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By Justine Kelsie

Technology can impact connection with 9-1-1: local Deputy Fire Chief

Dec 21, 2017 | 8:52 AM

Technology could impact your connectivity to an emergency dispatch centre.

Following a complaint on social media on Sunday morning by an area resident that says “…thought I would let people know that there was NO answer at 911 this morning!!...”, Deputy Fire Chief Janine Saastad explains how the dispatching system works in Grande Prairie.

In a release about GP911, Saastad explains the steps taken to make sure people are able to connect with emergency services they need. She says people who call may experience waits during transfers because of call volumes. “Whenever possible” a 9-1-1 operator will stay on the line to “supervise” the call until there is another voice on the other end. Any calls that require police or medical assistance are transferred to RCMP or Alberta Health Services depending on the situation.

Saastad says that the service in the city does the best they can to make sure every call is answered. If the lines are over-capacity, a caller will be put into a queue.

“Callers may hear a recorded message advising them to stay on the line. If a call is not answered locally at GP911 within 60 seconds, it will go to one of our backup 9-1-1 call answer centres. We have an agreement with Parkland County and Strathcona County and they provide 9-1-1 call answer assistance.”

Grande Prairie reciprocates the help when the other centres need it. The Deputy Fire Chief says in the unlikely case that the other lines are also over-capacity, then there could be an unanswered call.

“Nothing is 100 percent guaranteed. It is technology and there are other factors that are beyond our control. It is a possibility, but we try to do everything we can to minimize that possibility,” explained Saastad.

Saastad states that other factors that may affect your call are whether you are using a landline or cellphone, your geographic location, and the cellular service provider you are using. There are over 60,000 calls received per year with 75 percent of those coming from cellular devices.

Saastad invites anyone that has had a problem with getting through to 9-1-1 to contact the supervisor at the centre to have it investigated.

The Grande Prairie 9-1-1 Centre is located at the Grande Prairie Fire Department and works as Fire Dispatch Services for all of Northwestern Alberta. It was established in 1994.

by Justine Kelsie