Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver—E-Comm, the 9-1-1 answer point for Metro Vancouver, Whistler/Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast, has launched a public education campaign to remind people to always be aware of their surroundings and know their exact location, something that is critical when calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone. Unlike landlines, cell phones do not provide location information to 9-1-1 call-takers.

Many cell phone users mistakenly believe their location information is transmitted to 9-1-1 call centres. In a recent Ipsos-Reid survey in the Lower Mainland, close to half of the respondents either believed their location information was displayed to 9-1-1 or didn’t know.

“Letting people know they need to be aware of their location at all times is a matter of public safety, especially in the summer months when so many people are out and about, sometimes in unfamiliar surroundings,” says Jody Robertson, E-Comm’s director of corporate communications.

“You should always be aware of your location – what city you are in, building or home addresses, cross streets, landmarks or any other information that will help emergency personnel find you – and be prepared to communicate that information to the 9-1-1 call-taker as soon as you are asked.”

Similarly, location information is not conveyed by most VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephones. Consumers should check with providers and consider the safety implications when choosing VoIP or cell phones for their sole telephone.

Robertson advises that if there is a choice in an emergency, always choose the landline (traditional) telephone, which will display your address to the 9-1-1 call-taker. “That way, if the connection is lost or you can’t communicate for some reason, the 9-1-1 call-taker will dispatch police to your location,” she says.

The campaign, which runs on radio and in community newspapers through the summer, is part of E-Comm’s ongoing public education efforts on 9-1-1. More information on calling 9-1-1 can be found at E-Comm’s Web site, ecomm911.ca.

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For more information contact:

Jody Robertson
604-215-4956 (direct)

Tips for Using 9-1-1

• Dial 9-1-1 in emergency situations that require police, fire department or ambulance when immediate action is required: a life or property is in jeopardy/danger or a crime is in progress.
• Listen carefully, speak clearly and try to remain calm. While call-takers are asking you questions, they are relaying vital information electronically to the dispatchers and the emergency personnel on their way to help you.
• Do not pre-program 9-1-1 into any telephone, this may lead to accidental calls. If you do call 9-1-1 by mistake, please stay on the line and tell the call-taker.
• Non-emergency numbers for all emergency services are listed in the front of the telephone directory.

About E-Comm

• E-Comm is the regional 9-1-1 answer point for southwest British Columbia, managing more than one million calls each year.
• E-Comm provides dispatch service for 23 police and fire departments throughout the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Whistler/Howe Sound.
• E-Comm also manages the region’s interoperable radio system used by police, fire and ambulance.

For more information on E-Comm’s 9-1-1 and other services, visit www.ecomm911.ca

Vancouver, B.C. – E-Comm 9-1-1, Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Incorporated, is pleased to announce the following appointments to its 2008-2009 Board of Directors:

Daphne Corbett, independent director, has been named Board Chair.

New appointments:

• Helen Blackburn, independent director
• Ernie Malone, chief superintendent, RCMP, ret (representing RCMP)
• Bill McNulty, councillor, City of Richmond (representing City of Richmond)

Returning board members:

• Mary-Wade Anderson, councillor, City of White Rock (representing City of White Rock, City of Surrey, Township of Langley)
• 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)
• Calvin Donnelly, councillor, City of New Westminster (representing City of Coquitlam, City of Port Moody, City of Port Coquitlam, City of New Westminster, Village of Belcarra)
• 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)
• Cindy Grauer (representing City of Vancouver)
• Jocelyn Kelley (independent director)
• Don MacLean, mayor, City of Pitt Meadows (representing District of Maple Ridge and City of Pitt Meadows)
• Karl Preuss, director of finance, Corporation of Delta (representing the Corporation of Delta)
• Michael Sanderson, executive director, Lower Mainland, BC Ambulance Service (representing Emergency Health Services)
• John Schouten, inspector, Vancouver Police Dept., ret (representing Vancouver Police Board)
• Wes Shoemaker, associate deputy minister, Emergency Management B.C., Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (representing the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General)
• David Sutcliffe, independent director
• 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, and South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority)

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

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Angela Wilson
Senior Communications Specialist
E-Comm 9-1-1

Tel: 604-215-5030
Blackberry: 604-626-8351

Vancouver — E-Comm, the 9-1-1 answer point for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Whistler/Howe Sound, has launched a public education campaign to reach out to non-English speaking residents and people with limited English skills to provide important safety tips and to remind them that the 9-1-1 emergency service can connect to interpreters in multiple languages.

“With our increasingly diverse population, the concern is that some people may not be aware that 9-1-1 is the number to call in an emergency situation or they feel that they can’t use 9-1-1 because they don’t speak English,” according to Jody Robertson, E-Comm’s Director of Corporate Communications.

E-Comm has access to a 24-hour service that provides interpretation in more than 170 languages. In most cases an interpreter can be on the line in less than one minute.

“Although interpretation service has been available for years, some people still assume that they must speak English to get help. 9-1-1 is a lifeline for everyone, no matter the language spoken.”

Those who have friends or family members who speak limited English are encouraged to instruct them to always dial 9-1-1 immediately in an emergency situation – as opposed to a family member or neighbour – and to teach them the English word for the language they do speak to help get an interpreter on the line faster. Knowing the words police, fire and ambulance is also helpful.

“People also shouldn’t be shy about trying their English – even if it’s limited,” adds Robertson. “Our call-takers are skilled listeners and even a few words, like help, sick, hurt, police, or fire and can help the call-taker get emergency response underway.

Radio ads have been produced in three languages – Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi – and will run on Chinese and South Asian stations in the month of March. Posters that inform limited English speakers about 9-1-1 and provide phonetic assistance for pronouncing the name of their language in English have been made available to community organizations that provide services to non-English speaking citizens.

Individuals and community organizations are encouraged to visit E-Comm’s Web site www.ecomm911.ca where they will find print materials, information and tips for using the 9-1-1 service in four languages.

The campaign is part of E-Comm’s ongoing public education efforts on 9-1-1 and will run through the month of March.

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For more information contact:

Jody Robertson
604-215-4956 (direct)

Background

Tips for using 9-1-1

• Dial 9-1-1 in emergency situations that require police, fire department or ambulance.
• If you can’t speak English, knowing the name of your language in English can help get an interpreter on the line faster.
• Call from a land line telephone if possible. Land lines, unlike cell phones and some internet-based phones, display your location to the 9-1-1 call-taker. If for some reason you can’t communicate, the 9-1-1 call-taker will dispatch police to your location.

9-1-1 Interpretation Service

• In the third quarter of 2007 9-1-1 call-takers throughout southwest BC managed 796 interpreter-assisted calls in 30 different languages. The majority of those were for the three most common languages spoken, Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi, but the calls requiring interpretation also included less-common languages such as Amharic and Haitian Creole.
• The average time to connect with an interpreter was about 30 seconds.
• E-Comm’s language services are provided by Language Line Services, a global leader in telephone interpreting and language solutions. Language Line Services employs interpreters in more than 170 spoken languages who undergo rigorous training, including courses specific to interpreting for emergency first responders, to provide the most effective and efficient service possible. Language Line Services is currently used by 9-1-1 call centres throughout Canada and the United States.
• Metro Vancouver has provided 9-1-1 interpretation service to residents through Language Line since 1992.
• For a complete list of languages provided visit our Interpretation Services section.

About E-Comm

E-Comm is the regional 9-1-1 answer point for southwest British Columbia, managing more than 1.1 million calls each year.

E-Comm provides dispatch service for 23 police and fire departments throughout the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Whistler/Howe Sound.

E-Comm also manages the region’s interoperable radio system used by police, fire and ambulance.

For more information on E-Comm’s 9-1-1 and other services, visit www.ecomm911.ca

Vancouver – The City of Coquitlam has become the ninth municipality within Metro Vancouver to have all of its emergency services on the region’s shared radio system.

The communications link was established following the transition of Coquitlam Fire & Rescue to the E-Comm radio system February 4. A key feature of this transition for Coquitlam Fire & Rescue is the ability to communicate with other emergency agencies, both within Coquitlam and in neighbouring jurisdictions. Coquitlam RCMP and the BC Ambulance Service have been on the radio system since 2000.

“The interoperability feature is a primary reason for us to move to E-Comm’s wide area radio system,” says Assistant Chief Kelly Barber of Coquitlam Fire & Rescue. “Emergency agencies using this system in and around our area (Burnaby, Port Moody, New Westminster and Port Coquitlam) can now share vital information with us—enhancing safety and response for our community.

“Better radio reception and having an emergency alert button on the radios has also made a substantial improvement to our own firefighter safety. Effective and reliable communications is our lifeline at an emergency incident.”

Coquitlam Fire & Rescue has been outfitted with 35 mobile vehicle units, 55 portable radios for the firefighters and two dispatch consoles.

E-Comm President Ken Shymanski adds, “I am delighted that Coquitlam Fire & Rescue chose to join the region’s radio network. Coquitlam Fire is a very progressive organization and through the system’s interoperability capabilities, they are now an even greater ally with their counterparts in neighboring communities to ensure public safety.”

In addition to being able to communicate with other fire departments, ambulance and police agencies; the E-Comm radio system offers enhanced safety features of better in-building coverage (which is extremely important to firefighting safety) and increased clarity and reliability, with higher peak traffic capacity than Coquitlam’s previous system.

In total, 14 police agencies, BC Ambulance Service and nine fire departments throughout southwest British Columbia operate with E-Comm’s radio system, with more than 6,000 wide-area radios. The E-Comm network processes approximately 10 million radio transmissions each month.

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

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For more information contact:

Angela Wilson
Senior Communications Specialist
E-Comm 9-1-1
604-215-5030 (direct)
604-640-1342 (pager)