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E-Comm Takes Over Fire Dispatch

E-Comm Takes Over Fire Dispatch

Feb 20, 2019 | 5:16 PM

9-1-1 and fire dispatch calls made from the North Okanagan are now being handled by E-Comm out of Vancouver.

The firm has been supplying  9-1-1 first contact to the Regional District of North Okanagan since 2014, but just recently added dispatch for the seven fire departments in RDNO.

“We have been a partner of the RDNO since 2014, when we became the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in the regional district connecting callers with police, fire and ambulance services,” says Jasmine Bradley from E-Comm. “Now, when a caller in the RDNO asks for the fire services for those seven departments, we will answer and dispatch those fire calls. E-Comm staff have a lot of expertise in fire dispatch for managing both high-call volumes and complex fire-related events (in rural and urban settings).”

E-Comm is now dispatching for 40 BC fire departments, and providing 911 service for 70 police and fire agencies.

The seven RDNO fire departments now getting dispatch from E-Comm are:
Armstrong-Spallumcheen Fire Department
BX Swan Lake Fire Department
Coldstream Fire Department
Enderby Fire Department
Lavington Fire Department
Lumby & District Fire Department
Silver Star Fire Department

As for how the system works when someone from the North Okanagan calls for service, here’s how Bradley explains it:

“If someone calls 9-1-1 from within the Regional District of the North Okanagan, their call is first directed to E-Comm’s emergency communications centre located in Vancouver. One of our 9-1-1 call takers will answer “9-1-1 do you need police, fire or ambulance?” after which they will confirm the municipality and then transfer the call to the requested agency. Requests for police and ambulance will continue to be transferred to the same dispatch centres as before. Requests for the seven fire departments now dispatched by E-Comm will be transferred to an E-Comm fire call taker at our same centre in Vancouver,” Bradley tells Beach Radio News.