitude earthquake that was felt across much of southwestern B.C. on December 29, 2015, the emergency communication centre was flooded with 9-1-1 calls. In the 15-minute period following the quake, call-takers handled 318 emergency calls, an increase of 1500% compared to normal call volume for that time of day.

“I was working that night and the calls that I took were not emergencies,” says E-Comm 9-1-1 call-taker Megan Wong. “People were calling with questions or statements like: Was that an earthquake? My whole house just shook. Will there be more tremors?” Wong goes on to explain that “as a 9-1-1 call-taker my job is to help people with emergencies and that’s why it’s so important to me that we get the message out that when people call 9-1-1 for information or any other reason that is not an emergency, they’re tying up valuable resources.”

Robertson adds “while E-Comm understands that people may feel frightened or unsure what to do after an earthquake, the message we want to send is that 9-1-1 resources are finite and lines need to remain open to those with true emergencies. There are many great sources of information available that don’t involve calling 9-1-1, such as: PreparedBC, the Government of Canada, Emergency Info BC and other non-emergency resources including government websites and their social media feeds and local media.”

E-Comm also has information available on its website—ecomm911.ca—including tips for dialing 9-1-1 after an earthquake and the right channels to turn to for information and updates. The website also has information on how people should be prepared in the event of a natural disaster, such as the basics of an emergency kit and links to emergency preparedness websites.

-30-

E-Comm operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province and is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia, handling approximately 1.35 million emergency calls per year for Metro Vancouver and 24 other regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, to north of Prince George. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police and fire departments in southwest B.C. For more information visit https://ecomm911.ca/.

Media Contact:

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

Available multi-media

Audio clips from 9-1-1  call-takers on Dec. 29, 2016.

Today, regional districts in BC’s central and southern interior announced the availability of a specialized text service that allows people who are Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of-Hearing or Speech Impaired (DHHSI) to communicate with 9-1-1 call-takers by text.

This service is called Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) and is being delivered by E-Comm—the emergency communications centre responsible for answering 9-1-1 calls in the central and southern interior—in partnership with local emergency service agencies. The service is now available throughout the Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Central Kootenay, Columbia-Shuswap, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola, East Kootenay, Kootenay-Boundary and Squamish-Lillooet regional districts.

“T9-1-1 is a vital connection to police, fire and ambulance and enables quick communication between a Deaf caller and emergency services,” remarked Gordon Rattray, Treasurer of the Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf (OVAD). “In the past Deaf people were limited by communication barriers and would have to use phone relay or TTY which would take five or ten minutes longer. The OVAD is very excited to have T9-1-1 in the interior regional districts and we look forward to helping promote the availability of this service with the DHHSI community. We’re proud of this enhancement to emergency services that E-Comm provides.”

T9-1-1 allows any DHHSI person who has pre-registered their cellphone with their wireless carrier to communicate with police, fire and ambulance call-takers via text during an emergency. Callers must first place a voice call to 9-1-1 in order to establish a voice network connection and initiate the special messaging technology.

“This new enhanced level of service is something we’ve eagerly anticipated being able to provide for residents with hearing or speech impairments who need help from police, fire or ambulance services,” said Gail Given, Chair of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. “It is important for people in the Central Okanagan DHHSI community who have not yet registered for this service to do so now, and for them to learn more about how the service works and what to expect should they need to use T9-1-1 during an emergency.”

When E-Comm receives a 9-1-1 call from a DHHSI person who has pre-registered for the service, an alert will trigger at the 9-1-1 centre to indicate there is a DHHSI caller on the line. The 9-1-1 call-taker will then launch the special messaging system, allowing them to communicate with the caller through a special text session. This will ensure they get the emergency service they need.

“Being able to communicate with 9-1-1 using this technology allows for greater access to important 9-1-1 lifelines in the event of an emergency,” added David Guscott, E-Comm President and CEO. “E-Comm is proud to be able to offer this enhanced level of service to our partners in the central and southern interior of B.C.”

It is important to emphasize that this service is only available to the DHHSI community.

Voice calling remains the only way to communicate with 9-1-1 services for a person who is not Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of-Hearing or Speech Impaired. Text messages sent directly to the digits “9-1-1” do not reach emergency services anywhere in Canada. Text with 9-1-1 for the public-at-large is anticipated in the future as the nationwide 9-1-1 infrastructure evolves.

Members of the DHHSI community should visit www.TextWith911.ca to register their cellphone with their wireless service provider and to learn more about how the system works.

-30-

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 and 24 other regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, 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.

Contacts: