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Vancouver, B.C.—The District of North Vancouver has strengthened the communication capabilities of its firefighters following the transition of its fire service to the E-Comm Wide-Area Radio Network.

The multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency radio network, which replaces the District’s old VHF radio system, offers firefighters increased coverage and the ability to communicate directly with police and ambulance personnel within the District through the flip of a switch.  It will also allow for shared communication with responders in neighbouring jurisdictions that are also on the E-Comm radio system, like the City of North Vancouver Fire Department. This will streamline communication and enhance response as it will no longer be necessary to hand out VHF radios to City firefighters when assisting each other at both routine and major emergency events.  Now firefighters from both departments simply need to switch to a common radio channel on their own radios to communicate with each other.

“We will now be able to seamlessly communicate with the partner agencies we respond with daily,” says  District of North Vancouver Deputy Fire Chief Victor Penman.  “Not only will this be an improvement in the area of responder safety, but we strongly believe that the service we provide to our citizens has now significantly improved.  This is a very important day for the District of North Vancouver.”

55 portable radios are now deployed among the five fire halls serving the District of North Vancouver along with mobile data terminals on 14 fire trucks.

“We’re very pleased to welcome the District of North Vancouver Fire-Rescue Service, our tenth fire department, onto our radio system,” says David Guscott, E-Comm president and CEO. “Shared radio communication is critical to both emergency responder and public safety.  The E-Comm network, which is the largest of its kind in Canada, will offer better coverage, security features and an earthquake resistant infrastructure to District firefighters.”

There are more than 7,100 E-Comm wide-area radios in use throughout the Lower Mainland, generating approximately nine million radio transmissions per month, which equates to someone talking for 24-hours a day for 400 days straight.

Both the District of North Vancouver Fire-Rescue Service and E-Comm report that the changeover went extremely well thanks to thorough advance preparation work by both teams and the support of the North Vancouver City Fire Department.

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 Photos of transition day available upon request.

Contact Information:

Jody Robertson
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-4956
604-640-1342 (pager)

Jeanine Bratina
District of North Vancouver
Telephone:  604-990-2459
E-mail:  [email protected]

Additional Background:

Advantages of E-Comm Radio Network:

• Cross communication between services – police, fire and emergency health personnel within the same community can communicate directly with each other in “real” time
• Cross communication between agencies in different municipalities – emergency personnel can communicate directly with each other in “real” time
• Wider radio coverage area
• Better in-building coverage
• Greater clarity
• Improved reliability
• Enhanced security
• Earthquake resistant infrastructure

Vancouver, B.C. —It’s day one of 9-1-1 Awareness Week in British Columbia and the regional emergency communication centre for southwest B.C. – E-Comm – reports accidental, non-emergency and general information calls continue to swamp call-takers.

“People might be surprised to know we receive hundreds of accidental calls every day,” says E-Comm spokeswoman Jody Robertson. “These calls come from cell phones for the most part and have the potential for getting in the way of real emergency calls.”

As part of awareness week, the centre is asking for help from cell phone owners by making sure they store their devices carefully (e.g. not carrying loosely in a purse, back pocket or knapsack where keys can be accidentally pressed), and to not pre-program 9-1-1 into any phone.  Doing these two things will help reduce accidental calls.  The public can also help by staying on the line and not hanging up if they dial 9-1-1 accidentally.

But accidental calls are not the only issue. The centre reports that callers are also using 9-1-1 to ask general questions regarding everything from power outages to traffic updates to when clocks should be turned back.

“9-1-1 is for police, fire, or medical emergencies when immediate action is required: someone’s health, safety or property is in jeopardy or a crime is in progress,” says Robertson. “9-1-1 is not an information line and we’re imploring people not to use this important lifeline in this way.”

Recently an E-Comm 9-1-1 call-taker even reported that an irate fast-food customer dialed 9-1-1 to complain that her chicken sandwich wasn’t up to snuff. “We’re here to help people when they need it most,” explains Roxana Higgins, a seven-year police call-taking veteran.  “It can be frustrating to receive calls like this because while they’re complaining about a refund, someone in trouble could need me.”

During Emergency Service Dispatchers’ and 9-1-1 Awareness Week, which runs April 8-15, E-Comm is reaching out to the community to recognize the contribution of 9-1-1 professionals who work behind the scenes to support emergency response and  to raise awareness about accidental calls, non-emergency calls and “knowing your location”—three key areas where the public can have a major impact. It’s also asking residents to follow its new Twitter feed, @ecomm911_info, for need-to-know information about 9-1-1 service, emergency info, and tips for helping to keep the emergency system as efficient as possible on a day-to-day basis and in the event of a major crisis.

E-Comm answers more than one million 9-1-1 calls each year for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Squamish and the southern portion of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. For tips on using 9-1-1 and more information about E-Comm visit www.ecomm911.ca

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Media contact: Jody Robertson 604-215-4956

Additional background and data:

• E-Comm will be tweeting regularly under the #911awareness hashtag during Dispatchers’ and 9-1-1 Awareness Week. Media note: news releases and other info of media interest from E-Comm will disseminated through our Twitter handle @ecomm911_info – please follow us.

• As the first point of contact between emergency services and those who need help, call-takers and dispatchers focus their efforts on collecting, prioritizing and disseminating significant and crucial information to responders en route and on-scene at emergency events.
• The province of British Columbia has proclaimed April 8-15 Emergency Service Dispatchers’ and 9-1-1 Awareness Week in honour of the report agents, call-takers, and dispatchers who are “a calm voice for people in crisis and the eyes and ears of responders until they arrive on scene.”
• The proclamation also recognizes the technical and support staff of emergency services for their behind-the-scenes support of frontline call-takers and dispatchers (a copy of the proclamation is available at ecomm911.ca)
• Five E-Comm staff members are currently featured in an education campaign-they are residents of Port Coquitlam, Surrey and Vancouver.
• E-Comm received 1,031,326 calls to 9-1-1 in 2010 (70% of 9-1-1 calls were directed to  police; 24% were directed to ambulance and 6% were directed to fire agencies)
• 55% of 9-1-1 calls are now placed from cell phones (567,000 in 2010)
• Approximately 2,800 calls a day are placed to 9-1-1; E-Comm conservatively estimates 200 accidental calls each day

Vancouver–Residents from Furry Creek to Pemberton can now say ‘so-long’ to ten-digit dialling for emergency response since implementation of 9-1-1 service has been completed by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), TELUS and E-Comm
9-1-1.

“Partnering with the SLRD to introduce this lifeline to the communities of Furry Creek, Britannia Beach, Pemberton, Mt. Currie, Xit’olacw, Birken, D’Arcy and N’Quatqua is an honour,” says Doug Watson, vice-president of E-Comm Operations. “Having the SLRD-South join us means that E-Comm will be the service provider for 500 kilometres of response area in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, offering emergency services and enhanced communication capabilities for residents and local responders.”

Along with a just handful of municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia, the SLRD had previously not been fully covered by 9-1-1 service; in some areas it had not been available at all and in some cases by cell phone only.

“This is big news for the residents in the southern half of the Squamish Lillooet Regional District who still used a 10-digit number from their landlines to access emergency services, “ says Susan Gimse, SLRD Board Chair. “We’re excited to be partnering with E-Comm to deliver this essential service to thousands of residents and businesses that didn’t have it before.”

On January 18, 2011, E-Comm began dispatching for local fire departments in Britannia Beach, Pemberton and Birken, and the surrounding communities serviced by these departments. E-Comm already provides fire and police dispatching services for the municipalities of Whistler and Squamish and more than 20 other departments throughout Southwest B.C.

E-Comm answers more than one million 9-1-1 calls each year for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler and Squamish. For tips on using 9-1-1 and more information about E-Comm, visit www.ecomm911.ca

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For more information, contact:

Amanda Brkich
604-215-4813

Vancouver—Following a comprehensive nationwide search, E-Comm 9-1-1 – the regional emergency communications centre for southwest British Columbia – today announced the appointment of David Guscott as president and CEO effective November 22, 2010.

Guscott, former executive vice-president of celebrations and partnerships with the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), has an extensive career spanning both the public and private sectors including deputy minister roles in the provincial government of Ontario.

“David’s 30-year track record of leadership, innovation and building strategic partnerships is a perfect fit for
E-Comm,” says Jocelyn Kelley, chair of the E-Comm board of directors. “E-Comm’s purpose is to help bring emergency communication systems and operations together for the benefit of public safety. We’re confident David will advance that vision into our second decade of operation.”

As a member of the executive team of VANOC, Guscott was responsible for the relationship between the organizing committee and its municipal, provincial and federal government partners and the highly successful opening, closing and victory ceremonies. He developed new lines of business that resulted in more than $30 million in contributions to the Games from government partners. Government responsibilities have included emergency communications planning, crisis management and deputy minister roles within the ministries of transportation, labour, and the Cabinet Office. Guscott has a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo. Guscott assumes the leadership of E-Comm from Ken Shymanski, who announced his retirement in April after nine years of service.

“Thousands of southwest British Columbians call 9-1-1 every day and they may not know that E-Comm is their first point of contact,” says Guscott. “It’s a credit to those who conceived and developed E-Comm and to the people who have steered its evolution that today it is a North American leader in all aspects of emergency communications. We will continue to grow and enhance E-Comm for the benefit of public safety in our communities.”

As the regional 9-1-1 call centre that manages more than one million calls each year, E-Comm also operates the Wide-Area Radio System for police, fire and ambulance personnel, and provides dispatch service for 24 police and fire departments in Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler and Squamish.

“There’s no other organization that is taking such a significant and unique approach to emergency communications,” says Guscott. “Its technology innovations, industry leadership and ability to provide fast and efficient service help to save lives and protect property. I am anxious to increase awareness of the contribution E-Comm makes to public safety.”

“David sees the big picture and has a passion for public service and people,” adds Ms. Kelley. “Combine that with his understanding of technology and large-scale operations and we know he will build on the organization’s considerable accomplishments to ensure our partners and the public continue to receive exceptional emergency communication services.”

Guscott will spend this week at the Association of Public-Safety Communication Officials’ national conference in Vancouver with other E-Comm representatives to meet leaders in the emergency communications industry from across North America.

For a biography and photo visit www.ecomm911.ca. To speak with David Guscott contact:
Jody Robertson
Corporate Communications
604-215-4956 (direct)
604-640-1342 (pager)

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An experienced leader with a proven track record of success, David Guscott brings to E-Comm 30-years of public and private sector leadership. His influential voice has been heard throughout B.C. and across the nation, especially evident in his former position as executive vice-president of celebrations and partnerships with the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) where he was responsible for building government partnerships and the highly successful opening, closing and victory ceremonies.

Guscott is recognized for his well-honed ability to forge relationships and facilitate communication. He has held several high-profile positions with the provincial government of Ontario, including deputy minister roles within the ministries of transportation, labour and the Cabinet Office. David has been called “one of the most influential deputy ministers in government” and is known for his deep understanding of proactive, strategic communication and issues management.

His roles with VANOC during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver solidified his reputation for delivering significant results. He was responsible for developing new lines of business that resulted in more than $30 million in contributions to the Games from government partners.

An urban planner by training, David had considerable involvement with initiatives focused on environmental protection, improved public transit and enhancing people’s understanding of government programs. He cites the important strides made under his leadership to increase mobility for Ontarians, particularly people with disabilities, as one of his most gratifying endeavors.

Born and raised in Toronto, Guscott holds a master of public administration from Queen’s University and a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Waterloo. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Planning Institute of British Columbia.

David, who resides in North Vancouver, is an avid sailor who is married with two children.

Vancouver, B.C. – E-Comm 9-1-1, the regional emergency communication centre for southwest B.C. today announced its 2010-2011 Board of Directors, a diverse mix of leaders from across Metro Vancouver. The Board is comprised of 18 directors and includes elected officials, municipal staff, and representatives of emergency services, the provincial government and local community and business leaders.

“To be successful in achieving our mission of providing emergency personnel and the public with exceptional communication services that help save lives and protect property, it is critical the region’s emergency communication centre is overseen by the very communities it serves,” says Ken Shymanski, E-Comm president and CEO.

“We are fortunate to have this level of expertise on our Board and look forward to the significant contribution they will make to our operation through their knowledge and regional perspectives,” Shymanski added.

• Jocelyn Kelley, Independent Director, has been appointed Board Chair.
• Kevin Begg, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policing and Community Safety Branch, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (representing the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General)
• Helen Blackburn, Independent Director (also appointed chair of the Audit Committee)
• Daphne Corbett, Independent Director
• Ernie Daykin, Mayor, District of Maple Ridge (representing District of Maple Ridge and City of Pitt Meadows)
• Rebecca Denlinger, Fire and Emergency Management Commissioner of British Columbia (representing Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General)
• Charlie Fox, Councillor, Township of Langley (representing City of White Rock, City of Surrey, Township of Langley)
• Len Garis, Fire Chief, City of Surrey (representing City of Surrey, City of White Rock, Township of Langley)
• Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Mayor, District of West Vancouver (representing District of West Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver) (also appointed chair of the Governance Committee)
• Cindy Grauer (representing City of Vancouver)
• Barrie Lynch, Councillor, City of Coquitlam (representing City of Coquitlam, City of Port Moody, City of Port Coquitlam, City of New Westminster, Village of Belcarra)
• Ernie Malone, Chief Superintendent, RCMP, retired (representing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
• Bill McNulty, Councillor, City of Richmond (representing the City of Richmond)
• Karl Preuss, Director of Finance, Corporation of Delta (representing the Corporation of Delta)
• Bob Rolls, Deputy Chief, Vancouver police department, retired (representing the Vancouver Police Board)
• Michael Sanderson, Executive Director, Lower Mainland, BC Ambulance Service (representing Emergency Health Services)
• Joe Trasolini, Mayor, City of Port Moody (representing independent police boards for the City of Port Moody, District of West Vancouver, City of New Westminster, City of Abbotsford and South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service)
• Sheldon Stoilen, Independent Director, (also appointed chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee)

E-Comm is the regional emergency communication centre for southwest British Columbia. E-Comm provides 9-1-1, radio and dispatch communications services and support systems to emergency responders and the more than two million residents they serve. www.ecomm911.ca <https://ecomm911.ca/>

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For more information and bios contact:
Jody Robertson, E-Comm Corporate Communications: 604- 215-4956/604-640-1342 (pager)