It may be the most important call you’ll ever make. You’re frantic and call 9-1-1. At the other end of the line, the telecom operator calmly asks for the information needed to understand the scope of the situation and dispatch an officer to the scene.

Such was the case on April 30, 2014 at 6:58 a.m., when six 9-1-1 calls were received from employees at a business in Nanaimo. There were reports of a male inside the building shooting at employees. Two employees were killed and two were wounded.

There were four operators on duty at the time. They worked together as team, collecting imperative information and relaying that information to the emergency police dispatcher. The primary dispatcher remained professional and calm during this entire incident, ensuring that clear and relevant information was shared immediately. It is a dispatcher’s number one priority to ensure the safety of the responding police officers at all times.

From the time of the first 9-1-1 call to the time the shooter was in custody, a mere six minutes had elapsed. The first officer responded in just three minutes.

“During an emergency, the voice on the other end of the phone can become a lifeline,” says Lois Karr, Director of “E” Division Operational Communications Centre (OCC) Program. “The 9-1-1 call takers and police dispatchers who receive our calls for help are a critical link in our emergency system—connecting us to the police. Which is way BC RCMP is proud to celebrate Emergency Service Dispatchers and 9-1-1 Awareness Week.”

OCC call takers and dispatcher thrive on the fast pace, the swift decision making, and the good judgment their profession requires. The telecommunication environment is unique as very few other jobs require such an attention to detail and accuracy performed in real time.

However, the stress level for these unsung heroes can be high. They take their jobs seriously and understand that even minor mistakes can have deadly consequences. The important role they play in responding to emergencies means that the OCC team rely on one another to manage the stress after a call.

“My team members are hilarious,” says Holly Lutz, Telecom Operator Apprentice, North District OCC. “Laughter helps to reduce the stress. In this environment, you really bond with your team. They become family.”

Holly is one of the newest members of the OCC team in Prince George. She started her training in January of 2014 and had a number of courses throughout the year and was appointed as a civilian member in July 2014.

After working at Operational Communications Centres in BC for 36 years, Sandy Deacon announced her retirement. Sandy was the OCC Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System Coordinator at the North District OCC.

When asked what her plans were now that she is retiring, Sandy laughs, “I plan to take a few months off, enjoy extra time with my family and work on my hobbies. Then I plan to come back as a part time dispatcher. I still love the role. It has been a great career knowing you can help people.”

In the East Kootenay, the Operational Communication Centre for Southeast B.C. is located in Kelowna, the largest of the RCMP’s dispatch centres.

“Operators there are in direct communication with the RCMP Officers, 24/7. In the OCC, operators have mapping capabilities which will show the location of the call and which units are in close proximity, this allows for a fast response,” explained Cpl. Chris Newel, Kimberley RCMP Detachment Operations NCO.

“People often say they don’t know how to call the police after hours or say they don’t call because the office is closed. All calls to the detachment after hours are automatically routed to the OCC; they will in turn dispatch an officer. The phone number is the same and 9-1-1 should be used for life threatening or crimes in progress,” he added.

If you want an exciting career that is both challenging and rewarding, becoming a 9-1-1 call taker or dispatcher can be extremely rewarding. At the end of the day, you know you have made a difference in people’s lives. Lean more about becoming a telecom operator: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/recruiting-recrutement/cm-mc/teleops-opstele-eng.htm

Did you know…?

BC RCMP’s six provincial OCC centres employ about 285 staff, most civilian members, providing emergency and routine police dispatch service to approximately 2.1 million people.

RCMP Provincial OCCs cover a total of 363,764 square miles of British Columbia dispatching rural and urban police resources where needed.

SED employs a total of 93 full time CMs and 20 part time PSEs. They are the largest OCC in Canada covering a population base of 675,000 people in Kelowna.

North District OCC is the largest geographical OCC in Canada and covers 72% of the land mass in BC and employs a total of 69 full and part time employees in Prince George.

69% of all 9-1-1 calls are from a wireless device. Make sure your cell phone is screen locked and/or stored in a place where buttons cannot be bumped or pressed by accident.

Of the 600,741 9-1-1 calls received in 2014 by the provincial OCCs, 55,302 of those calls were abandoned. Abandoned calls require an average of 5-20 minutes to follow up and ensure no one was in danger. This includes re-establishing contact with the caller, confirming if an emergency truly exists and what emergency service is required to respond (police, fire or ambulance). 63% of those calls originated from a wireless device and are quite often “pocket dials” or accidental calls to 9-1-1.

If you dial 9-1-1 by mistake, stay on the line and tell the dispatcher that you have misdialed. Valuable time may be lost for other callers while the dispatcher is trying to verify that there is no emergency at your location.

For more information about the OCC centres, please visit:

http://bcrcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=154&languageId=1&contentId=10647

Tips for calling Emergency Services:

http://bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=87&languageId=1&contentId=6959

Lead image: The Kelowna Operational Communication Centre. Photo from KelownaFirefighters.com

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