911 providers in BC want dependable access, regardless of network outages

Calling 911 was an issue for some Rogers customers on Friday as the major telecom company experienced service interruptions that lasted nearly 15 hours.

Emergency service providers in the province say it’s an issue they don’t believe should exist, regardless of a network outage.

“Any agency that involves public safety has (more of) a duty than providing customer service, and obviously this failed,” said Troy Clifford, President of Ambulance Paramedic Dispatchers of B.C.

“Regardless of whether the networks down, when you’re dialing 911, it should access any network. I don’t know the mechanics of doing that, but it seems to me that’s how it should be … everybody should have access regardless of the network for an emergency situation.”

Although these service interruptions may have caused some untimely delays for those in need of help, operators on the other side of the phone were also feeling the affects of the interruptions.

“Paramedics and dispatchers just want to do their job, and anything system wise or operational stressors that prevent us from doing our job …. it puts an unnecessary psychological burden on the responders.”

Donald Grant, President of Emergency Communication Professionals of BC tells City News, ECOMM 911 operators were being flooded with calls.

“Our folks were very busy trying to reconnect with folks dialing in from the Rogers network and being unable to connect with them. Obviously any time that 911 lifeline is impacted, it’s of great concern to us.”

“When it comes to emergencies, seconds count.”

Grant adds for an industry and its workers who are already being strangled by labour shortages and tough working conditions, having this layered on top was unneeded pressure.

“It really impacted the work load that our folks were under, they were fielding calls from the public that were just generally asking questions about why the ‘Rogers’ outage was (happening) and what to do if there was an emergency, so it was a very busy weekend.”

Grant believes the 911 system should be as responsive and easy to connect to as possible.

Related Articles: 

• Almost 15-hour network outage traced to maintenance update: Rogers

• Business community taking massive hit due to Rogers outage

The federal government has taken notice of this outage and the problems it caused, putting a plan in place.

As following a meeting earlier today, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne advised Canada’s telecom firms to agree on emergency roaming, outage assistance, and a communication system to effectively notify Canadians and authorities during emergencies.

Rogers is the parent company of CityNews.