Emergency Communications Pilot Program
Could Help Improve Emergency Communications Across Region
Richmond’s fire, ambulance and police services are now able to better respond to emergency calls as a result of an innovative communications initiative, that may soon be adopted elsewhere throughout the Greater Vancouver region and North America.
Fire, police and ambulance services in Richmond all use the E-Comm Wide-Area Radio System, an advanced digital-capable radio network. This system is designed to allow local emergency responders to communicate with each other and with their counterparts in other communities that also use the E-Comm system, both on a day-to-day basis or in a major emergency or disaster. The interoperable abilities of the radio system were developed in part in response to communications breakdowns during the Robson Street Riot in Vancouver, and have been used during several incidents and pre-planned events in the E-Comm service area.
However, until now, no community has been routinely using the radio system’s full capabilities - a key to making sure communications are effective during a crisis. That has now changed thanks to a pilot project undertaken jointly by Richmond’s Emergency Management Office, Richmond Fire Rescue, B.C. Ambulance Service, Richmond RCMP and E-Comm.
Richmond’s emergency responders launched a pilot project to have inter-agency radio communications occur on a regular basis and as part of routine operations. This required the development of common communication protocols [JDH1] and the breaking down of traditional barriers between responder agencies. A key objective was to ensure all first responder agencies were experienced with the new protocols so that during a disaster, they would be able to communicate effectively.
“The fact is public safety agencies often do a poor job of communicating with each other during an emergency response,” stated Fire Chief Jim Hancock. “We have radio technology that allows us to a better job of communicating right across the region but it hasn’t been used to its full potential. Richmond has taken the initiative to prove it can help all of us do a better job.”
Richmond’s pilot project has proven a big success. Richmond’s emergency responders are communicating more effectively and use of the new protocols has saved valuable response time in a number of emergency incidents.
“The British Columbia Ambulance Service has been honored to be a partner in this project since the beginning,” said Pascal Rodier, Paramedic Chief, B.C. Ambulance Service. “This project has not only greatly improved emergency responses and care to the citizens of Richmond, but it has finally given the biggest safety tool to emergency responders, direct communication.”
Richmond RCMP Superintendent Ward Clapham also praised the initiative, adding that: “The technology that is in place today allows for our officers to have direct real time communication with our community safety partners which ensures a quicker and safer response to all emergency situations.”
As a result of the tremendous success of this initiative, effective immediately, all Richmond first responder agencies will use inter-agency communications on a regular basis.
“E-Comm would like to commend the Richmond emergency service agencies for their leadership in developing protocols that take full advantage of the enormous capabilities of the E-Comm shared radio system,” said Ken Shymanski, E-Comm’s President and CEO. “Exercising these protocols on a continued basis, as Richmond has done, will increase their communications power on every emergency call they jointly handle.”
The events of September 11, 2001 showed that effective communications among responding agencies is essential to reducing loss of life in major incidents. However, a recent report commissioned by the federal government determined that current inter-agency communications in most parts of Canada are still insufficient to cope with managing a major emergency. Richmond’s emergency communications initiative will ensure its first responder agencies are better prepared and a number of other jurisdictions have already expressed interest in adopting this model
