911 / DISPATCH

The Northwest Regional Communications Center is staffed by professional dispatchers and provides communication services on a regional basis to emergency personnel. These dispatchers provide 911 call answer and emergency services dispatch. Currently, the following fire and ambulance services are dispatched from this center:

EMS

Grande Prairie

Beaverlodge

Spirit River

Valleyview

Grande Cache

Fox Creek

Fire Departments

Beaverlodge	Enilda	Grouard	Joussard	Savanna	Wanham
Blueberry	Faust	Grovedale	Kinuso	Sexsmith	Wembley
Bonanza	Fox Creek	Happy Valley	La Glace	Spirit River	Woking
Debolt	Grande Cache	Horse Lake	MD Spirit River	Tangent
Eaglesham	Grande Prairie	Hythe	Rycroft	Teepee Creek

The 911 system integrates Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). This means that the dispatchers become an integral part of pre-hospital emergency care. Following specific protocol designed by physicians, paramedics, and dispatchers, EMD can determine the nature of the emergency and even provide first aid instruction. The system we use is Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System™. This also allows the dispatcher to send the appropriate resources and depending on the situation, whether they run with lights and siren (HOT), or not. This reduces the risk to Emergency personnel and public of sending a hot response to a non critical incident

When a 911 call is placed from within our 911 service area, a dispatcher identifies the line as 911 and asks "Do you need Police, Ambulance, or Fire?". If the service is not dispatched by the Northwest Regional Communications Center, then the call is quickly forwarded to the appropriate agency. The dispatcher begins to gather information for all other calls, and simultaneously dispatches the appropriate emergency service(s). Computer systems in the center record the calls and if the call is made on a land line, important information is captured about the origin of the call. This info can be used if the caller is unable to clearly communicate. The dispatcher also has the ability to quickly replay information given.

Having accurate information will speed the delivery of the emergency service. The dispatcher will ask for the exact location of the emergency, telephone number of the caller, and description of the situation. At this point emergency services are responding, and the dispatcher may ask further questions related to the incident to assist those crews responding. She may also provide useful information to the caller until Emergency services are on scene.