The city plans to spend $740,000 to modernize its outdated emergency dispatch infrastructure over the next two years. Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, said the system, has not been updated since the 1970s. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
City's dispatch services to be upgraded
$700,000 to modernize 'antiquated' dispatch services over the next two years
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 4, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city plans to spend $700,000 to modernize its aging emergency dispatch infrastructure in the coming years.
This year's budget includes a proposal to install a $125,000 computer-aided dispatch system to replace the current system.
"Our system is a little bit antiquated," said Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, who referred to the current system as "an onion in the punch bowl."
At the moment, the firehall's system for monitoring and directing call-outs is so out of date that dispatchers must stamp a punch-card on a time clock to keep track of vehicles every-time they leave the hall.
"If we have three calls at the same time, all that stuff is being done by one dispatcher by himself. He's punching these things in and writing these things down and it can get extremely hectic," said Marchiori.
Marchiori said the city's current dispatch model has not be updated since the 1970s. He said the new system would have lots of added benefits, such as allowing firefighters to access specific information about a building while they are on their way to a fire.
"Instead of them asking for that information it's already there," said Marchiori.
The city currently answers between 3,800 and 4,000 emergency calls requiring fire and ambulance services each year.
All those calls are currently directed to Pumphouse No. 1, where calls are answered by employees of the water treatment plant, none of whom are properly trained to answer emergency calls.
"It's like telling a carpenter to fix your boiler - it doesn't make a lot of sense," said Marchiori.
As part of the modernization of the city's emergency services infrastructure, the city plans to hire five dispatchers in 2015, at a cost of $515,960.
The reason so many staff will be required is because the city plans to provide 24/7 dispatch support, which will require adding 2,900 hours of work per year.
Marchiori said the dispatch model the city plans to implement is the standard for 95 per cent of municipalities in southern Canada.
