Peace River

The transition of 9-1-1 call-answer services for the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) to E-Comm was successfully completed at 0721hrs on May 17, making the emergency communications centre the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 26 regional districts and communities across British Columbia—89% of the province’s overall call volume.

Twenty-eight minutes after the cutover, the first 9-1-1 call came in from Fort St. John from a caller in need of the RCMP. The call was immediately transferred to the RCMP’s North District dispatch centre in Prince George, responsible for dispatching police across the regional district. In a news release following the transition, PRRD Board Chair Brad Sperling noted the benefits for residents of the regional district as a result of the partnership.

“We believe our new partnership with E-Comm will allow us to provide residents with the same high-quality 9-1-1 service they are accustomed to receiving, but in a more cost-effective manner with added operational benefits. This includes having access to a larger workforce to deal with sudden influxes of high 9-1-1 call-volume,” explained Sperling.

Approximately 20,000 emergency calls are placed annually from Peace River country, the largest regional district in the province. 9-1-1 calls from Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Hudson’s Hope, Pouce Coupe, Taylor and Tumbler Ridge, along with many of the region’s First Nations communities, are now received by E-Comm’s team of highly skilled 9-1-1 call-takers before being transferred to the requested emergency service agency—police, fire or ambulance.