This week is Emergency Service Dispatchers' and 9-1-1 Awareness Week. It's a mouthful, and while it may take half the week to say the name out loud, the fact is the reasoning behind the designation - to recognize the people who take those 91-1 calls that we all fervently hope we'll never have to make - is every bit worth the time and effort to remember.
Part of the awareness the folks at E-Comm - the regional emergency communications centre for southwestern B.C. - would like to pass along involves a number of myths that can make their work (and their ability to save your life in time of need) more difficult.
One involves finding you in times of trouble: contrary to popular belief, if you dial 9-1-1 from a cellphone, the dispatch centre cannot automatically zero in on your location. Unlike land-line phones, cellular devices only provide general location information.
You've got to tell the dispatcher who answers your call where you are.
Some folks believe the best thing to do if you accidentally dial 9-1-1 is to quickly hang up. Not so! Clear the decks by letting them know it was an accident. Otherwise, they'll expend extra effort trying to find you - effort the next caller may really need.
On that note, E-Comm would rather you didn't pre-program 9-1-1 into your phone. Dialing three digits is not onerous, even in an emergency, and so-called "pocket dialing" from pre-programmed numbers constitutes the bulk of accidental, time-wasting calls that dispatchers receive.
Another source of wasted time is from people who let kids play with old cellphones. Decommissioned phones maintain emergency 9-1-1 access - that's for your safety, not for your kids to fool with.
E-Comm's 9-1-1 dispatchers are trained to help get you through an emergency. The more help they get from you, the better they can do their job.
Learn more at www.ecomm911.ca. Knowledge really can save lives.
