First responders in the area were given a chance to meet the people on the other end of their radio in a special 9-1-1 open house last week.
The 9-1-1 Centre in Bonnyville held their fourth annual Christmas Open House on Thursday (Dec. 4). Supervisor Eileen Zigler said it's a unique opportunity for dispatchers and responders to gather seeing as their paths don't often cross over the course of the year.
“We work with all of the RCMP and the ambulances and firefighters in the area, it's nice to let them have faces to their names. We talk to them on a regular basis every day…it's just nice to know who we're talking to.”
The 9-1-1 Centre dispatches firefighters all the way out to Waskatenau, including Smoky Lake, Elk Point, Ashmont, the Municipal District of Bonnyville and transfer calls to Cold Lake. Zigler said the event has always gotten a good reception and has grown in the four years they've been holding it, now seeing between 30 and 50 people attend.
Dispatcher Annamarie Wirachowsky said it helps to know the people personally that they're sending out on a call.
“You can watch someone's back a lot better because you feel like you're part of a group, you're part of a family.”
Those attending the open house were given a tour of the dispatch centre, something that Wirachowsky said many firefighters have actually never seen.
“When they go upstairs and they see everything happening with the six different screens, they get a better idea.”
“They realize too when we don't answer them right away on the radio that we're sometimes really busy, it gives them a picture to put in their head of what dispatch really looks like,” adds Zigler.
First responders also got a chance to learn about the new trial Smartphone system being used by firefighters.
When the dispatchers receive a 9-1-1 call, a text will be sent out to all of the firefighters cell phones. Dispatchers and the officers in charge will be able to see who has responded and how long it's going to take for them to get to the fire hall.
“Right now it's a trial program set up in one of the fire halls, but we're looking at expanding it into the other halls,” said Regional Fire Chief Brian McEvoy.
“It's the first step in integrating Smartphones in to our dispatch system.”
Along with a list of those responding, McEvoy said the officers would also be able to see their ranks and specialties.
“As he's planning what he's going to do, as he's on his way to the scene, he can see that he's got adequate coverage, or on the other side he can see he doesn't have enough people responding to a call and he can then ask the dispatchers to send out a second station.”
Zigler said the program is especially important in the smaller stations.
“Since in the smaller stations they're all volunteer, we know if they're able to come or not…if we need to send out another department. It's a really good system.”
McEvoy said the program is going to run as a trial for six months before they make a plan to integrate it into the other stations. He's hoping they have it up and running in all of the Bonnyville stations by the end of 2015.
