“Emergency Service Dispatchers continue to play a vital role in public safety, serving as the “first” first responders. They are an indispensable part of our emergency services team,” says Assistant Chief Stephanie Bremer. “The City of Campbell River recognizes the Fire Dispatchers for their expertise and professionalism, demonstrated through their service to 80 fire departments located here on the coast and in the Peace River region of the province.”

Campbell River provides fire dispatch services to eight regional districts (80 fire departments) under contract with the North Island 9-1-1 Corporation. The fire dispatch centre is located in the No. 1 Fire Station downtown and handled more than 27,000 incidents last year. It is staffed 24 hours a day with two professional public safety telecommunicators, who serve an estimated 310,000 residents living across more than 180,000 square kilometres from south to northern Vancouver Island, across Powell River and the Peace River Region. 

“In Campbell River, the efforts of our dispatchers are complemented by a team of fire responders and officers. Their dedication is a hallmark of our community’s commitment to public safety,” says Fire Chief Dan Verdun.

Every year, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International sponsors National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week to honour the thousands of people who take calls and dispatch emergency professionals and equipment to people worldwide.  

“It is wonderful to see the Province of B.C. also acknowledging the incredible work done by emergency service dispatch professionals,” says Assistant Chief Stephanie Bremer.

Accidental 9-1-1 calls and non-emergency calls to 9-1-1 divert resources from genuine emergencies and put people’s lives at risk. The City of Campbell River Fire Department extends a reminder about these guidelines to prevent accidental calls to 9-1-1:

• Don’t hang up when calling 9-1-1. If you called by mistake, let the 9-1-1 operator know.
• Protect your cell phone by locking and storing it carefully.
• Don’t program 9-1-1 into any telephone or mobile device
• Never give phones to children to play with.

9-1-1 is for police, fire and medical emergencies only. Non-emergency calls should be directed to non-emergency phone numbers.

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Contact: Stephanie Bremer, Assistant Chief | 250-286-6266 | stephanie.bremer@campbellriver.ca