Incident Notification System

From PCSAR

Revision as of 01:10, 6 December 2010

Determine how 911 calls will reach us

Tasks:

• determine best single number to give to out-of-region tasking

agencies and other SAR groups. (completed)

• consider need for pagers (completed)
• consider need for redundancy -- that any one person may miss receiving a call or page (completed)
• Evaluate possibility of having First Call List at RCMP Red Deer Telecomms (completed)

Discussion:

Our current call-out system is summarized here: [1]

For a sketch of how it works, you can see the illustration: [http://pcsar.webhop.org/mem_docs/doc-80-incident-notification-process.pdf http://pcsar.webhop.org/mem_docs/doc-80-incident-notification-process.pdf]

Basically the call goes from 911 to a Tasking Agency. The Tasking Agency can call either 627-2262 or 627-4424 and get either Lethbridge Fire Dispatch or RCMP Red Deer Telecomms. They pass the call respectively to Pincher Creek Emergency Services or Pincher Creek RCMP who both have an up-to-date copy of our First Call List. The First Call List lists several PCSAR members. Only one of those people needs to be contacted and then a PCSAR SAR Manager is placed in direct contact with the Tasking Agency.

There's probably one more step involved than we'd like, but this call out procedure seems to work sufficiently well. From the perspective of a Tasking Agency, you should only need to remember two numbers: 627-2262 and 627-4424. If you need us, call either number and request we be activated. It's our intention that these numbers never change. The standard information we publish on what PCSAR can do and how to reach us (the above 2 numbers) is at: [2]

As I say the call-out system isn't perfect. It is the best solution that we've found that balances:

• reliability (always being reachable)
• redundancy (no single point of failure takes out the system)
• updated (changes in personnel and phone numbers are easily absorbed)
• speed (from first call to response should be 10 minutes or less)
• cost (our monthly fees are reasonable)

If you're using both 627-2262 and 627-4424 and not finding the qualities you expect from our call-out system, we want to hear about it so we can fix it.

Now as for improvements, we're happy to make them. One suggestion looks really positive, having our First Call List used by RCMP Red Deer Telecomms. That would save one phone call in the chain and mean that a Pincher RCMP officer wouldn't have to find the First Call List at the detachment. It would mean that 627-4424 would be faster than 627-2262 and so we would list it first.

In order to work, RCMP Red Deer Telecomms would have to be willing to:

• Receive and file a chart of about 20 numbers (home/work/cell)

which makes up our First Call List. This chart gets updated every month. There aren't changes every month, but the changes happen often enough that it would easiest to set up a monthly update. It would be ideal if they could accept the chart by e-mail.

• Be willing to take dispatch calls for PCSAR from not only the RCMP but other tasking agencies.
• When receiving a call for us, contact anyone listed on the First Call List. This usually takes only one or two calls.

Brett Wuth, 2005/02/21 23:12 MST (via web): Brett will work with Grant Hignell to see if the RCMP's Red Deer dispatch will handle our first call list.

Brett Wuth, 2005/02/21 23:29 MST (via web): Used to be assigned to BrettWuth but removed due to higher priorities.

Brett Wuth, 2005/04/30 18:48 MST (via web):BrettWuth has Manon's background e-mail of why RCMP dispatch would have been better in the past filed under: Manon ROY Jun27 pcsar-preplan@ Re: Call out procedure

Brett Wuth, 2006/04/04 15:06 MST (via web): RCMP Telecoms agreed to hold first call list. Beth will let them know whenever it changes.