Northern B.C. prepares for 9-1-1 upgrade

For police, determining whether a disconnected call is an emergency often requires extensive follow-up.

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper from North District RCMP says officers try to find callers when dispatchers can’t reach them, to make sure there isn’t an emergency.

“It’s not very accurate, and it can take a lot of time if we can’t find you at home or places you usually go. We might end up spending a lot of time driving around.”

Cooper says officers may also contact friends, family, and other contacts. She says they have to treat the call as an emergency until they know it isn’t.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed if you accidentally call 911 by sitting on your phone or if it dials from your bag. Just let us know nothing is wrong, and it will probably be resolved quickly.”

She advises people to stay on the line after an accidental call and explain what happened. Dispatchers will still need to ask some questions to record the call, she says.

Amanda Batho, a BC RCMP 9-1-1 Police Dispatcher, says the automated callback will give callers choices to say if they need help. Choosing option one connects them to a live agent, while option three means there’s no emergency.

“If they pick option one, they’ll talk to an agent who will ask for their phone number, name, location, and what the emergency is. Then the agent will create a file and send it to the officers.”

The RCMP says this first phase won’t really change how people get police help. Callers will still reach an E-Comm call taker, who will send the emergency call to police or another first responder if needed.

The new system will take the place of equipment that’s been used for decades. Surrey headquarters and Island District in Courtenay are set to switch on Oct. 26. North District and Southeast District in Kelowna will follow on Oct. 29, and Coquitlam and Langley detachments on Nov. 3.

The release also says the provincial government announced $150 million in 2023 to help make this change happen in B.C.

For now, the advice is simple: if you accidentally call 9-1-1, stay on the line and tell the call taker there’s no emergency.

by Dave Branco

Northern B.C. prepares for 9-1-1 upgrade

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