The CO also called CACC, as per P&P for residential fires. The fire turned out to be a pot left on the stove, the occupant of the apartment had fallen asleep. He was removed from his apartment, treated with O2 by the Firefighters until the Medics arrived, he was not transported to hospital. The Fire crews supplied Positive Ventilation to the apartment and the building, there was no fire damage, crews cleared the scene within 60 minutes of arrival.
Voice modulation and Call Screening Techniques.
Call screening, as a rule is not utilized at this Communications Centre. Calls that come in on admin lines are directed the appropriate department or person. Calls that come in on either the 911 lines or the local emergency lines are answered in the normal way, "Fire Department, what is the emergency?" It is at this point that the dispatcher will assign a priority to the call.
I observed no conscious utilization of voice modulation by any of the COs. All calls were answered in a professional manner, tone and volume of speaking were level and even. Verbal inflections indicated concern at all times. Feed back was constant and consistent, being used as a confirmation after every question.
TTD is built into the CriSys system and the 911 Operators in Sudbury provide access to translator services if required. All of the COs currently at the BFD have in excess of 20 years of experience in working for PD, FD and Ambulance. It is this experience that allows them to effectively deal with any type of call in a professional, effective and dignified manner.
There are no "Call Management Protocols" in place within the Brantford Fire Department per se, there is however, Policy and Procedure governing the Telephone System and Usage. Essentially, all calls are answered by the CO, if they are administrative calls, they are transferred to the appropriate department or person, if the call is an emergency call after confirming that the emergency is in the City of Brantford and not the County of Brant, the CO must confirm the exact location, the name of the caller and a call back telephone number.
