British Columbia's Emergency Dispatchers and Call Takers to be celebrated next week

Prince Rupert residents can celebrate the work of local 911 workers
next week as BC Pays tribute to its Emergency workers 

The work of those who are our first point of contact in time of emergency will be celebrated next week, with April 10 to 16th set aside to raise awareness and recognize those who work the telephones at Emergency Dispatch Centres.

In Prince Rupert, those workers are based out of the Prince Rupert Fire Hall to direct calls to either the provincial wide Police or Ambulance response lines, while dispatching local Fire Responders to calls requiring their attention.

As part of the launch of the week of recognition North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness spoke in the Legislature on Thursday morning  towards the work of Those who answer the 9-1-1 calls.

Ms. Rice introduced two call takers/dispatchers from the Vancouver Island area as part of Thursday morning's Legislature session.

Emergency service call-takers and other personnel involved in this vital public safety role are true unsung heroes who play an integral part in keeping our communities safe. They are the calming voices who take swift action to help people when they call 911 in a moment of personal distress. 

I'm pleased to welcome two E-Comm 9-1-1 representatives to the House this morning. 

Meghan Taylor has been a 911 police call-taker for more than five years. She began her career at West Shore RCMP before transitioning to E-Comm's Vancouver Island 911 centre. 

Nicole Israel has 20 years of experience in emergency communications, working in both police call-taking and dispatch. Prior to joining E-Comm, Nicole was a telecommunications supervisor at the Saanich police department. 

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to both Meghan and Nicole this morning.

Ms. Rice's comments can be viewed through the Legislature Video Archive for Thursday morning starting at the 10:10 mark of the day.

More notes on their vital work for the call takers and dispatchers for the communities they serve will be outlined as the week of recognition gets underway on Sunday.

Further items of note from the Legislature can be explored here.

A wider overview of the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest is available here.