Mayor touts 311 phone line

[five_alarm]

WINNIPEG, MB - Winnipeg will have a 311 phone line for non-emergency police, fire and ambulance calls by next year if Mayor Sam Katz gets his way. Katz returned from a meeting with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, eager to push ahead with a plan to lighten the load on The 'Peg's emergency 911 dispatchers. "If all goes well, it would be nice to have it in '05. It's a very beneficial tool. And I think the citizens would love it as well," Katz told The Sun yesterday. "911 is obviously for emergency calls. And it's shocking to see the kinds of calls that come to 911, tying up emergency service," he added. "At first you kind of laugh at them, but then you realize what's taking place -- and we all understand what a vital service 911 plays." Council approved a separate plan yesterday that paves the way for 311 service, by green-lighting $6 million in renovations to the downtown Public Safety Building. During the renovations, the 911 call centre will be moved to a temporary location.

Source: Winnipeg Sun (http://www.firehall.com/refer.php?url=http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/07/22/551860.html&linkid=794&parent=news(headlines)&)

[five_alarm]

CALGARY, AB - Dialing 911 to report noisy parties and cats stuck up trees will soon be a thing of the past, after the CRTC gave Calgary permission for a new three-digit phone line. The ruling by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission gives all municipalities the right to set up a 311 line for non-emergency access to government services, including non-urgent calls to police and fire departments. "It'll definitely be an advantage for our emergency call centre -- there won't be as many non-emergency calls coming in," said John Conley of the fire department. The CRTC ruling came after a joint application by Calgary, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal. The CRTC ruled such a phone number would "serve the broad public interest and have many benefits, including a significant reduction in non-emergency calls to 911." No official timeline for the new system was available, but the city must provide six months notice to telephone providers such as Telus before starting up.

Source: Calgary Sun (http://www.firehall.com/refer.php?url=http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/News/2004/11/06/702737.html&linkid=1093&parent=news(headlines)&)

[five_alarm]

HAMILTON, ON - Fire Chief Jim Kay is studying whether or not Hamilton is ready for a 311 phone system. Hamilton councillor Sam Merulla asked staff to investigate if the 311 system could relieve the presser off of the city's 911 system. The 311 system, popular in municipalities in the United States, is intended to improve non-emergency municipal services, such as fixing potholes, or replacing a street light. After amalgamation the city established the 905-546-CITY number, and a call centre, to improve resident access to service services. One of the stumbling blocks is the cost.

Source: ancasternews.com (http://www.ancasternews.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=brabant/Layout/Article&c=Article&cid=1100818216337&call_pageid=1069680995613&col=1069680995814)

[five_alarm]

VANCOUVER, BC - Only people facing life-threatening emergencies or a crime in progress should call 911, Vancouver police said Tuesday, announcing an expanded use of a non-emergency number.

Historically, all calls for police service were handled through the 911 line, but people with non-emergency calls are now asked to call 604-717-3321.

The aim is to speed up service for those requiring police in emergency situations, said Vancouver police Insp. Jess Ram, head of the communications section. "The 911 line should be only used where lives are in danger, immediate action is required or a crime is in progress," Ram told a news conference.

Source: canada.com (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=cc4f7b09-4475-48de-ba28-666092433c9d&k=40143)

[LTPVFD]

It's about time!!:eek: Nothing worse that tying up an emergency line when there is no emergency. Calling 9-1-1 to report lost property, a noisy party, a barking dog, or something that happened 3 weeks ago, is, IMHO, ludicrous.

Unfortunately many former Vancouver area residents, who have moved to places like the Island, still call 9-1-1 for these types of things. Some actually become indignant when you ask them to call the non emergency number. :mad:

Lets leave the universal emergency number for emergencies only!!

Stay safe !!


LTPVFD

[five_alarm]

VICTORIA, BC - It's all very well to have an emergency 9-1-1 phone system for dire emergencies, but some people are pushing to have a similar plan for situations of a less serious nature. At the recent Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities (AVICC) meeting in Victoria, one of the issues raised, says Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek, was the need to have a single number people can call for non-emergency services.

"This way, if you have questions about your situation you could access the ombudsman, medical services - any kind of non-emergency services," Westbroek says. "People often feel like they want to talk to a doctor, police department or fire department, or they have a concern about a neighbour who isn't looking after themselves, but who do they call?"

Source: pqbnews.com (http://www.pqbnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=50&cat=23&id=634837&more=)

[firefighter26]

I knew someone who worked 911 in the US, just north of St. Paul MN, and she said that people would call 911 for pretty much anything.

If they had a question about when they were supposed to appear in court..... 911
Needing directions...... 911
Don't like the way a car is parked down the road..... 911

I always figured that if you had an emergency you used 911. If you needed to talk to someone about a non-emergency, call the operator!

[irsqyu]

Is this a BC thing or what, I know in Ontario, if we need to make non-emergency calls to police, fire etc, we just look up the admin/office number in the phone book, works great and it is free.;) or www.411.ca (http://www.411.ca) also works well.

[LTPVFD]

Is this a BC thing or what, I know in Ontario, if we need to make non-emergency calls to police, fire etc, we just look up the admin/office number in the phone book, works great and it is free.;) or www.411.ca (http://www.411.ca) also works well.


I can't confirm that this is only a B.C. thing, but the problem is very prevalent here. As I mentioned earlier, some places actually promote calling 9-1-1 for non emergency calls. As Five Alarm mentioned earlier, the Vancouver Police Service, until recently, handled all non emergency police calls on 9-1-1. People from Vancouver, who move to other areas, especially the Island, still like to dial 9-1-1 for everything. :confused:

Laziness is definitely a factor too. Many people are just too lazy to look up the non emergency number. Most, if not all, phone books have all the local non emergency numbers listed inside the front cover. There is no excuse for not looking there.

Cell phones are another issue. If you dial the non emergency number, you are charged for the call. If you dial 9-1-1, there is no charge. The suggestion that all cell phone users are charged for 9-1-1 use definitely has merit. :D

Last but not least, some of our 9-1-1 operators can be just as much to blame. Too many refuse to tell people to call the non emergency number, when it clearly is not an emergency. To entertain a non emergency call on 9-1-1 only encourages people to use the easiest method. :mad:

Stay safe !!


LTPVFD

[bestcoast]

Have a friend who is a 911 call taker at ECOMM and the amount of BS 911 calls would make your head spin. Meanwhile legitimate 911 calls are trying to get through while someone is complaing about the smoke from their neighbours barbeque on 911....Brutal...........BC.......