Public Safety Communications (PSC) is the City of Calgary's 9-1-1 centre, receiving almost a million 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls each year. We are the lifeline for Calgary and some surrounding areas and we link people who need help with the emergency services who can help them. We also have a number of public education programs dealing with accidental 9-1-1 calls, reporting impaired drivers, information on calling 9-1-1 from different phones or for non-emergency calls, and information on 9-1-1 for kids.
History
In 2006, the communication sections of the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department and Calgary Emergency Medical Service moved to a consolidated location under the new identity of the City of Calgary Public Safety Communications (PSC).
Facts about Public Safety Communications
- Public Safety Communications (PSC) is the City of Calgary’s 9-1-1 centre, receiving almost a million calls a year.
- PSC answers and evaluates 9-1-1 emergency calls and non emergency calls for the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department and Alberta Health Services for emergency medical services in Calgary and areas outside city limits.
- We are the largest Public Safety Answer Point in Alberta, and one of the largest in Canada in terms of call volumes and number of people served. We answer 9-1-1 calls from inside and outside Calgary and sometimes transfer them to other agencies (such as the RCMP). We answer all the 9-1-1 calls from the Municipal Districts of Bighorn, Rocky View and Kananaskis.
- Our operations workforce is divided into four teams. Emergency Communications Officers (ECOs) work 12 hour shifts in a "2 days-2 nights on - 4 days off" pattern. This means ECOs work many weekends and holidays and there are almost as many ECOs in the centre at 2 a.m as there are at 8 a.m.
- New Emergency Communication Officers receive between 240 and 280 hours of initial training, depending on their function (Police, Fire, Medical). Additional training sessions are held for operations staff on a regular basis throughout the year.
- PSC serves more than just Calgary – we cover a region of approximately 40,000 square kilometres.
- The average speed of answer for all 911 calls was 6 seconds in 2011.
- Every year PSC surveys citizens who have used our service. In 2011, 94% of citizens contacted said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received when calling 9-1-1.
- In Calgary, accidental calls to 9-1-1 happen over 300 times each day from cell phones in pockets, purses and backpacks.
- We remind everyone to free up our emergency lines by putting your cell phone on “standby” or stored in a holster.
- PSC connects citizens with emergency services and has been a key resource for Calgarians for the past six years.
Public Safety Telecommunications Week
Public Safety Telecommunications week is celebrated in April of every year. This week recognizes the call-takers and dispatchers who work in emergency communications for their contributions to ensuring the safety and security of citizens. In 2011, Mayor Nenshi officially recognized April 10-16 as Public Safety Communications Week.
