Calgary 911 prepares for busy Stampede call volumes

The Cowboys Music Festival must now end weeknight concerts at midnight after a vote by Calgary city council.

As Calgarians prepare for the fun of festivities of the Stampede, emergency communications officers are gearing up for what is commonly one of their busiest times of year.

Behind the scenes, Calgary 911 is adjusting staffing levels, coordinating with emergency partners and making sure teams are ready to handle the increase in calls that comes with more visitors, more events and more activity across the city.

“With these major festivals it’s a lot more people coming into our city and they’re doing different things than what they normally do,” said Dan Hyde, deputy chief of operations with Calgary 911.

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“They’re not just coming home from work and going home and being with their family; they’re maybe going out enjoying a festival or a party or going to the grounds. With that often comes higher call volumes.”

Hyde says Stampede preparation starts well before the first pancake breakfast or parade float rolls out.

“There’s lots of organizations and meetings and pre-event briefings that happen.”

He says a major part of the preparation is ensuring enough emergency communications officers and dispatchers are available to meet demand.

“There’s a staffing component that needs to be addressed, so ensuring that we have the appropriate amount of resources for the call volume that we anticipate.”

The Calgary 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) provides emergency call response coverage for the City of Calgary, Rocky View County, the Municipal District of Bighorn and the Improvement District of Kananaskis.

Within that service area, Calgary 911 also supports 11 regional fire departments, helping coordinate emergency responses across the region.

Hyde notes that ensuring all of these areas are covered can be a challenge, but communication is essential.

“We have meetings with them to ensure that we’re meeting their needs and that we’re resourced appropriately to have dispatchers and call takers available for them.”

Hyde says the increased demand during Stampede is expected to continue throughout the event period.

“It’s nonstop for all ten days and a few days before it or a few days out.”

The voice on the other end of the line

For emergency communications officer Nicole Ehman, the job is about helping people during some of the most stressful moments of their lives.

“That’s one of my favourite things about my work at Calgary 911, is every day is guaranteed to be different,” Ehman said.

“You never know what type of calls are going to come in, what the situation will be, but it’s always rewarding.”

When someone calls 911, Ehman says emergency communications officers work quickly to determine what help is needed and where it needs to go.

“When people call 911, they speak to someone who will determine what city they need assistance in and what type of assistance they need, be that police, fire or emergency medical assistance.

“We’re then able to route them to the appropriate emergency communications officer, who will gather all of the information from them while at the same time helping them stay calm, feel supported.”

Ehman says being that calm voice during a crisis is one of the most important parts of the role.

“It’s truly an honour and a privilege to be the calm voice on what is possibly the worst day of someone’s life,” she said.

“When people call us, they’re under an incredible amount of stress and pressure, and we’re here to help them stay calm, to ask the questions we need, to get the right resources to the right place as quickly as possible.”

Training for the unexpected

Emergency communications officers go through extensive training before handling calls independently.

Ehman says the job requires people who can manage multiple tasks while still providing support to callers.

“We’re looking for people with a really unique and varied skill set,” she said.

“Our coworkers are smart and kind, but they can multitask. They can talk, type and listen and read all at the same time.”

A coordinated emergency response

Hyde says Calgary 911 serves as the communication hub connecting emergency responders across the region.

“This is the centre of communication for just about every emergency that happens in the city of Calgary,” he said.

“The work that happens here coordinates the response on the scene between police, fire, EMS and our other partner agencies.”

He says effective communication is key when responding to emergencies.

“Without the Calgary 911 centre, it would be very chaotic. Information would not come through effectively and the emergency would not be addressed as efficiently and promptly as it should.”

As Stampede approaches, Ehman says the goal remains the same — making sure people get the help they need.

“We all work really well as a team. We have the skills. We have the supports,” she said.

“We’re trained on how to support each other.”