By Scott Roblin

Location accuracy a priority for 911 dispatch & first responders

Sep 10, 2018 | 5:21 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Whether it’s a crash, fire or medical emergency, 911 dispatch is a key stepping stone in directing calls to local first responders.

But while responding to an emergency, a worst-case scenario for Medicine Hat firefighters and police officers is not being able to find the destination.

While extremely rare, 911 communications superintendent Colleen Bachewich said the location of an emergency call can fall through the cracks.

“It could be an incidence where a quadrant has been given incorrectly and recorded by the alarm monitoring company, or entered inaccurately by the dispatcher, or misheard and not verified appropriately,” said Bachewich.

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However, a computer aided dispatch system introduced in February is resulting in a more streamlined response.

Bachewich said their new dispatch and mapping tool has helped to bring both police and fire on the same wavelength.

“We have a new CAD system that has a good map system right now that’s been downloaded, better than we’ve ever had before,” she said.

Deputy fire chief Brian Webster added they use the same mapping that’s pulled from the City of Medicine Hat’s records.

“As soon as they key the truck into the call, it shows up on our mobile data terminals,” he said. “And, we have a map in our mobile data terminals that shows us the quickest route there.”

Addresses are collecting by the City’s planning department and sent to a provincial database, which is eventually downloaded by the 911 dispatchers.

But sometimes with newer builds, Bachewich said they might have to use alternative methods to determine a location.

“Our dispatchers can be very resourceful and clever,” she said. “We utilize the internet a lot, so Google Maps would be something that we may utilize.”

The 911 dispatch isn’t the only department to have their own backup, as firefighters also have a second option if the technology fails.

“Our guys train on reading maps all the time,” he said. “So, as much as we depend on technology and technology is good, it’s not infallible.”

Medicine Hat Fire is looking to update city bylaws that would require addresses to be posted on the outside of all buildings in the city.

Bachewich said any move to improve communication between the public and first responders is important, as it’s all in the hopes of saving lives down the road.

“We just have to do the best we can, as efficiently as we possibly can,” she said.