Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver, B.C.—In an effort to draw attention to the impact on emergency services, E-Comm—British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 public-safety answer point—has released a list of its top ten reasons to not call the emergency line.

“Our staff are trained to treat every call that comes through our centre as a valid emergency, until they determine otherwise, no matter what the circumstance,” explains E-Comm spokesperson Jody Robertson. “Even if the reason for the call seems absurd on the surface, 9-1-1 call-takers need to take time to determine exactly what’s going on and whether someone genuinely needs help. Calls about internet access and cold food are a serious drain on emergency resources.”

Throughout the year E-Comm call-takers field calls that don’t belong on the 9-1-1 lines. This year’s top reason not to call 9-1-1? Wi-Fi at a local coffee shop isn’t working.

“We’re here to help people with real emergencies,” says E-Comm 9-1-1 call-taker Warner Yang, recipient of this year’s top nuisance call. “If someone calls 9-1-1 about internet problems that means I’m not available to help someone who really needs it.”

Approximately 2,600 9-1-1 calls per day were placed to E-Comm in 2014 and while Robertson emphasizes that the majority of people use 9-1-1 responsibly, there are too many calls that come through the communications centre 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.

“We’re reaching out today to remind the public that 9-1-1 is a life-line, not an information line,” Robertson adds. “We hope our message that 9-1-1 call-takers cannot answer questions about how long power outages will last, when the clocks turn back, or other non-emergency questions, will help reduce these kinds of calls and keep the lines open for real emergencies.”

Top ten reasons to not call 9-1-1:

1. Wi-Fi at a local coffee shop isn’t working
2. “What’s the fine for jay walking?”
3. Pizza not fresh; wants a replacement slice
4. “What’s the number for my travel agency?”
5. Caller phoned 9-1-1 to ask for a taxi referral
6. “Is today a stat holiday?”
7. Food they ordered is cold
8. Wants help finding lost glasses
9. Home Internet is not working
10. “What’s the date today?”

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C.,servingMetro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Northern Vancouver Island and Regional Districts in the Northern, Central and Southern Interiors. 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. For tips on using 9-1-1 and more information about E-Comm visit www.ecomm911.ca or follow @EComm911_info.

Media Contact:
Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-4956 or 604-512-3242
[email protected]

Available multi-media

Audio from the top 9-1-1 nuisance call of 2014 (Clip of call-taker Warner Yang)

Vancouver, B.C.—As of 10:33 a.m. today, 9-1-1 calls from the Central and Southern Interiors are being answered by E-Comm—British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 public-safety answer point. The changeover to E-Comm will be transparent to residents, who should dial 9-1-1 as usual. Calls will be routed to the same local police, fire and ambulance dispatchers who currently dispatch first responders to emergency situations.

After four months of collaborative technical and operational planning that included the engineering, design and installation of new 9-1-1 infrastructure, the transfer of 9-1-1 services for the Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Central Kootenay, Columbia-Shuswap, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola, East Kootenay, Kootenay-Boundary and Squamish-Lillooet (North) regional districts occurred seamlessly. Representatives from the new service areas were onsite at E-Comm to witness the official cutover.

“This is a significant event for all nine interior regional districts involved,” said Regional District of Central Okanagan Chair Robert Hobson.  “Public safety is always our top priority.  E-Comm’s outstanding track record means residents will receive the same high-quality level of service they are accustomed to, but with added operational and technical benefits. These include a larger workforce to handle high call volume and increased security and resiliency.” Hobson added that there will also be significant cost savings for each of the regional districts.

The approximately 230,000 emergency calls placed each year from the regional districts will now be routed to E-Comm, where highly-trained 9-1-1 call-takers will quickly confirm which agency the caller requires and for which location. Police calls will then be transferred to the same dispatchers in Kelowna, fire calls will continue to be dispatched by centres in Cranbrook, the Fraser Valley, Kamloops, Kelowna, Surrey, Trail and Vernon while ambulance calls will continue to be managed by the BC Ambulance Service’s dispatch centre in Kamloops.

Part of the robust preparations surrounding this morning’s transition included more than 240 test calls across all regional districts. Geography familiarization was also a priority for E-Comm call-takers in the lead-up to today, with the many geographical and other special attributes of the new service area being a focus of their training program, along with the policies and procedures for individual agencies.

“9-1-1 is a lifeline, which is why thorough preparation was our top priority for today’s transition,” explained David Guscott, E-Comm President and CEO.“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 Central and Southern Interiors and we are proud to be their partners in public safety.”

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C., serving Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the Northern Interior, Northern Vancouver Island and now the Central and Southern Interiors. 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 2014 a total of 19 regional districts (Northern Interior, Northern Vancouver Island and Central/Southern Interior) moved 9-1-1 call-answer services to E-Comm.

Media Contact:
Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-4956 or 604-512-3242
[email protected]

Regional District of Central Okanagan:
Bruce Smith
250-469-4339

Vancouver, B.C.—The Canadian Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) has awarded E-Comm 9-1-1 trainer, Samantha Bruehler, its Trainer of the Year award. Bruehler, a Surrey resident, was recognized at a special ceremony during the APCO Canada conference currently underway in Vancouver.

Each year APCO Canada recognizes leaders in the public-safety communications industry, highlighting the work of individuals and teams who demonstrate excellence, leadership and passion for the work they do and the contributions they make to public safety. The newly established category of Trainer of the Year recognizes those who played an instrumental role in the success of a training program within a public-safety communications agency.

“Training is a critical element of effective 9-1-1 service and that’s why we place a tremendous amount of emphasis on it at our centre,” said E-Comm president and CEO David Guscott. “This award is a well-deserved recognition of Samantha’s continued commitment and the professionalism she and her teammates show each and every day.”

In 2013, E-Comm integrated two additional police agencies into its dispatch centre—New Westminster Police and the Burnaby RCMP, which resulted in more than 23,000 hours of preparation and planning by the E-Comm training team. Bruehler was recognized for her leadership role in developing the training materials and her mentorship of other trainers and staff during these important transitions.

“I am incredibly honoured to be recognized, alongside other distinguished public-safety professionals for the work we do in support of the first responders and communities we serve,” added Bruehler, who has been a trainer and police dispatcher for close to 13 years. “9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers are critical to emergency services and it is exciting that the training of these dedicated professionals is now being recognized by APCO as significant contributor to emergency response.”

Each year APCO Canada brings together industry leaders, experts and professionals in public-safety communications to share information and ideas on 9-1-1 industry issues. This year’s conference took place in Vancouver November 3-6.

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C.,servingMetro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (south), the Northern Interior and Northern Vancouver Island. 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.

For more information about E-Comm visit www.ecomm911.ca or follow E-Comm’s Twitter feed @ecomm911_info.

Media contact:
Jody Robertson
604-512-3242
[email protected]

Vancouver, B.C.— Today at 9:43 am, 9-1-1 call-answer service for the North Island 9-1-1 Corporation (NI9-1-1) successfully transitioned to E-Comm—British Columbia’s largest 9-1-1 public-safety answer point—making the emergency communications centre the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in the Comox Valley, Strathcona, Mt. Waddington, Alberni-Clayoquot and Powell River Regional Districts (excluding Lasqueti Island), in addition to a portion of the Nanaimo Regional District (School District 69).

When a 9-1-1 call is received by E-Comm from the NI9-1-1 service area, a large team of highly-trained 9-1-1 call-takers will quickly confirm which agency the caller requires and for which location before transferring the call to the same local police, fire and ambulance dispatchers (located in Courtenay, Campbell River and Victoria), who will continue to dispatch responders to emergency situations. The changeover to E-Comm will be transparent to callers, who should continue to dial 9-1-1 as usual if they have an emergency.

“We all know 9-1-1 is a critical lifeline and this new partnership will provide a number of benefits for North Island residents beyond the significant cost savings,” explained NI9-1-1 President Jon Ambler, who was in the communications centre for today’s cutover. “E-Comm can respond to sudden influxes of 9-1-1 call volume because of its substantial staffing and integrated 9-1-1 call-answer model and it operates on a secure and resilient technical infrastructure, which is extremely important when it comes to 9-1-1 lifelines,” he added.

A detailed transition plan, combined with months of collaboration and coordination between NI9-1-1, the RCMP, the BC Ambulance Service, TELUS and E-Comm, in order to complete the hundreds of behind-the-scenes operational and technical requirements, is credited with the success of today’s transition. Pre-transition work included the engineering, design and installation of new 9-1-1 infrastructure and a comprehensive training program that familiarized E-Comm staff with the many geographical and other special attributes of the region, even though dispatching will continue to be managed locally.

“Our goal is to ensure residents of the North Island continue to receive high-quality, responsive 9-1-1 public-safety answer point service 24-hours a day,” said David Guscott, E-Comm President and CEO. “Our 15-year track record of fast and effective 9-1-1 call-answer supports NI9-1-1’s commitment to public safety and we are very pleased to be their new partners.”

NI9-1-1’s call volume in 2013 was 63,000. E-Comm’s current service area includes the Northern Interior, Sunshine Coast, Squamish-Lillooet Regional Districts and Metro Vancouver with a combined call volume of more than 900,000.

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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 call centre in B.C., serving Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (south), the Northern Interior and now Northern Vancouver Island. 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 November, nine additional regional districts (Central and Southern Interiors) will also move 9-1-1 call-answer services to
E-Comm.

Media contacts:

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

North Island 9-1-1 Corporation
Jon Ambler
250-339-8162 or 250-465-9339

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