by ECC Editor | Sep 15, 2021 | Comm Center News
TORONTO — It’s estimated that about 90 percent of Canadians now have a smartphone and if you have one, you know it’s easy to dial 9-1-1 — sometimes, even by accident.
“We get hundreds of these calls a day, which amounts to thousands of accidental calls a year,” inspector Paul Hallett with Durham Regional Police 9-1-1 Communications told CTV News Toronto Tuesday.
The police force is trying to better manage these accidental calls and has now decided to text someone first to let them know they made an accidental call to the 9-1-1 system.
Under previous protocols, to deal with an accidental 9-1-1 call, an operator would have to phone the person back to see if it was an accident or a real emergency… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Sep 15, 2021 | Comm Center News
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Three years ago, Rena Fleury went into cardiac arrest at a Cumberland High School football game and died after the 911 dispatcher failed to recognize the 45-year-old needed CPR.
A new law signed ceremonially on Tuesday by Gov. Dan McKee aims to ensure that never happens again by having everyone who answers emergency calls be prepared to give potentially live-saving instructions over the phone.
“This is crucial. It saves lives, and it can be the difference between life and death for one of us,” McKee said… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 15, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
Imagine this: you’re outside hanging around with a friend or a loved one you know happens to struggle with mental illness or addiction. They’re having what appears to be a mental breakdown and have told you that they are hallucinating and that they’re thinking of killing themselves.
Your first thought is to call 911. You explain the situation to the dispatcher and ask if there’s any way they could send someone to help. The operator says they’ll see what they can do and stays on the phone with you.
So, who do you think shows up? …
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 15, 2021 | Comm Center News
North Island ambulance stations will benefit from the province’s strengthening of its ambulance system with what it calls the largest hiring push in B.C.’s history in rural and remote locations.
“When we call 911 for help, British Columbians need to feel confident that help is on the way and that it will arrive quickly,” said Dix. “The significant progress made by BC Emergency Health Services over the summer will ensure a more effective ambulance service for patients and families who depend on it. Better support for paramedics and dispatchers will help them do the vital work we count on every day.”
These measures also include:
* hiring 85 new full-time paramedics in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Burnaby, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Abbotsford, Kamloops and Prince George plus additional positions assigned to serve metro areas;
* hiring 30 new full-time dispatchers; …
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 15, 2021 | Comm Center News
Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue Services has made the switch to the largest multi-jurisdictional radio network in the province.
As of 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, the local fire department officially changed over to the E-Comm Wide-Area Radio Network that will now allow firefighters to communicate more effortlessly with other emergency service agencies like the Ridge Meadows RCMP and BC Ambulance Service.
E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers…
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 15, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, federal and state governments invested billions of dollars on preparedness efforts within the first responder community to respond to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events. As time passed, there was greater realization that WMD incidents were less of a threat than conventional firearms and explosives. The intricate, often unrealistic, CBRN scenarios were replaced with more representative and realistic examples of attacks on the civilian populace utilizing readily available materials and weapons. These attacks were occurring overseas in countries with internal or external conflicts and in the Afghanistan and Iraq war theaters.
These events, commonly utilizing a variety of violent modalities, came to be categorized as complex coordinated terrorist attacks (CCTA) – a bit of a misnomer, as these events, at least domestically, are not always coordinated and not always committed by “terrorists”. CCTA has an excellent ‘ring’ to it, but exactly how can jurisdictions, agencies and communities really prepare for this general, nondescript threat? The term CCTA is just too broad and open-ended; a better descriptor for the various threats we face is the term “high threat”…
