by Ian Mumford
Fire department equipment is not immediately dispatched when a fire is called in on London’s 911 emergency number system.
The London News has learned of three recent incidents where this has happened.
London’s 911 system is a police primary answering service. All calls are answered initially by police personnel.
Art Ordish, president of the London Firefighters Association told the London News the police are of the opinion they have the right to investigate all calls before passing them on to the requested service.
Mr. Ordish said calls should be put through without hesitation.
A fifth floor High Street apartment building resident dialed 911 to report a fire in his building. A police cruiser was dispatched to the scene, as is normal procedure in any emergency, but the fire department was not notified of the fire at the time.
Consequently, the policeman was forced to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. Several hours later the fire department was called to the same location to put out a major blaze.
An electrical fire in a Bathurst Street building was called in on the 911 line. Police officers were sent to the scene immediately, but it was some time before fire equipment was dispatched.
Several days ago, two police cruisers were sent to the General Products Building, 343 Richmond St. The fire alarm system in the building had been activated. Fire trucks never showed up.
An occupant of the building told the London News, he wonders what would have happened if there had been a fire. As it turned out, there wasn’t.
ENGLAND
Under England’s 999 emergency number system an operator asks callers which emergency service is required. The call is immediately switched to the requested service without any further delay.
Dispatchers in the 911 system are forced to second guess all of London’s emergency services.
Several fire department officials indicate they would prefer to have fire calls immediately directed to the fire department.
INVOLVEMENT
However, police officials like the police primary answering service because they are able to determine, with each emergency call, the extent of police involvement.
As pointed out in an earlier London News report, there have also been manning problems with the 911 system.
There are 11 telephone lines coming into the system from the core area. There are two or three lines from many of the subdivisions in the outskirts of the city. Therefore if more than four people call 911 from downtown at the same time, all of their calls will not get answered.
SECTIONS
The communications centre, where the 911 system terminates, is divided into two sections – the core and the fringe. There are a maximum of two dispatchers in each area at any one time. Core area dispatchers cannot answer calls from the fringe area and fringe dispatchers cannot answer calls from the core area.
As well as 911 lines, the dispatchers are also responsible for radio communications with police officers on duty.
The dispatchers are told 911 lines are of top priority, but find themselves in difficult positions to determine whether an emergency on . . .
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