Latest news with #911dispatch
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
RCMP's 911 dispatcher shortage is putting Mounties and public at risk: audit
A recently released RCMP audit says its 911 dispatch centres across the country are struggling with severe staff shortages and burnout, putting front-line Mounties and the public at risk. Described as the lifeline for officers in the field, the RCMP is responsible for 17 operational communications centres, where dispatchers field calls in almost every province and all three territories. They also help with national security files. Dispatchers are often the first point of contact for the public in emergencies and provide critical support for officers responding to those calls. But new findings suggest the dispatch centres — known as operational communications centres or OCCs — are in a state of emergency themselves. "Staffing shortages limit the effectiveness of the OCCs and could potentially put the safety of [officers] and the public at risk," notes the audit. Completed in February and published last week, it said the number of hard vacancies (unfilled positions) has doubled across all centres since 2017, while the number of soft vacancies (employees on leave) has increased by 31 per cent since 2019. Those "severe staffing shortages" are contributing to an increase in burnout and employees taking leave, said the report. The situation is described as a "serious threat" to operations. "Managers feel the OCCs are providing a good service to the public and receive relatively few complaints, but there is a sense among managers that the level of service is deteriorating, or is at risk due to staffing shortages and operators being overworked," it said. As part of their review, the RCMP auditors interviewed dozens of workers, toured facilities and combed through what performance reports were available. "Program data indicates that service to the public has suffered, and there is a direct correlation between service metrics, such as wait times and abandoned calls, and staffing levels and call volumes," the report found. While staffing has decreased, call volumes have remained the same, or increased at most centres, said the report. Auditors heard anecdotally that those calls have become increasingly violent and distressing. "Things are quite critical and in fact it's very dire," said Kathleen Hippern, president of CUPE 104, the union representing RCMP dispatchers. She says it's a matter of time before tragedy strikes. "You're going to get a major event probably really soon where we're not staffed properly," said Hippern, a dispatch supervisor herself. "It could be a terrorism thing, it could be a natural disaster, it could be something like the mass casualties in Nova Scotia.… We don't have enough people for a regular workday, let alone the major events." Bespoke mental health supports needed: audit The audit also found that mental health resources for the hundreds of workers fielding those calls are inconsistent and insufficient. "There is a sense that operators are not seen as front-line workers or first responders, and therefore do not receive the same level of support," said the internal audit. Hippern said the RCMP's auditors coming to that conclusion is a slap in the face, as the force recently took away a biannual dispatcher psychological screening — a mental health assessment with a qualified psychologist — and replaced it with a questionnaire. "We're a group that deals with stress where we sometimes may feel suicidal and we've lost people to suicide. Like this is not funny," she said. "We need to be in a good headspace because we're going to be the ones that listen to the calls and work the files. We help Canadians at their worst moments. We also are there for our regular members, the uniformed members. They wouldn't be able to do their job without us." One of her main asks is for the government to classify RCMP telecommunications operators as a public safety occupation, which would impact when employees can retire. "Without us, there isn't much public safety within Canada," she said. The audit makes five recommendations, including a call for a national recruitment and retention strategy, an update in training to better prepare operators and to set up a tailor-made health and wellness strategy. The RCMP accepted the findings and suggested work is underway to implement the recommendations. "Lessons learned, including relevant strategies, tools and materials will be taken from upcoming recruiting workshops and will be shared with all RCMP divisions as part of the national OCC recruiting strategy," said spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton. "The RCMP continues to engage with the union, having had two recent working group meetings with them, one of which was focused on retention, as we continue to work to recruit and retain people to work in these critical public safety roles." Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree was not available for an interview.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
911 dispatchers ask Governor Reynolds to veto bill
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Legislature passed a bill overnight before the close of the legislative session that 911 emergency dispatchers are calling on the governor to veto. Regional Water issues mandatory water rationing, water sources below capacity Specifically, emergency dispatchers are concerned about Division XII, Section 42 of the standings appropriations bill, which grants the Iowa 911 Program the authority to charge local 911 service boards for undefined 'reasonable costs' associated with delivering 911 traffic to Public SafetyAnswering Points. Todd Malone, the president of Iowa Chapter of Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, said that the bill could have dire consequences on dispatch centers. 'It's not clearly defined and there was a mention of a 30-day deadline that it would have to be paid. Some centers won't be able to budget readily for that. It could cause problems with their staffing. Some centers, you know, they could close down and move phone calls to reroute it to a different location,' Malone said. The governor has 30 days to either sign the bill or veto it. Iowa News: 911 dispatchers ask Governor Reynolds to veto bill Regional Water issues mandatory water rationing, water sources below capacity ISU President Wintersteen retires after 40 years with the school Why has it been so windy in Iowa? Get ready for a cool down this weekend in Iowa Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spokane promised share of 911 dispatch funds if negotiations fail with regional dispatcher
May 15—A once-contentious bill to claw back Spokane's share of taxes funding the regional 911 dispatch service was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson Thursday — and after some modifications, all sides appear pleased by the outcome. "We are very pleased with the amended bill language," said Cody Rohrbach, Fire District 3 chief and chair of the regional dispatcher's board. Every police and fire jurisdiction in Spokane County, except for the Spokane Police Department, is a member of Spokane Regional Emergency Communications, or SREC. After years of negotiations to bring the city police department into the fold, stalled over disputes about fees and power on the SREC board, the proposal collapsed in January as the SREC board voted instead to kick the city fire department out of the partnership. This left the city scrambling to stand up its own 911 dispatch service and find the funds to do so. While the SREC board has since somewhat walked back its January decision, and both parties are expected to soon enter mediation to talk through possibly repairing the partnership, the bill signed Thursday does guarantee some funding if the city goes it alone. Days before negotiations collapsed in January, Spokane's state Reps. Timm Ormsby and Natasha Hill introduced a bill that would claw back funds from the regional dispatcher, though the rest of the SREC coalition initially accused lawmakers of trying to take more than the city was owed. The regional dispatcher is funded through a sales tax, an excise tax on phone bills, and a user fee each jurisdiction must pay on top of the taxes proportional to their demand on the system. The sales tax is apportioned by law and will return to the city upon its full exit from the SREC system, according to city officials. That left a brewing fight over the roughly $5 million of excise tax dollars generated per year in the county. About 55% of the 911 calls in Spokane County last year came from within Spokane city limits, and city leadership and their allies in the legislature initially argued the city should receive roughly that large a slice of the pie. When it was first introduced, HB 1258, which was narrowly tailored and only applies to Spokane and SREC, gave the city more than half of the excise taxes. But the rest of SREC's leadership believes that the city is only owed the tax dollars generated within its own borders, which they estimate at closer to 42% based on the city's population, implicitly arguing the city should not receive funding to compensate for its higher per-capita need, including due to the disproportionate share of people commuting into the city for work. The bill was amended, however, in such a way as to leave the final apportionment undetermined. The city and the rest of the SREC coalition can either come to an agreement or fight it out in Spokane County Superior Court. If the city goes it alone, payments to the city begin in 2026. "I am grateful to the Washington Legislature and Governor Bob Ferguson for passing House Bill 1258 and signing it into law," Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown wrote in a statement. "This bill ensures equitable distribution of local 911 excise tax funding for emergency communications, which is essential in building a fair, effective, and reliable system should the City of Spokane need to establish its own."
