Population growth combined with the need to keep up with technology have resulted in changes to how the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam fire departments handle emergency services.
In Coquitlam, the city’s fire/rescue services moved to E-Comm emergency communications for its 911 calls while Port Coquitlam fire will start using E-Comm’s radio system in February.
Coquitlam’s switch-over occurred Tuesday without any glitches, said Fire Chief Wade Pierlot, and was necessary to get leading-edge technology, increased staff coverage, better alignment with other regional emergency responders and lower costs.
“As we move forward, with [E-Comm’s] superior dispatch, they give us the capability to handle larger events and more extreme events,” he told The Tri-City News.
As well, he noted, no dispatchers lost their jobs as a result of the switch; one is training to become a firefighter and three are training to become fire prevention officers and inspectors.
The change was needed, Pierlot said, because of a surge in call volume with projected increases of 5% to 6% each year owing to more people moving into the area, more accidents on the Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 — especially near the Brunette interchange — and more people coming into the area on SkyTrain.
“They’re vulnerable people is the best way to say it. They can present medical issues. You also get a traveling public that runs into trouble from time to time,” said Pierlot, who noted the in-house fire dispatchers were handling approximately 10,000 calls a year, with call volume so high on some shifts that additional help was needed from relief firefighters.
Now, fire and medical distress calls will be handled from an office in Vancouver instead of locally but Pierlot said the standardization of emergency services and the use of a geographic information system means the E-Comm dispatchers can handle local calls efficiently.
In February, the Port Coquitlam fire department will start using E-Comm’s radio system because its 30-year old analogue radio system has become outdated and can’t connect with other emergency services, and there are dead spots.
“Our system was just too old,” said Fire Chief Nick Delmonico. “From an emergency management perspective, the inability to talk to the other emergency services was a problem.”
Switching to E-Comm radio will cost approximately $150,000 but PoCo will continue to use the 911 dispatch services of Surrey Fire Services. “We see no reason to change it. They provide good service for a good price,” Delmonico said.
Port Moody uses E-Comm for both its police and fire dispatch services.
