Calling 911 — why put you on hold?

From the S/Sgt’s Desk –

911 — be part of the solution not part of the problem.

Ever call 911 because you had an emergency and the first thing that the operator says, “Is this an emergency or can you hold?” You tell them you can hold. Then you hold, and hold, and hold and finally out of frustration you hang up.

Now I will put you in the 911 operator’s shoes. She/he is stacked with a number of calls dealing with dispatching calls for the police to attend, while other police officers are calling in with requests. The operator picks up another 911 call and the caller wants to report a break and enter that must have happened while they were out. You are then requested to hold. Now it’s the 911 operators turn to be frustrated with people that don’t understand what the 911 system is all about. People will even dial 911 to ask the operator when the power will be restored!

Get where this is going?

During the day Mon-Fri from 8:00am to 5:00pm when you call the Columbia Valley Detachment the phone gets picked up in Kelowna.

Our police dispatch system for Fire, Ambulance and Police for the entire Kootenay area is run out of Kelowna. In the past they ran out of Cranbrook and only dealt with calls from our area of the Kootenay. The dispatchers had the luxury of knowing the area and knowing the police officers they were talking to on the radio. I had an oppurtunity to tour the Telecoms room. Huge room with computer terminals wall to wall. Each Telecoms operator had their own Detachment area and many covering more than one Detachment. Like all other work places human resources being a concern. The Dispatchers will monitor the 911 emergency calls, non emergency police numbers and handle all the Police that are working that continue to call in with their requests. With the new computers in the police vehicle Members are able to often run their own plates and people they are dealing with rather than call the dispatch centre. But then they put up with old dogs like myself that prefer to call in the plates and names then face the dreaded computer. I have a hard time trying to explain to the new police officers today what a typewriter is when I tell old war stories.

Regardless if the call goes to Kelowna or directly to the Detachment the person taking the call depending on what is happening at the time, will have to prioritize your call and those that require urgent attention will get that attention and other matters have to wait. It would be similar to working in a hospital Emergency room where numerous people looking for medical attention need to be taken care of. There is no doubt in my mind that when you attend the Emergency ward you feel like your emergency is serious enough to get you there, that you want to be attended to immediately. If you are a victim of crime I also think that at the time when you make that call you feel so violated that you are the only victim at the time and want immediate action and attention.

The 12 year old that saved up his/her money to buy a bike and now has it stolen, you bet that is an emergency and a priority for that person.

Back to the 911 call. In the days when 911 was created it was done to assist people to be able to make a call for an emergency. Today we are mobile and we often find ourselves outside our home base and not familiar with our police non emergency number. It was very convenient to know that most areas now have 911 that allow for quick access to the Police, Fire and Ambulance. It has become now too convenient.

In the past when the dispatch centre would get a 911 call they immediately went into emergency mode knowing that the call theyare about to pick upm involves the possibility of someone’s life in jeopardy, serious injury or ongoing crime in progress. Dispatchers would put everyone else on hold to deal with the 911 call. The end result now, is they may just put on hold another serious event to deal with something that did not warrant a 911 call. The cycle just goes on and on until the 911 system and intent is watered down and becomes ineffective.

I would like the community Members in the Valley to take some initiative and be part of the solution when it comes to using 911. If it is not life threatening, likely to cause injury or harm, not presently ongoing, it’s best to call the Detachment number 24/7 at 342-9292.

Your assistance in this is greatly appreciated.

Invermere
S/Sgt Marko Shehovac
NCO i/c Columbia Valley Detachment
RCMP