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An assistant deputy chief with Red Deer Emergency Services is praising 911 dispatchers as the holiday season approaches.
“It’s cold outside, we just got our first significant snowfall of the year. Our centre does get quite busy when we see increment weather like we have the last week or so,” assistant deputy chief Matt White said Friday.
“But our dispatchers do a good job all year long. No matter what time of year, those folks are taking calls all day, 24/7, 365. It just speaks to how good a job they do day in and day out, all year long.”
The Red Deer 911 Emergency Communications Centre is one of just five Canadian centres recognized by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch as an accredited centre of excellence for emergency fire dispatch.
“It just shows the dedication and professionalism of our dispatchers here in Red Deer, and how good they are at their jobs,” White said, adding Red Deer has been accredited since 2019.
IAED provides a set of protocols for dispatchers to follow when asking questions to those who have called 911. There are protocols in place for each type of fire call RDES may encounter, White explained.
“The questions lead the dispatcher to be able to determine the type of call, so they can send the appropriate resources, and the severity of the call, so they know how quickly those resources need to get there to make a difference,” he said.
People will call 911 for both emergency events, such as house fires, and non-emergency events, said White.
“We don’t have the same level of response for every call that we go to. Those protocols help our dispatchers determine what trucks need to go and how quickly they need to arrive.”
Dispatchers will learn these protocols when they first start working at the centre and will go through ongoing training and quality assurance throughout their careers. The Red Deer 911 Emergency Communications Centre has a dedicated quality assurance officer who reviews calls and provides feedback to the staff as well.
Accreditation from the IAED is the “highest distinction given” to emergency communications centres, the Red Deer 911 Emergency Communications Centre said in a tweet.
Dispatch call centres must meet certain criteria the IAED has set out to become accredited.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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