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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 15, 2009 Staying calm during the storm By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Communicators must keep their cool during emergencies The room is quiet -- belying the sometimes dangerous and life-and-death situations that can only be heard by those wearing earpieces. The room is the Communications Centre situated in Halton Regional Police Service's headquarters at the Bronte Road regional complex. Sitting inside the centre wearing the earpieces are men and women, known as first responders receiving 911 emergency calls. Their job is to field the 911 calls and direct them to the police, fire and/or ambulance for a response. Each of these individuals has undergone an exhaustive training program to complement their basic customer service, computer, mapping and technological skills, before they ever answered the phone. They also have nerves of steel, often fine-tuned in another emergency-related field. Last week, as part of National Communicator Week, Halton police opened the doors of its otherwise secure Communications Centre for an inside look at the job of Halton's first responders. Last year, the Communications Bureau received 387,091 calls. Emergency 911 calls accounted for 97,213 of those with the vast majority of calls requiring police involvement. Barbara Gatt, of Hamilton, was a police officer with Halton for 13 years before being injured during an arrest. She's been working in Communications for 20 years. Gatt says her job is the next best thing to being a police officer. Her supervisor admits it can have the same ups and downs emotionally as a police officer. Sign up on Line GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER COMMUNICATIONS CENTRAL: Communicator Shannon Jarrett maintains a close eye on dispatch screens at the Halton Regional Police Service Headquarters. Police say communicators play an integral role as part of the emergency services team. And the 911 callers, while they may be in on the front end of an emergency, may not always know the outcome of the emergency. They could hear back through the police ranks, but as Halton subscribes to a tiered response system for 911 calls, they often take calls that are streamed to fire or ambulance services. Gatt said 911 call takers and police often can ask the same questions and receive different answers. "It's key to rely on your senses and read between the lines," said Gatt, noting sometimes a caller will say they didn't mean to call 911, but background noise indicates they did, but are under duress not to report. Domestic issue calls represent a high number of the 911 calls placed in Oakville, said Gatt. "Sometimes you keep them on the line longer and listen to the tone of their voice, or listen to see if somebody's yelling in the background and sometimes it's just a gut feeling," said Gatt, adding, sometimes when a call taker assures a caller that police are on the way, there is an audible tone of relief revealed. Elizabeth Turner, of Oakville, had several careers -- intensive care unit nurse, flight attendant and stay-at-home mom -- before recently becoming a 911 call taker. On the plus side, her 16-yearold son thinks her new job is "cool." Turner is relatively new on the job and still undergoing training. Turner applied for the job more than 18 months ago. While applications are entertained when needed (with applications kept on file), there is nearly a year of training involved that ranges from initial psychiatric and behavioral interviews to classroom and on-the-job training. There's ongoing upgrading and the chief of police must sign off on each communication call taker annually, said Hayes. A more experienced coach is always tuned in to the calls Turner is taking until she's qualified to function independently, but there isn't too much overriding going on, so Turner believes it's a good sign. Turner said it can be frustrating to want to do a good job, but the depth of knowledge to accomplish that level has to be earned over time. "We have a saying and that's `trust the process,'" said Turner. While call takers earn in the mid-$30 per hour range, none are hired full-time, but rather on contract. Advancement to fulltime or better jobs is done inhouse only. Ron Dziedzic, of Oakville, watches seven different computer screens. He's a supervisor in the Communications Room and he's been on the job for 33 years -- ever since he decided to become a cop and then opted for communications instead. Staff Sgt. Gavin Hayes, 48, speaks highly of his staff and their training. He has been at the helm of the Halton police Communications for the last two years -- and is also responsible for the cadet program and accident reporting centre. Hayes signed up for policing right out of high school, but worked through just about every facet of policing -- including a stint with the provincial government where he helped write policies on difficult high-profile policing issues as use of force, use of tasers and police pursuits. With his own computer business on the side, Hayes brings what he laughingly calls "computer geek" qualifications to the table and is content to be steering the Communications department into unknown waters when it comes to 911 calls and cell phones. In the near future, cell phone companies will have to make the geographical location of cell phone users available to emergency services when 911 calls are involved. Just how that will happen and who will pick up the tab is unknown, according to Hayes. See Communicators page 17 w www. ultimatedrivers .ca DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE, LET US HELP YOUR EARN IT Six Programs to choose from: 17 Years ent of Excell Service · Defensive Driving Certificate Program - MTO Approved D f i Di i C ifi P Minimizes Road Test Time and Qualifies for Maximum Insurance Discount · Advance Defensive Driving Program Minimizes Road Test Time, Qualifies for Maximum Insurance Discount and Teaches You Emergency Skills · Driver Retraining Program for Reinstating Driver's License · Complete Refresher Program Prepares you for G2 or G License · Refresher Program Helps Reviewing your Driving Habits for Test s r r · Preparation and Evaluation Warm Up Practice Before the Test TM * $ SAVE 50.00 Valid on Defensive Driving Program Only 407 Speers Road Suite 205 Gift Certificates Available 905-825-1172