9 1 1 & Fire Dispatch Services. diverse. vast. abundant.

Transcription

1 9 1 1 & Fire Dispatch Services diverse. vast. abundant.

2 Service Establishment The & Fire Dispatch service is a regional service that was established in 1999 by the Peace River Regional District. The function provides for : emergency call answer services fire dispatch for 11 fire departments PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch Services

3

4 Service Providers: Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) The RCMP provides PSAP Services through the Operational Communications Centre in Prince George $500,000 $450,000 In December 2013, the PRRD entered into a 5 year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deliver the service after 18 months of contract negotiation $400,000 $350,000 $300,000 $250,000 The MOU may be terminated be either party by giving 12 months written notice $200,000 $150,000 RCMP service costs have increased: 343% since 2002 to 2015 (~100,000 to $440,000) 46% from 2010 to 2015 (~ $301,000 to $440,000) $100,000 $50,000 $ The RCMP handle approximately 17,000 per year PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch Services

5 Service Providers: Fire Dispatch Dawson Creek Fire Department Provides dispatch for 7 fire departments & handles approximately 700 calls per year Cost increases: 83% from 2002 to 2015 (~122,000 to $225,000) 21% from 2009 to 2015 (~ $186,000 to $225,000) Fort St John Fire Department Provides dispatch for 4 fire departments & handles approximately 1,000 calls per year Cost increases: 75% from 2002 to 2015 (~$122,000 to $215,00) 11% from 2009 to 2015 (~ $186,000 to $225,000) The PRRD has no formal agreement with the Cities of Dawson Creek or Fort St John for fire dispatch Funding formal is based on a letter of intent from 2000 which provides an annual fee for service based on the cost of two first year fire fighters (wages and benefits) to each department The PRRD pays for core dispatch equipment repair, maintenance and replacement PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch Services

6 911/Fire Dispatch Review 2012 Strategic Plan identified that the Regional District should examine the 911/Fire Dispatch function for effectiveness and efficiency RFP was issued in 2012 and Pomax was the successful proponent PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch

7 Results from the Review of Call Answer & Fire Dispatch Services June 11, 2015

8 Background July 5, 2012: the PRRD Board approved contracting with Pomax Consulting to conduct a review with the following scope of work: Determine service effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability of the call answering service and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings; Determine service effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability of the fire dispatch services and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings; and, Examine the possible use of call answering as a point to report oil and gas emergencies. 8

9 Background (continued) August through November 2012: the consulting team completed this review using the following research and evaluation methodology: collect, review and evaluate legislation, industry guidelines, existing reports, operating data, technologies, finances, and more; interview stakeholders and visit sites; prepare progress reports and perform onsite reviews with Peace River Regional District staff; and prepare a baseline report. March 2015: Pomax Consulting completed a review and update of the 2012 Baseline Report with updates regarding and technology given recent changes in service in BC. 9

10 Findings: Call Answer During the review, the consulting team determined that the contracted service is delivered in an effective manner by the RCMP, however costs have risen to $445,000 annually (see Appendix E ). At the time of writing the initial report, contracting an alternative service provider had technical and resulting financial constraints; however in the interim TELUS has made it possible for calls to be answered anywhere in the province. As a result, E-Comm (Vancouver) has recently assumed call answer services for the majority of the province, including most areas that were previously handled by the RCMP. These important changes provide a new opportunity for seeking competitive alternatives. 10

11 Findings: Call Answer (cont d) The Peace River Regional District addressing process and system are state of the art, and could serve as an example for many regional districts. Some immediate process improvements are required throughout the province in order to get the best possible location information for emergencies services (Section 2.8). During the initial review Pomax identified efforts that could be undertaken to improve notification and response to oil and gas emergencies. The notification steps may be more difficult with an alternative Call Answer provider, however a coordinated effort between emergency services and industry can still be undertaken to look at safer response options. 11

12 Key Considerations The RCMP have clearly stated that is not part of their core business; as a result, in 2014 four regional districts moved from the RCMP to E-Comm; several others are evaluating alternative options at this time. Contracting for Call Answer Services is less expensive then paying for the current RCMP requirement of 3.4 FTE employees. Next Generation requires extensive in-house support for new networks, equipment, and changes to operational procedures; choosing a service provider that already has these capabilities and is prepared for the future will result in offsetting a significant portion of future costs. 12

13 Recommendations: Call Answer 1. Pomax recommends that the Regional District conduct a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) process to determine if there are more cost effective options for the provision of Call Answer service upon conclusion of the existing contract or sooner if the provisions of the contract permit. 2. Have the civic addressing team take a lead role provincially to coordinate the improvement of addressing information for call answer and emergency services dispatch; As well, immediate action should be taken to rectify the differences between provincial and regional district road names. 3. Collaborate on ways to improve notification and response to Oil and Gas emergencies. 13

14 Findings: Fire Dispatch During the review, the consulting team determined that the contracted fire dispatch services are delivered in an effective manner. In comparison to alternative fire dispatch providers from outside the Peace River Regional District, the current model is very expensive. Costs could be mitigated by moving to one fire dispatch for the region, however, this still would be considerably more expensive in comparison to other options e.g. a Fee for Service contract. Responsibility for Fire Dispatch equipment and maintenance; two Models have been detailed in the report, however the choice is dependent on the future direction for Fire Dispatch Services. 14

15 Findings: Fire Dispatch (continued) The industry standard for fire dispatch centres in North America is the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221: Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems. The Peace River Regional District does not address any performance standards for call answer and dispatch with its current fire dispatch service providers. NFPA 1221 requires service providers to have an alternate communications centre, that when staffed, can perform the same functions as the primary communications centre; the ability for real-time redundancy/back-up must be a priority. Regular and coordinated review and feedback from the communities served by Fire Dispatch services needs to occur in the future. 15

16 Key Fire Dispatch Considerations Options to consider (per Appendix F in the report): Continue with current 2 Dispatch Centre model with improvements i.e. formalized contract for service (per page 31), meet NFPA standards for performance and back-up, and review the costs to provide dedicated dispatchers; Consolidate to 1 Dispatch Centre in the Region with the same improvements noted above. Fee for Service contract with a provider outside the Region. Existing dispatch centre equipment is reaching end of life and will need to be replaced in the next 1 to 3 years. Currently the regional district owns and maintains the equipment; estimated future costs are between $500,000 and $750,000 if fire dispatch remains in the region; cost reduction or avoidance is possible with a Fee for Service contract. Finding and maintaining dispatch staff will be a challenge. 16

17 Recommendations: Fire Dispatch 1. Pomax recommends that the Regional District pursue the option of contracting an alternative fire dispatch provider with full-time dispatchers to replace both the South and North Region fire dispatch centres; OR alternatively, create a combined, single regional fire dispatch centre with full-time dispatchers at one of the existing centres. 2. Develop and implement a service contract with either the city of Fort St. John or an alternate service provider structured such that the contractor is responsible for all aspects of the fire dispatch service delivery, including the supply and maintenance of all equipment, technology and performance standards. If the PRRD is to keep fire dispatch locally, Fort St. John is better suited to this role in terms of facilities and equipment than Dawson Creek. 3. In order to determine which direction to follow, a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) process would assist. 17

18 18 Questions?

19 Next Steps: & Fire Dispatch Step 1: Request for Expressions Of Interest Step 1: Issue Two Requests for Expressions of Interest 1) Services 2) Fire Dispatch Services Step 3: Report back to Board on findings & options Step 3: Bring forward report to the Board on the findings and options on how to proceed Step 2: Review Expressions of Interest Received Step 2: Review Expressions Of Interest received by service providers PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch

20 Next Steps: Civic Addressing Work with Northwest Tel to require civic addresses for landline installations Work with Ministry of Transportation on road naming and signage Consider working towards sharing our addressing processes to help lead a discussion with other agencies across the provide to develop guidelines and standards for GIS addressing provincially PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch

21 Questions? PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT & Fire Dispatch

22 REPORT To: Chair & Directors Date: June 4, 2015 From: Trish Morgan, Manager of Community Services Subject: Authorization to proceed with a Request for Expressions of Interest for Public Safety Answer Point and Fire Dispatch Services RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) That the Committee of the Whole recommend to the Regional Board that: A. staff be authorized to issue a Request for Expressions of Interest to identify agencies and organizations who may be interested in providing Public Safety Answer Point Service (PSAP); and B. upon receipt and review of the expressions of interest, that staff develop a report for the Regional Board with options on how to proceed based on the findings. AND/ (2) That the Committee of the Whole recommend to the Regional Board that: A. staff be authorized to issue a Request for Expressions of Interest to identify agencies and organizations who may be interested in providing fire dispatch services; B. that the Request for Expressions of Interest document provide for the flexibility of an agency to express their interest in providing fire dispatch services for either the North Peace, the South Peace or the entire Peace Region; and C. upon receipt and review of the expressions of interest, that staff develop a report for the Regional Board with options on how to proceed. BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: In 2012 the Regional District contracted Pomax Inc. to: 1. Determine service effectiveness, efficiency and affordability of the call answering services and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings; 2. Determine the service effectiveness, efficiency and affordability of the fire dispatch service and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings; and 3. Examine the possible use of call answering as a point to report oil and gas emergencies. Pomax updated their review in 2015 and two of the key recommendations are as follows: 1) Conduct a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to determine if there are potential Call Answer providers and the approximate cost. (P. 37) 2) Pursue the option of contracting an alternative fire dispatch provider with full-time dispatchers to replace both the South and North Region fire dispatch centres, or alternatively, create a combined, single regional fire dispatch centre with full-time dispatchers at one of the existing centres. (P. 36) Staff Initials: Dept. Head: CAO: Page 1 of 3

23 Report Chair and Directors June 4, 2015 Page 2 of 3 It is important to recognize in the Pomax report that although the current contracted and fire dispatch services are delivered in an effective manner (p. 35), that the Regional District is facing rapidly increasing costs to provide the service, and as a result of Next Generation (NG911), it will continue to increase substantially in the future (as much as 30%). Alternative service providers may be able to provide the same level of service at a reduced cost due to economies of scale and may be positioned better to manage the increasing work load, costs and management of changing technology and equipment, risk management/liability and records management that will follow with the implementation of NG911. Following the recommendations in the Pomax report, staff is suggesting that the Regional District move forward with issuing two separate Requests for Expressions of Interest one for Primary Safety Answer Point Services and one for fire dispatch services. This strategy will provide the Regional District the opportunity to identify potential service providers but does not obligate the Regional District to make any changes at this time. It will also provide an opportunity for our current contract service providers to consider if they are still interested in providing the service in the future. What is a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI)? An RFEI is used to determine whether or not there is sufficient market interest to proceed to a competitive bidding process in the future for a particular service. There is no evaluation, ranking, or selection of vendors as a result and it is not be used to pre-qualify or screen vendors for a subsequent competitive bidding process. In the event there is sufficient interest in providing the particular service, the Regional District may, but is not obligated to, initiate a competitive bidding opportunity. Note that the Regional District Purchasing Policy does not discuss RFEI s as an option, as a RFEI is not a purchasing tool, but simply a tool to explore whether there may be a provider of a service (or goods) in the market place. If there is sufficient interest in providing a service, the Board may direct staff to issue a Request for Proposal, which would follow the Regional District s Purchasing Policy. STRATEGIC PLAN RELEVANCE: The PRRD will provide cost effective access to protective and emergency services including 911 call services by 2018 to its residents. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION(S): costs of advertising the RFEI. COMMUNICATIONS CONSIDERATION(S): The two Requests for Expressions of Interest will be advertised on/in: - the Regional District website - Northeast News - CivicInfo - BC Bid Information will also be sent directly to our current contract service providers (RCMP, City of Dawson Creek, City of Fort St John) to ensure that they have an opportunity to consider and respond with an expression of interest, if they so choose.

24 Report Chair and Directors June 4, 2015 Page 3 of 3 OTHER CONSIDERATION(S): please see the following: 1) Presentation on & Fire Dispatch Services 2) Emergency Call Answer Service and Fire Dispatch Service Review: March 2015 (Pomax Inc.) 3) Letter from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, September 6, ) 2015 Budget Working Paper for Emergency Telephone System 5) Call Count History 6) 9-1-1/Fire Dispatch Historical & Projected Costs 7) & Fire Dispatch Diagram Please note that items 3 through 6 will also be provided at the Committee of the Whole meeting in paper format.

25 EMERGENCY CALL ANSWER SERVICE AND FIRE DISPATCH SERVICE REVIEW March 23, 2015

26 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary... i i. Introduction... i ii. Methodology... i iii. Findings... i iv. Recommendations...ii 1. Overview Purpose of this Review Background Methodology Review of the Scope of Work Findings and Discussion Analysis of Current Fire Dispatch Industry Standards and Best Practices Fire Dispatch Redundancy/Back-up Overall Fire Dispatch Analysis and Options with Current Providers Review of Fire Dispatch Equipment Current Inventory Responsibility for Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Analysis of Emergency Service Function and Bylaw Civic Addressing Process and Systems Analysis of Existing Contracts Alternative Service Delivery Considerations New Public Safety Answering Point Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions Recommendations Appendices... 2 Appendix A Acronyms... 2 Appendix B NFPA Alarm Time Line... 3 Appendix C Call Flow and Statistics... 4 Appendix D Peace River Regional Population Projections Appendix E Escalating RCMP Services Contract Estimates... 6

27 Appendix F Cost Comparison Between Fire Dispatch Models Figure 1. Emergency call routing... 3 Figure 2: South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre (2012)... 7 Figure 3: North Peace Fie Dispatch Centre (2015)... 11

28 Building in Dawson Creek

29 I. Executive Summary i. Introduction This report presents a review of the Peace River Regional District call answering and fire dispatch services as completed by the Pomax consulting team. The purpose of the review was to: (1) determine service effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability of the call answering service and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings, (2) determine service effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability of the fire dispatch service and propose operating options for service improvement and cost savings, and (3) examine the possible use of call answering as a point to report oil and gas emergencies. The options and recommendations presented by the consulting team were tempered with the understanding that the Peace River Regional District is striving to achieve an enhanced level of service delivery at an acceptable cost to the public, especially considering the recent significant cost increases for both and fire dispatch full-time equivalent personnel. ii. Methodology The consulting team completed this review using the following research and evaluation methodology: (a) collect, review and evaluate legislation, industry guidelines, existing reports, operating data, technologies, finances, and more; (b) interview stakeholders and visit sites; (c) prepare progress reports and perform onsite reviews with Peace River Regional District staff; and (d) prepare a baseline report. iii. Findings Through this review, the consulting team has determined that the current contracted and fire dispatch services are delivered in an effective manner. At the same time in comparison to alternative fire dispatch providers from outside the Peace River Regional District the current model is also very expensive. Costs could be mitigated by moving to a "single fire dispatch system" for the region. This change, however, would still be considerably more expensive in comparison to other systems. The predicted growth in the region does not change the future economics for local fire dispatch in the region. The future fire dispatch contract should include a requirement for meeting NFPA 1221, as well as a requirement for the delivery of real-time redundancy/backup. Page i

30 The inventory of fire dispatch equipment is in very good condition. The consulting team recommended a minimal number of replacements or upgrades. Since the time of the writing of this report, significant changes by TELUS for the interconnection of switching equipment has made it possible for calls to be answered anywhere in the province. As a result, E-Comm has recently assumed call answer services for the majority of the province, including most areas that were previously handled by the RCMP. The Peace River Regional District has entered into a new five year contract with the RCMP for Call Answer. We recommend that the Regional District conduct a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to determine if other Call Answer centres in the province may be interested in providing contracted call answer service at the conclusion of the existing contract period or sooner if the contract termination provisions permit. The Peace River Regional District addressing process and system are state of the art, and could serve as an example for many regional districts. The Peace River Regional District team should take a lead in the province to make this happen. iv. Recommendations The consulting team recommends the following: Fire Dispatch Services For fire dispatching services, the Peace River Regional District should: 1. Pursue the option of contracting an alternative fire dispatch provider with full-time dispatchers to replace both the South and North Region fire dispatch centres, or alternatively, create a combined, single regional fire dispatch centre with full-time dispatchers at one of the existing centres. The contract should be structured such that the contractor is responsible for all aspects of the fire dispatch service delivery, including the supply and maintenance of all fire dispatch centre related equipment and technology. 2. Ensure that new fire dispatch service contracts include conditions that the service provider meets NFPA 1221 requirements including real-time redundancy/backup and service delivery standards. 3. Ensure the regional fire chiefs meetings (held twice a year) include a specific activity to address fire dispatch. (This activity should utilize the same format the Pomax Consulting team followed during the fire departments meeting on August 27, 2012.) Page ii

31 Fire Equipment Inventory For fire equipment inventory, the Peace River Regional District should: 1. Adopt Model B for future equipment purchase and maintenance, including any new or upgraded equipment for the dispatch centre. See Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Model B. 2. Replace the Zetron dispatch communications consoles, which will be 10 years old in Upgrade or replace the current inventory of system equipment with a focus on standardization. 4. Ensure appropriate budgeting is maintained for system equipment and technology replacement or upgrades on an approximate ten-year service life cycle. Pomax Consulting has not reviewed the status of the fire dispatch equipment inventory with respect to any changes or upgrades that may have occurred since the writing of the original report except NICE and Zetron equipment Services The Peace River Regional District should: 1. Conduct a Request for Expression of Interest process to determine if other Call Answer centres can provide this service for the region at the conclusion of the existing 5 year contract or sooner if the contract termination provisions permit. 2. Undertake the two-staged collaboration process detailed in the section entitled, A Staged Approach to Creating an Oil and Gas Emergency Call Response System." However having the centre answer Oil and Gas Emergency calls may preclude a possible move to another Call Answer centre as other centres may consider the oil and gas industry as outside their scope. 3. Have the civic addressing team take a lead role provincially to coordinate the improvement of addressing information. Page iii

32 1. Overview 1.1. Purpose of this Review This report presents the findings of a review of the Peace River Regional District call answering and fire dispatch services as completed by the Pomax Consulting team. The purpose of the review was to determine service effectiveness, efficiency, and affordability of the call answering and fire dispatch services and propose operating options for improvement and cost savings. The review also examined the possible use of call answering as an oil and gas emergency reporting point. The "Review of the Scope of Work" section provides a detailed description of the work completed for these elements. The results of this review should enable stakeholders to: (1) see the current state of operation of the call answering and fire dispatch services, and (2) review informed options for improving the services Background Description of Government and Demographics The Peace River Regional District provides local government services to approximately 60,000 people in seven incorporated municipalities and four electoral areas covering a geographic area of 120,000 km 2. Sixty-five percent of the population resides in the urban municipalities of Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, Hudson s Hope, Taylor and Pouce Coupe. The remaining 33% percent of the population is distributed across the vast unincorporated area of the regional district, plus 2% in First Nations areas. The Peace River Regional District is a federation of both urban and rural areas governed by a 12-member board consisting of eight directors appointed by seven municipalities and four electoral directors elected by voters in four electoral areas. Each municipality or electoral area participates in a variety of regional or local services, paid for through numerous individual budgets and a variety of cost sharing formulas. Current Call Answering Services Currently, the Peace River Regional District coordinates addressing and trunk-line communications with TELUS and Northwest Tel to provide enhanced emergency call answering service. The Peace River Regional District contracts with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (hereafter referred to as RCMP) to be the public safety answering point located in Prince George, BC, which receives, on average, 17,000 calls per year. 1 P a g e

33 Emergency calls are routed through different dispatch services depending on the location and type of emergency response required. Policing calls (65 percent) are dispatched through the RCMP Prince George dispatch centre. Ambulance calls (20 percent) are dispatched through BC Ambulance s Kamloops dispatch centre. Fire calls (5 percent) are screened to determine if they are within the fire protection service area, then screened and routed to either North Peace (Fort St. John Fire Hall Dispatch) or South Peace (Dawson Creek Fire hall) which then dispatch the 11 fire departments shown in Figure 1 on page 3. Future Involvement of Oil and Gas Commission Following a natural gas pipeline leak in November 2009 near the community of Pouce Coupe, public concern identified the need for a quick, efficient, and easy-to-remember way for the public to contact the Oil and Gas Commission emergency response team 24/7. The Peace River Regional District offered the Oil and Gas Commission the opportunity to examine whether the enhanced emergency call answering service, funded by the Peace River Regional District, could be used to receive calls from the public reporting oil and gas emergencies (i.e., gas leaks, sour gas smells, etc.). Although there are no formal agreements in place to provide for this service, the public on occasion has dialed to report unusual noises and odors believed to be from oil and gas activity. The Peace River Regional District feels this service could be provided through a public safety answering point but needs the Oil and Gas Commission to identify if they see value in being part of the emergency call answer service. Ownership of Dispatch Equipment Dawson Creek Fire Rescue provides dispatch for seven fire departments in South Peace, while Fort St. John Fire Rescue provides fire dispatch service for four fire departments in North Peace. The Peace River Regional District owns and currently maintains, through a service contract with a third party, the equipment utilized by Dawson Creek Fire Department and Fort St. John Fire Department to receive public safety answering point calls and dispatch these calls. The Peace River Regional District also owns most of the equipment to provide dispatch services for ten of the eleven fire departments. 2 P a g e

34 Figure 1. Emergency call routing 911 Calls 911 Dispatch in Prince George Ambulance calls Fire calls Police calls South Peace North Peace BCAS in Kamloops Dawson Creek Fire Dept. Fort St. John Fire Dept. RCMP Vehicles or Detachment closest to incident site Ambulance Stations closest to incident site Chetwynd Dawson Creek Fort St. John Hudson s Hope Tumbler Ridge Fire Dept. / Fire Society in Arras Chetwynd Dawson Creek Moberly Lake Pouce Coupe Tomslake Tumbler Ridge Fire Dept. / Fire Society for Beryl Prairie Charlie Lake Fort St. John Hudson s Hope Taylor Incident Site 3 P a g e

35 1.3. Methodology Given the above background, the consulting team completed this review using the following research and evaluation methodology: 1. Collect, review and evaluate: a. Current administrative, organizational, legislation, guidelines and industry standards b. Existing reports, studies, and relevant literature c. Available dispatch call data and statistics d. Current computer aided dispatch, geographic information system, radio, telephone and recording systems e. Current financial information f. Aspects of existing emergency service dispatch resources 2. Interview and consult with stakeholders 3. Complete site visits of dispatch centres 4. Prepare progress reports 5. Perform on-site reviews with Peace River Regional District staff 6. Prepare a baseline report 1.4. Review of the Scope of Work The scope of work can be analyzed into three main sections: fire dispatch services, call answering services, and using services for oil and gas emergency reporting. Fire Dispatch Service Review the fire dispatch services provided by the City of Fort St. John and the City of Dawson Creek. Identify industry standards and best practices. Make recommendations for fire dispatch redundancy. Identify and inventory fire dispatch equipment; make recommendations for equipment replacement or upgrades. Review and provide recommendations on who has the responsibility for equipment purchase and maintenance in relation to fire dispatch. Review the Peace River Regional District s emergency service function and bylaw Call Answering Services Seek the RCMP input in inspecting, reviewing and evaluating the existing memorandum of understanding with the RCMP to provide a public safety answering point through the 4 P a g e

36 Prince George Operational Communications Centre. Since the original report was completed the PRRD has entered into a new 5 year contract with the RCMP for call answer. Identify possible deficiencies in existing contracts as compared to industry standards. Examine addressing processes and systems to identify possible shortfalls; Comment specifically on the Geographical Information Systems and Development Services Department role and processes for ensuring accurate mapping and addressing data for emergency response providers [additional detail added during Scope of Work clarification process]. Identify possible alternative service providers when compared to existing cost and quality, while maintaining the same (or increased) level of service, reliability and redundancy. At the time of writing the original report, technology limitations made geographically distant alternate call answer service providers very difficult to justify because of the cost of telephone connections. Those limitations have been largely removed making service from distant providers more competitive with closer sources. Make recommendations which include scope of operations, quality of work, performance standards, and budget requirements Call Service for Oil and Gas Emergency Reporting Examine whether the public safety answering point could be effectively utilized to report oil and gas emergencies from a legal and practical point of view. Propose processes, systems, and equipment needed to respond to oil and gas emergency calls. Recommend how to implement a call system to report oil and gas emergencies. 5 P a g e

37 2. Findings and Discussion 2.1. Analysis of Current Fire Dispatch South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre Dawson Creek Overview The Dawson Creek Fire Department operates the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre, located in the Dawson Creek Fire Station at A Street in Dawson Creek. The city of Dawson Creek provides fire dispatch services to the Peace River Regional District through a proposal letter that was approved in May The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre provides emergency call answer and dispatch service for: Dawson Creek Fire Department Arras Volunteer Fire Department Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Department Moberly Lake Volunteer Fire Department Pouce Coupe Volunteer Fire Department Tomslake and District Fire Department Tumbler Ridge Volunteer Fire Department 6 P a g e

38 Figure 2: South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre (2012) 7 P a g e

39 Facility Description The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre is part of the fire hall administration and reception area at the front entrance of the building. During regular business hours a receptionist/dispatcher looks after the dispatch centre and reception. Telephone calls can be answered at one other location in the fire hall, but all dispatch activities must be performed from the dispatch centre. The radio communications equipment rack, which the consulting team observed to be orderly and relatively free of dust and debris, is located in the fire dispatch centre adjacent to the TELUS equipment. Since 2012, the fire dispatch centre has been secured from public access by way of a locked door with key pad entry access. Additionally, the entire fire station has emergency back-up power that automatically starts in the event of a power disruption. Technology and Equipment The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre is a relatively well equipped centre using industry standard fire dispatch and communications equipment. The centre does not use a computer aided dispatch application but does use a FirePro records management system. Since they do not have a computer aided dispatch system, the shift captain documents incidents using a paper incident capture system; these details are subsequently manually input into the FirePro records management system by the receptionist/dispatcher. Fire department alerting and communications are handled using a Zetron communication and dispatch console. Telephone and radio communications are recorded and archived using the NICE audio recorder. A Zetron instant recall recorder is used to for instant audio replaying needs. Operations Primary dispatch and voice communications between the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre and the various agencies are handled via direct land-mobile radio communications or a CSI 9800 telephone interconnect with satellite backup system. Dispatches to Chetwynd, Moberly Lake, and Tumbler Ridge are completed using CSI 9800 telephone interconnects. The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre is not connected to these departments throughout the incident; instead, the department is disconnected from the dispatch centre. Once disconnected, the agency can reconnect with the dispatch centre via the telephone interconnect system but some departments choose to call the dispatch centre via cell phone. Once these departments become disconnected from the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre, their radio communications are no longer recorded. 8 P a g e

40 Staffing The South Peace Fire Dispatch is staffed by a receptionist/dispatcher between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and by a firefighter/dispatcher during other hours. The receptionist/ dispatcher spends most of her time in the centre during regular business hours. In addition to answering emergency calls and dispatching fire departments, the receptionist / dispatcher also performs administrative and clerical duties for the city of Dawson Creek Fire Department. Firefighter/ dispatchers perform typical firefighter station duties (such as training, equipment checks, maintenance, etc.) and are only required to be in the dispatch centre when answering emergency calls and dispatching fire departments. When the centre is staffed by a firefighter/dispatcher and a call is received for the Dawson Creek Fire Department, the firefighter/dispatcher remains in the dispatch centre performing all required support functions and answering and dispatching other emergency calls. The Peace River Regional District funds two full-time-equivalent positions at a 100 percent firstclass firefighter rate to provide fire dispatch service. Training The receptionist / dispatcher is trained to the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials fire service communications level. All new firefighters receive six week of fire department training involving 13 components. As part of this training, five of the components relate to fire dispatching. Workload The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre handles 680 calls for service annually (5 year average). Policies and Procedures The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre does not have any policies or procedures for the dispatch nor do they have a formalized, structured quality assurance program in place. Issues or problems related to incidents are investigated as they arise. 9 P a g e

41 North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre Fort St. John Overview The Fort St. John Fire Department operates the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre which is located in the Fort St. John Fire Station at Avenue in Fort St. John. The city of Fort St. John provides fire dispatch services to the Peace River Regional District through a proposal letter that was approved in May The North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre provides emergency call answer and dispatch service for: Fort St. John Fire Department Charlie Lake Fire Department Hudson Hope Fire and Rescue Service (includes Beryl Prairie area) Taylor Fire Rescue 10 P a g e

42 Figure 3: North Peace Fie Dispatch Centre (2015) Facility Description The fire dispatch facility is located at the front of the building next to the shift captain s office and adjacent to the main entrance. The dispatch centre is separated from the rest of the facility and access is controlled by way of an electronically locked door. The dispatch centre is staffed by a firefighter/dispatcher. There are 12 firefighters trained as dispatchers that regularly rotate through the position. Telephone calls can also be answered at four other locations in the fire station but all dispatch activities must be performed from the dispatch centre. The radio communications equipment rack and TELUS equipment are located in the equipment room located on the second floor of the fire station. While the equipment installation was not viewed in person, the Fort St. John Fire Department provided photographs of the equipment room and the equipment installation and the room appears to be spacious, clean, and well-organized. Technology and Equipment The North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre is a well-equipped centre using industry standard fire dispatch and communications equipment. 11 P a g e

43 North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre uses FDM Software computer aided dispatch and records management systems. Agencies dispatched by the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre are unit dispatched, meaning that the dispatcher identifies the initial fire apparatus that are to respond to an incident based on agency specific protocols that are pre-determined for each incident type. Fire department alerting and communications are handled using a Zetron communication and dispatch console. Telephone and radio communications are recorded and archived using the NICE audio recorder and a Zetron instant recall recorder is used to for instant audio replaying needs. Operations All primary dispatch and voice communications between the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre and the various agencies are handled via direct land-mobile radio communications with telephone interconnect as a backup. When a department is actively working an incident, the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre is connected and available to the agency throughout the incident and all telephone and radio communications are recorded. Staffing The dispatch centre is staffed at all times by a firefighter/dispatcher. When not actively engaged in dispatch activities, firefighter/dispatchers perform typical firefighter station duties (such as training, equipment checks, maintenance, etc.) and are only required to be in the dispatch centre when answering emergency calls and dispatching fire departments. When a call is received for the Fort St. John Fire Department, the firefighter/dispatcher remains in the dispatch centre performing all required support functions and answering and dispatching other emergency calls. The Peace River Regional District funds two full-time-equivalent positions at a 100 percent firstclass firefighter rate to provide fire dispatch service. Training New firefighters receive an 8-week orientation course, approximately 4 weeks of that training is focused on the computer aided dispatch system, records management system, and fire dispatching. They do have course curriculum material; however it was not available for review. Workload The North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre handles 920 calls for service annually (5 year average). 12 P a g e

44 Policies and Procedures The North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre does not have any policies or procedures for dispatching nor do they have a formalized, structured quality assurance program in place. Issues or problems related to incidents are investigated as they arise Industry Standards and Best Practices The industry standard for all fire dispatch centres in North America is the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221: Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems. NFPA 1221 provides prescriptive performance requirements for the answering of emergency calls and the total time for the dispatching of emergency calls. These performance metrics are as follows: Call Answer 95 percent of calls are to be answered in 15 seconds or less, and 99 percent of calls are to be answered in 40 seconds or less (NFPA 1221 Section 7.4.1). Dispatching 80 percent of events are to be dispatched in 60 seconds or less, and 95 percent of incidents are to be dispatched in 106 seconds or less (NFPA 1221 Section 7.4.2). NFPA 1221 is an extremely comprehensive standard that covers operational and technical aspects of fire dispatch centre operations. This standard has been adopted by most, if not all, fire dispatch centres in British Columbia. The Peace River Regional District does not address any performance standards for call answer and dispatch with its current fire dispatch service providers. With respect to an industry standard regarding an appropriate fire dispatch service model, NFPA does not provide any direction on this. However, current best practices for fire dispatch involve a comprehensive end-to-end service where the dispatch centre maintains a communication link with responding firefighters throughout the entire incident, providing all agency-required and requested support and resourcing Fire Dispatch Redundancy/Back-up The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221 requires service providers to have an alternate communications centre, that when staffed, can perform the same functions as the 13 P a g e

45 primary communications centre 1. NFPA 1221 states that alternate communications centres should: Be physically/geographically separated from the primary communications centre Have formalized plans for the maintenance and operations of the alternate centre Have the ability to reroute incoming emergency calls to the alternate communication centre Complete operational independence from the primary communication centre 2.4. Overall Fire Dispatch Analysis and Options with Current Providers The Importance of Dispatching and Emergency Communication Emergency call answer, dispatch, and communications are critical aspects to an effective and functional public safety system. Timely receipt and dispatch of emergency responders to emergency incidents is vital to the preservation of life in emergency medical incidents and in mitigating property loss due to fire spread. In addition, two-way voice communication between emergency responders and a dispatch centre is one of the most important safety tools available to the responders. The significant negative consequences of untimely or improper dispatch and communication have driven the prescriptive performance standards for emergency call answering and dispatch times. Furthermore, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States identified that improper communications is one of the top five leading causes of firefighter fatalities 2. As part of the investigations of fire loss, very detailed reviews are conducted involving a thorough incident analysis, commencing with the time the emergency call was received in the dispatch centre, when the fire department was alerted, and the timeline associated with these actions. Stakeholder Consultation Process While onsite in August 2012, a Pomax representative met with representatives of the majority of the Peace River Regional District fire departments, including the fire chiefs of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, and Trish Morgan, Manager of Community Services for the Peace River Regional District. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the fire departments with an overview of the project as well as to: 1 NFPA 1221 Section and NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, Leading Recommendations for Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities, Department of Health and Human Services, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 14 P a g e

46 Determine their satisfaction with the dispatch services provided Determine their satisfaction with the communication system Gather information on improvements or changes they would like to see in the systems With respect to the fire dispatch services, the majority of the fire departments were pleased with the services being provided by the South and North Peace Fire Dispatch Centres. As a result of the meeting and follow-up with some departments, some concerns were identified: Those departments dispatched by South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre that use telephone interconnects as their primary connection are not able to stay connected throughout the emergency incident. The telephone interconnect automatically disconnects, as a safety feature, after 180 seconds. One department stated that there have been instances where off going shift dispatchers at the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre have not advised the oncoming shift that their department was on a call. As such, when the department attempted to communicate with the dispatch centre via radio, there was no one in the dispatch centre and the radio call went unanswered forcing the department to have to call them by cell phone (if coverage available). There has been no fire department training on the use of the satellite backup communication systems. The South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre does not have a computer aided dispatch system. The fire departments would like a dedicated telephone number for contacting the dispatch centres. One fire department noted they are not comfortable with a firefighter/dispatcher model. Civic addressing is a problem throughout the region; one of the largest issues is a discrepancy between fire dispatch and British Columbia Ambulance Service addressing information. Comparison to Industry Standards The current fire dispatch model for the Peace River Regional District does not meet the industry standard for the operation of fire dispatch centres in some areas. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221: Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency 15 P a g e

47 Services Communications Systems is the peer reviewed, industry standard that specifies all aspects of a fire dispatch centre operation. It is a very detailed and prescriptive standard and some of the key areas of the standard are call answer and dispatch performance metrics, quality assurance, and dispatch centre security. As the standard is very detailed and prescriptive, it is generally recognized that many fire dispatch centres do not meet all of the requirements of NFPA 1221, but there are a number of requirements that centres typically strive to meet. Both the North Peace and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres are generally well equipped centres with respect to fire department alerting and voice communications systems. However, there are some operational practices that need to be addressed in order to increase efficiency, performance, and compliance with NFPA 1221: Adoption of NFPA 1221 performance times Establishment of fully-functional back up dispatch centres Implementation of a monthly quality assurance program In order to address the deficiencies with respect to NFPA 1221, the Peace River Regional District has three options: 1. Maintain the current model of North and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres with applicable staffing and technology upgrades in each centre 2. Consolidate the North and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres into one of the existing centres with applicable staffing and technology upgrades 3. Contract fire dispatch services with an alternative service provider that is able to meet the NFPA 1221 requirements (refer to "2.9 Analysis of Existing Contracts" for additional information) With respect to the first two options, in order to increase the service levels and efficiencies of the North and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres, there are a number of technical and operational issues to be addressed. These are described below. Option 1 Maintain North and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres Both centres have indicated that they have not adopted the performance standards of NFPA 1221 with respect to emergency call answer and dispatching and that they do not have a quality assurance program. For both centres, one of the primary issues is the ability to quickly and effectively answer the emergency call and complete the dispatch process. Neither centre has dedicated staff in the centre, and emergency calls can be answered from locations other 16 P a g e

48 than the dispatch centre. Yet all dispatching must be done from the centre. This operational model can cause delays in dispatching fire departments and negatively affects the dispatch centre s ability to meet the requirements of NFPA Additionally, the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre does not use a computer aided dispatch system. Instead the centre relies on the Automatic Number Identification/Automatic Location (ANI/ALI) of the received call and a hard copy of the Peace River Regional District web based map viewer in order to determine the location of the incident and the appropriate responding fire department. A paper-based map system can add additional time in the dispatch process as the dispatcher must manually determine the location of the emergency incident and the appropriate responding fire department. In order to reasonably achieve the NFPA 1221 benchmark performance standards, a staffing model change should be considered for both centres, and consideration should be given to the implementation of a computer aided dispatch system in the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre. The current staffing models in the North and South Peace Dispatch Centre reasonably allow for the answer of emergency calls per the NFPA 1221 standard. However, without the use of a computer aided dispatch system at all times, not all call data is entered in a database immediately upon receipt of the call. Therefore it is not possible to determine if the centres are meeting the call answer standard. In addition, having dispatch staff dedicated to the dispatch would allow for increased fire department dispatch efficiencies and would reasonably ensure that the NFPA 1221 standard for dispatching is met. The respective call volumes of the North and South Peace Dispatch Centres only require one dispatcher. A dedicated staffing model would require one dispatcher per shift as well as additional staffing to cover holidays, other scheduled leave, and sick time. In order to meet this staffing level, a relief factor is applied to the number of full time dispatcher positions; the relief factor identifies the additional staff required to maintain one full-time position per shift. The relief factor for public safety dispatch centres is between 1.4 and 1.7; therefore, a minimum of 5.6 full-time equivalent positions are required to staff one full time dispatcher position. It is reasonable to use properly trained firefighters to provide meal and rest breaks for the dedicated dispatchers during regular shifts. With respect to a computer aided dispatch system for the South Peace Dispatch Centre, budgetary pricing for a single position license from FDM Software, including full mapping, the ANI/ALI service, and implementation is approximately $110,000. Training costs are extra. 17 P a g e

49 The Peace River Regional District owns and maintains the same Zetron common control units and dispatch consoles in both centres. The consoles were purchased in 2006 and 2007 and are at the end of their service life. The replacement costs would be $80,000 for Fort St. John and $96,000 for Dawson Creek. The Dawson Creek console costs more because it provides interfaces for seven fire departments, while Fort St. John provides interfaces for five fire departments. 3 Option 1 would also require the continued ongoing support and annual maintenance of the dispatch communication consoles. Option 1 would require a total of 11.2 full time equivalent dispatcher positions between the North and South Peace Dispatch Centres, the addition of computer aided dispatch for the South Peace Dispatch Centre, and the continued maintenance of duplicate dispatch console and communication technology. Option 1 is not recommended due to the high costs involved (see Appendix F Cost Comparison Between Fire Dispatch Models for details). Option 2 Consolidate North and South Peace Fire Dispatch Centres Based on the total call volume of the North and South Peace Dispatch Centres of approximately 2,000 annual calls for service, this call volume can be handled with one full time dispatcher. However, in order to reasonably meet the performance objectives of NFPA 1221, a dedicated dispatcher staffing model should be considered. As per Option 1, one full time dispatcher per shift as well as additional staffing to cover holidays, other scheduled leave, and sick time would be required. In order to meet this staffing level, the relief factor is applied to the number of full time dispatcher positions. Using the same relief factor considerations as per Option 1, a minimum of 5.6 full-time equivalent positions are required to staff one full-time dispatcher position. It is reasonable to use properly trained firefighters to provide meal and rest breaks for the dedicated dispatchers during regular shifts. 3 These console replacement costs and the one for Option2 are based on quotes from Zetron, who based their quotes on the initial system identification numbers. The number of actual radio, telephone and paging interfaces provided in the quotes does not exactly match the equipment inventory provided by Glentel, so Pomax has added a 15% contingency. The discrepancy could be due to equipment added following the initial installation. The Zetron USD quotes are converted to Canadian currency using an exchange rate of Additionally, Zetron was supposed to provide pricing for upgrading the current equipment if possible. However, Zetron only provided the replacement costs. Pomax has determined it could be possible to upgrade the current equipment at approximately 50% of the replacement cost. However, given that the equipment will be ten years old next year, Pomax recommends replacing the equipment. 18 P a g e

50 With respect to computer aided dispatch, the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre currently uses FDM Software computer aided dispatch application. In addition, the North Peace Fire Dispatch Centre also uses FDM Software records management systems. These applications are fully integrated and provide for a seamless and efficient transfer of fire department incident data from computer aided dispatch to the records management system. FDM Software dispatch and records management applications are fully scalable and can easily handle the additional fire departments in the South Peace region. As indicated above the existing Zetron dispatch communications consoles are at the of their service life and need to be replaced. The cost of a dispatch console to handle the interfaces for all the fire departments from a single centre, would cost $130, It should be noted that Pouce Coupe and Tomslake fire departments, which are currently dispatched directly via radio from Dawson Creek, will require remote links such as, telephone interconnect or Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) because Fort St. John will be too distant for a direct radio link. The telephone interconnect and the RoIP terminal will cost approximately $2,500 per link. Option 2 would require a total of 5.6 full time equivalent dispatcher positions; minimal costs to program the additional South Peace agencies into the computer aided dispatch and records management systems; and continued maintenance of one of the Zetron dispatch console and communication systems (see Appendix F Cost Comparison Between the Different Models of Fire Dispatch for details). Option 3 Fire Dispatch Services Alternatives The option of an alternative fire dispatch service provider is addressed in the section 2.10 area entitled, "Fire Dispatch Services Alternatives." 2.5. Review of Fire Dispatch Equipment Current Inventory Pomax representatives met with Glentel to review and discuss the equipment currently used as part of the Peace River Regional District fire dispatch system. Glentel noted that the majority of the system-related equipment has been upgraded in the last 6 to 7 years. In addition to this meeting, an independent review was completed of the fire dispatch equipment inventory that was provided to Pomax 4. The following comments and recommendations are provided with respect to the Peace River Regional District fire dispatch system equipment: 4 PRRD Equipment Inventory list provided by Glentel Inc. September 20 th, P a g e

51 As indicated above the Zetron 4020 Common Control Units and 4217B dispatch workstations are at the end of life, especially since the underlying version of the operating system is no longer supported and should be replaced. NICE recording equipment is end of life and should be upgraded or replaced as part of future workstation upgrades or replacements. The Motorola TRBO repeaters are first generation repeaters but the equipment is fully software-and firmware-upgradeable to the most current releases. These repeaters can be operated in digital, analog, or a mix mode. These repeaters are very reliable and do not require replacement, but the software and firmware should be upgraded. The Tait TB8100 (base station/repeater) is current technology and does not require any upgrades. The Tait TB710 (base station/repeater) is current technology and does not require any upgrades. The CSI9800 telephone interconnects are current technology; however, they have a limitation of only staying connected for 180 seconds. So, they should be replaced with other telephone interconnect equipment which does not have this limitation such as, the Zetron Model 45 (see further detailed discussion below). The base station equipment identified on the equipment inventory list is narrow-band capable and as such, is considered current technology. All of the Motorola products are still available. For Kenwood products, the TK-780HK is no longer in production and has been replaced with the TK-7810 or NX-700. However, support is still available for the TK-780 and replacement is not recommended at this time. The antennas and duplexers are all current equipment, but replacement is based on age and condition. The majority of the satellite communication technologies are MSAT G2, which is current technology. Departments served with Westinghouse satellite products should be upgraded to MSAT G2. In general, except for the Zetron consoles, the condition of the system equipment is current and up to date and does not require any immediate replacements. However, there is a technical limitation with the CSI9800 telephone interconnects. Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Department, Moberly Lake Volunteer Fire Department, and Tumbler Ridge Volunteer Fire 20 P a g e

52 Departments rely on telephone interconnect as their primary connection and communication with the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre. The telephone interconnects are programmed with a time out timer that automatically disconnects the fire department for the dispatch centre after several minutes. This timer is set as a safety feature to ensure there is no unintentional system lock-up. However, as a result of this time-out timer, the fire departments lose their voice communication link with the South Peace Fire Dispatch Centre and must rely on alternate forms of communication, such as cellular telephone, to communicate with the dispatch centre. As radio communications are the critical link for firefighters, this technical limitation is a safety risk for these departments. In order to mitigate this risk, it is recommended that the current telephone interconnect technology be replaced with technology that will allow the dispatch centre to stay connected with the fire department throughout the incident. Due to the design of the CSI9800, it cannot be programmed to remove the time out feature and still work effectively and safely as part of the system; therefore, the CSI9800 telephone interconnects should be replaced (for the reason noted above) with different technologies that do not disconnect the responding fire department from the dispatch centre. One option is to replace these units with the Zetron Model 45 telephone interconnect, which can be configured to be remotely reset in the event that it becomes locked up. Cost of a Zetron Model 45 is approximately $2,500. The Peace River Regional District would require three and one spare. Another possible option would be Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) for those areas that have appropriate bandwidth. The cost of using RoIP is similar per link, at approximately $2,500. The current system consists of a mix of manufacturers. While the various equipment used in the system is all industry standard and reliable public-safety-quality equipment, standardizing the system components as much as possible allows for ease of equipment replacement, efficient hardware integration of the system, and a less complicated system. For example, using one type of telephone interconnect, one type of repeater, one type of base station etc. allows equipment to be changed much more efficiently improves equipment inventory management. In order to effectively maintain and support a public safety fire dispatch system, an inventory of spare equipment is required to ensure timely and efficient replacement of equipment. According to the maintenance contractor, the Peace River Regional District does not have an inventory of spare equipment. 21 P a g e

53 Recommended Equipment Upgrades and Replacements The Pomax team recommends the following action items and equipment upgrades: Have the maintenance contractor complete a comprehensive review and evaluation of all antennas and duplexers. Replace deteriorating or damaged equipment. Upgrade the Motorola Turbo repeaters to the current software and firmware release. Replace satellite communication devices that are not MSAT G2 to this technology. Replace the CSI 9800 telephone interconnect with a Zetron Model 45 telephone interconnect (or similar two-line interconnect technology) or RoIP. Establish and maintain a spare equipment inventory of critical equipment. Standardize as many components in the system equipment as possible, including but not limited to, repeaters, base radios, telephone interconnects, satellite communication equipment, and backup power supplies Responsibility for Equipment Purchase and Maintenance For purposes of discussion, fire dispatch equipment and technology will be considered in three parts: (1) fire dispatch centre equipment and technology, (2) system equipment and technology, and (3) user equipment. Fire Dispatch Centre Equipment and Technology Refers to equipment and technology used in, and part of, the fire dispatch centres for the purposes of call receipt, fire department alerting, and two-way voice communications. Fire dispatch centre equipment and technology includes, but is not limited to, telephones, computer systems and applications (such as computer aided dispatch), communications console, and audio recording devices. System Equipment and Technology Refers to equipment and technology used in, and part of, the system used to transmit all fire department alerting and two-way voice communications between the dispatch and the fire departments. System equipment and technology includes, but is not limited to, radio transmitters and receivers (base radio and repeaters), antennas, cabling, tuners, filters, batteries, chargers, and communications sites. User Equipment Refers to all equipment and technology used by dispatched fire departments in the receipt of dispatch alerts from the fire dispatch centre and for two-way voice communication with the fire dispatch centre. User equipment includes, but is not limited to, 22 P a g e

54 mobile radios, portable radios, pagers, mobile data terminals/laptops, personal mobile devices (smart phones), and incident dispatch (rip and run) printers. Models of Equipment Ownership In British Columbia, there is no standard with respect to purchase, ownership, and maintenance of equipment related to the fire dispatch system; rather there are two typical models that are followed: Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Model A The Peace River Regional District purchases, owns, and maintains all equipment related to the fire dispatch service, including all equipment and technology used in the fire dispatch centre(s) Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Model B The Peace River Regional District purchases, owns, and maintains the equipment that is exclusive of the fire dispatch centre and the fire dispatch service provider purchases, owns, and maintains all equipment and technology associated with the provision of the fire dispatch service. Analysis of Models A and B Under Model A, the Peace River Regional District would be responsible for the purchases, ownership, and maintenance of fire dispatch centre equipment and technology and system equipment and technology. Model A allows the Peace River Regional District to have complete management over the equipment supplied and the maintenance of that equipment. Under Model B, the Peace River Regional District would be responsible only for system equipment and technology and the fire dispatch service provider(s) would be responsible for the fire dispatch centre equipment and technology. Ultimately, the Peace River Regional District is the call answer and fire dispatch service provider. As such, it is reasonable that the Peace River Regional District would be considered responsible for the fire dispatch system in the event of a system failure or similar event that resulted in some form of loss. Given these circumstances, it is in the best interests of the Peace River Regional District to have clearly defined responsibilities and expectations with respect to dispatch centre and system equipment. Both models are used throughout British Columbia and there is no industry standard or best practice for one model over the other. The decision regarding an equipment ownership model is based on a number of factors such as accountability, system control, and liability. Under Model A, the Peace River Regional District would be responsible for all equipment and would 23 P a g e

55 therefore be able to best manage equipment purchases, maintenance, upgrades and/or replacement schedules, new technology advancements, and all other aspects of the system. This model would allow the Peace River Regional District to have greater management of the system and could possibly reduce its potential liability with respect to system failures. Under Model A, the Peace River Regional District would provide all of the equipment and technology to be used in one or more of the fire dispatch centres; including equipment replacement, repair, troubleshooting, and concerns and complaints from end users. Under Model B, the contracted fire dispatch service provider would be solely responsible for the purchase and maintenance of all equipment required to deliver the service. This would include all equipment (i.e. dispatch consoles) and technology (i.e. computer aided dispatch); namely all of the fire dispatch centre related equipment and technologies. The Peace River Regional District would be responsible for all of the equipment and technology used to deliver the alerting signal and voice messages to the fire departments. However, to ensure that an appropriate level of service is being provided by contracted fire dispatch centre, the Peace River Regional District would need to specify the level of service that is required and ensure that the contractor is able to achieve that service. Pomax recommends the adoption of Model B. We understand that Fort St. John is reviewing the viability of the current fire protection agreement with the Peace River Regional District. This review is part of a larger regional services review being conducted by the city and the results of the review are expected to be completed later in As such, Pomax Consulting has not reviewed or updated those sections of the report that address fire dispatch services or equipment, and the original recommendations remain as stated Analysis of Emergency Service Function and Bylaw The Peace River Regional District emergency service and service establishment bylaw appear appropriate and are comparable to those of other Regional District service provider s in British Columbia. The Peace River Regional District service has the same administrative and operational functionality as many of the services in British Columbia in that the district is the local government service provider with the legal authority to provide, and tax for, a service across the Peace River Regional District. The operational model is that the RCMP is the contracted primary public safety answering point (receipt and transfer of calls), a member municipality fire department is the contracted service provider as the secondary safety answering point for fire calls, and the Emergency Health Service Commission (British Columbia 24 P a g e

56 Ambulance Service) is a secondary safety answering point for medical calls (as a provincially operated service, there is no fee-for-service required for medical call answer and dispatch). This is a typical model throughout British Columbia where a regional district is the service provider. The Peace River Regional District s establishment bylaw provides for an extended service with the boundaries of the service being all of the district s electoral areas as well as all member municipalities. Furthermore, the bylaw provides for cost recovery, on improvements only, by way of requisition as per the Local Government Act. In addition to the service establishment bylaw, the Peace River Regional District adopted a reserve fund bylaw for the purchase of capital and major purchases. The establishment of a capital major purchase reserve fund is entirely appropriate for this service as it allows the district the ability to financially plan for upgrades and equipment replacement required as part of a functional public safety communication system. Reviews of various service establishment bylaws in other jurisdictions for an extended service indicate that the bylaws are essentially the same. The only real difference is that at the time of the bylaw enactment, each regional district selected a cost recovery model as per the Local Government Act that best suited their specific needs or political situation. Bylaws can be amended as service delivery and financial implications change. Since the implementation of service in British Columbia, call answer typically has been a function of a municipal police or RCMP communications centre. Historically, RCMP operational communications centres have been the contracted service providers to local governments because the RCMP has taken the position that this model was necessary for reasons of public safety. However, recent changes in interconnection rates by TELUS has allowed a significant change in call answer services across the province. E-Comm in 2014 assumed call answer service for the north part of Vancouver Island, as well as most of the Northern, Central and Southern interiors of the province. As such, the Peace River Regional District could consider other service delivery options in the future. However, contracting a different Call Answer provider may preclude the provision of call answer services that include Oil & Gas emergency reporting, although E-Comm as one potential provider has indicated that they can handle these calls. As a result of this change the consulting team recommends that the PRRD conduct an Request for Expression of Interest process as soon as practical. The contract with the RCMP for P a g e

57 call answer has a one year escape clause, however it is also possible that the RCMP may allow for an earlier exit if another viable service provider is found Civic Addressing Process and Systems An effective civic addressing program is vital to operating a safe and reliable system. In November of 1999, the Peace River Regional District retained the services of UMA Engineering to research and develop a rural addressing system. Current Addressing Program The Peace River Regional District addressing program is similar to that of many other regional district models for rural addressing; namely, addresses are assigned based on the location of the driveway intersection with the street. Addresses are interpolated based on the predetermined minimum and maximum range of the street. Representatives of Pomax met with Peace River Regional District Geographical Information Systems and Development Services Department, which is responsible for the creation, issuance, and maintenance of rural addressing. (Civic addressing in the Peace River Regional District member municipalities is the responsibility of the various individual municipalities.) The Peace River Regional District uses the industry-standard geographic information system (GIS) technology (ESRI ArcGIS and AcrGISExplorer) for creating, maintaining, and viewing rural addressing. The Peace River Regional District civic addressing program is effective and efficient as new addresses are updated in the web-based system the next business day after issuance. The Peace River Regional District is an active participant in Address BC, an initiative of the Integrated Cadastral Information Society. The Peace River Regional District automatically updates their address data to the Address BC site on a weekly basis. The Address BC initiative is very effective as it serves as a central repository of address data created by local governments which can be accessed and downloaded by other Address BC participants. As the central point for address sharing, agencies such as the British Columbia Ambulance Service and the RCMP are able to access this data to update their computer aided dispatch systems. The Disparate Address Problem and Solution The issue of disparate civic address data with the British Columbia Ambulance Service and the RCMP appears to be a function of the time required for these agencies to update the GIS data in their provincial computer aided dispatch systems. Peace River Regional District provides timely updates, but the British Columbia Ambulance Service and RCMP GIS update information annually. This causes address discrepancies in incident location. 26 P a g e

58 This issue, as well as the lack of Provincial GIS address standardization, are common for many local governments in British Columbia and have been identified by the Association of Service Providers of British Columbia. A significant gap has been identified between old names used by the Ministry of Transportation and the proper address assignments by the Peace River Regional District; it is important the proactive action be taken to address this as soon as practical. In addition, we recommend that the Peace River Regional District work with the Association of Service Providers to explore options and implement an effective solution. A sub-committee was previously created to address this issue however did not move forward because the organizer left the association. It will be tabled at the spring 2015 meeting and PRRD should ensure that this issue is brought forward again by the association. Telephone Companies and Master Street Address Guide Important to the addressing process is ensuring that TELUS local exchange carriers (the telephone companies) receive timely updates of new or changed addresses. The Peace River Regional District system receives service from two telephone companies: NorthwesTel and TELUS. The telephone companies rely on the accuracy of the civic address data in the Master Street Address Guide to properly route calls to the correct call answer centre which, in turn, transfers them to the right fire and ambulance dispatch centres. The Master Street Address Guide contains a comprehensive list of all of streets and address ranges in the service area, and the guide is used as part of the TELUS address verification process for calls. The address of the calling number is reconciled against the Master Street Address Guide to determine a caller s location. After identifying a caller's location, the call can be relayed to the correct call answer centre. However, because it is not mandatory that a house have a registered address, it is incumbent on the property owner to apply for a civic address. As such, the PRRD should consider changing the bylaws to require mandatory civic addressing, as has been done with other jurisdictions when has been implemented in other regions without the service. One area of concern that needs to be addressed with NorthwesTel is ensuring they assign a proper civic address when a landline is installed by them. Currently they use the addressing information that is provided to them by the Region, and there is potential ambiguity in the provided addresses as they may indicate Mile 11 Alaska Highway, for example. But NorthwesTel has indicated that they can extract the address data that they currently have and provide this to the Regional District so that discrepancies between the data sets can be determined. While the region could provide the spatial data set to the telcos, the existing MSAG data is a simple flat file and the telcos do not have established extraction procedures to convert the spatial data to the flat file format of MSAG. If the PRRD can provide proper civic addressing and address potential 27 P a g e

59 discrepancies in the data sets NorthwesTel will update the MSAG using the revised address information. However, when an existing address is corrected, the local exchange carriers need to be advised promptly so the Master Street Address Guide can be updated. Although the Peace River Regional District has agreements with NorthwesTel and TELUS which state that the Regional District will maintain and update the Master Street Address Guide and provide these updates to the telephone companies on an annual basis, the telcos will update the MSAG on an as needed basis and policies should be implemented to provide updates to the telcos on a more frequent basis. Current Response to Oil and Gas Emergencies As detailed in the introduction to this report: Following a natural gas pipeline leak in November 2009 near the community of Pouce Coupe, public concern identified the need for a quick, efficient, and easy to remember way for the public to contact the Oil and Gas Commission emergency response team 24/7. The Peace River Regional District offered the Oil and Gas Commission the opportunity to examine whether the enhanced emergency call answering service operated by the Peace River Regional District, could be used to receive calls from the public reporting oil and gas emergencies (i.e., gas leaks, sour gas smells, etc.). Although there are no formal agreements in place to provide for this service, the public on occasion has dialed to report unusual noises and odors believed to be from oil and gas activity. The Peace River Regional District feels this service could be provided through a public safety answering point but needs the Oil and Gas Commission to identify if they see value in being part of the emergency call answer service or not. An analysis by Pomax in 2012 of the current practice for handling oil and gas emergencies shows the majority of calls are related to hydrogen sulfide odours (rotten eggs smell), the sound of a leak (described as sounding like a jet engine), or a pipeline or facility fire. This is not a common occurrence; however, when it does happen, the right resources need to be deployed as soon as practical. Different companies in the Peace River Regional District have resorted to door-to-door delivery of refrigerator magnets that have 10-digit emergency contact numbers for each of the companies in the area. In some places, there can be as many as seven different companies. Expecting the public to determine whose pipeline/facility is leaking and calling the correct 28 P a g e

60 company is unlikely to be successful so it is very likely they will call Follow-up with the RCMP North Region operational communications centre confirmed that the current practice is to dispatch the police to do an initial check on the issue and report back; continuing this practice is not recommended. The oil and gas companies have their own (or contracted) emergency response teams that are extremely well equipped to deal with this type of emergency in a quick and effective manner. The challenge is how to get them notified and responding each time this type of incident occurs. In 2012, the Oil and Gas Commission representative, Mike Burzek, was well aware of the above issues and has been investigating solutions to better handle emergencies in the future. E-Comm, as a call answer service provider that currently handles 80% of the provincial call volume and as a potential service provider for the Peace River Regional District, has indicated that they could accept emergency calls related to oil and gas emergencies and transfer them to the EMBC Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre in Victoria. E-Comm does do not anticipate answering the call differently, so it would be answered as Do you want Police, Fire or Ambulance? However they will know the call originates in the Peace River catchment area and while oil and gas is not stated they will quickly ascertain the nature of the call and transfer the call appropriately. Discussion and Ideas about Service Options The Peace River Regional District has discussed possible service options with the Oil and Gas Commission representative, and the following list presents activities for consideration: A call answer/dispatch centre that would: o Answer calls o Dispatch fire and police o Transfer to British Columbia Ambulance Service o Receive and transfer oil and gas emergency calls o When calls for oil and gas emergencies are received through this system they could be: Transferred to the Oil and Gas Commission, and Notifications could be made to the potential companies operating in the area as reported by the caller or by known location, the local authority, MOTI, EMBC, etc. 29 P a g e

61 The service could also include an alert/notification system that could be held by the Peace River Regional District that would integrate TELUS phone numbers with locations and mapping provided by the Peace River Regional District and industry. For instance, if there was a gas release along a pipeline, someone at the Peace River Regional District or dispatch would receive the location information. Based on the mapping that was provided by one of the local oil and gas companies for their emergency preparedness zone, this centre could send a call out to those in the affected area to tell them to shelter in place while the responsible stakeholder(s) work on the release and dispatches. The service could also be available in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for other emergencies such as forest fires or floods to provide evacuation alerts and orders via telephone A Staged Approach to Creating and Oil and Gas Emergency Call Response System The costs associated with creating a single centre (entity) to implement the above items would be significant and may not be justifiable for the number of oil and gas emergency calls received each year. However, if the Regional District wishes to explore the idea further it may be practical to put a staged approach to implementation in place to create a more effective and reliable system for reporting oil and gas emergencies: For example, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Peace River Regional District, and applicable emergency services could develop a working group to examine the feasibility of an on-line centre to provide secondary support related to response and notification systems. As well, the Peace River Regional District, RCMP North Region Operational Communication Centre, and the Oil and Gas Commission can consider collaborating on the creation of a new standard operating procedure to deal with oil and gas emergency calls routed through 9-1-1, ensuring that they are transferred directly to the Oil and Gas Commission duty officer (available on a 24-hour basis) Analysis of Existing Contracts When service was considered for implementation in the Peace River Regional District, the initial concept was to establish one centralized fire dispatch centre in Dawson Creek. The rationale was that the primary public safety answering point was the RCMP communication centre in Dawson Creek; therefore, it was deemed reasonable that the centralized fire dispatch centre would be established there. In the end, the Regional Board decided to establish two fire dispatch centres with Dawson Creek serving the South Peace area and Fort St. John serving the 30 P a g e

62 North Peace area. [Note: analysis of the Services provided by the RCMP is covered in the "Analysis of Emergency Service Function and Bylaw" section.] Based on a feasibility study, staffing levels for the Dawson Creek and Fort St. John fire dispatch centres were identified as requiring two full-time equivalent positions at each centre. In May of 2000, the cities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John jointly proposed a staffing model to the Peace River Regional District for each centre to have: Two full-time firefighter/dispatchers Wages based on 100 percent of a first class firefighter Annual increase calculated on the consumer price index Additional communications or audible devices installed in building The proposal was approved by a Peace River Regional District Board resolution in May of Other than the May 2000 proposal letter to the Peace River Regional District, there does not appear to be any contract documentation for the provision of fire dispatch services. Deficiencies The current letter among the Peace River Regional District and the cities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John identifies the required number of fire dispatch positions and a loose funding formula. The letter does not address issues such as performance, indemnity, or a number of the other critical issues that should be addressed in a formal, fee-for-service agreement. Comments If the Peace River Regional District decides to continue with the current fire dispatch service delivery model, we recommend that a formalized contract for service be developed and signed with the cities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. If the Regional District elects to implement a different fire dispatch service delivery model, it is recommended that a formalized contract for service be developed and signed with their service provider. A formalized contract for service should include items such as: Description of facilities and infrastructure and the responsibilities of each party with respect to provision and maintenance thereof Detailed description of the services provided including standards of service Staffing model Description of operations Annualized fees for term of contract 31 P a g e

63 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Insurance and indemnification Dispute resolution Term of contract Termination considerations Alternative Service Delivery Considerations Fire Dispatch Services Alternatives With the changes in the TELUS network, the Peace River Regional District has the option for fire dispatch service to be provided by a service provider that is located anywhere in the Province of British Columbia. As a result of this change in technology, some of the larger centralized fire dispatch centres actively market their dispatch services to clients throughout the province. Alternative providers for fire dispatch service that meet or exceed the existing quality of level of service, reliability, and redundancy would include, but is not necessarily limited to, the Regional District of Fraser- Fort George, Kelowna Fire Department, Surrey Fire Services, E-Comm Fire Dispatch and Kamloops Fire Rescue. Other dispatch centres in British Columbia would also be interested in providing this service. If the Peace River Regional District decided to pursue alternate service providers, an expression of interest or request for proposal process would be appropriate and allow interested parties to be identified by the Peace River Regional District. An alternate dispatch fire dispatch service model utilizing dispatch services from a remote dispatch centre will need to address connectivity to the different fire departments radio systems. It will not be possible, as done currently, from Fort St. John to connect to the different fire departments directly via Land Mobile Radio, and as done from Dawson Creek for four of the seven fire departments. The radio systems of all 12 fire departments will have to be connected from the remote dispatch centre. Two options include: 1. Telephone-radio interconnect; and, 2. Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP). Assuming a telephone-radio interconnect option that provides connectivity throughout the incident (such as the Zetron radio-interconnect), both options are operationally viable. The estimated capital cost for both options is the same at $2,500 per link (for a total cost of $30,000). The operating cost for the telephone-radio interconnect option will involve long distance telephone costs. The RoIP connection can be implemented using the public Internet or 32 P a g e

64 using a data service from a service provider (e.g., using Multiprotocol Label Switching 5 data service from Telus). Dispatch centres are currently using the public Internet for fire dispatch without any issues (e.g., E-Comm dispatches the Sea-to-Sky fire departments using the public Internet). This option does require adequate Internet data rates at the different radio base station locations, but does not involve any data service ongoing operating costs. Using data service such as MPLS does require ongoing operating costs. It is expected that the centres listed above, and other possible centres, would meet the quality and level of service required by the Peace River Regional District while operating reliable systems with the required redundancy. As each service provider has specific costing formula and as many of the alternative service providers require regional board or municipal council authorization to enter into preliminary costing discussions if the Peace River Regional District was interested in exploring this option further, an expression of interest to provide centralized fire dispatch services would be necessary. The estimated annual cost for centralized fire dispatch by an alternative service provider is $250,000 per year. Different Contracted Public Safety Answering Point Service Provider Since service implementation in June of 2001, the contracted primary answering point has been an RCMP Operational Communications Centre. Dawson Creek Operational Communications Centre started the process and in 2004 many operational communication centres were amalgamated to the North Region Operational Communications Centre in Prince George. As detailed in the "Analysis of Emergency Service Function and Bylaw" section, this is a common arrangement throughout the province (with the exception of E-Comm in Metro Vancouver). At the time of writing the previous report, contracting an alternative service provider had technical and resulting financial constraints. Recent changes by TELUS now allow interconnection between the switching centres without the fees for dedicated trunk lines that previously made this cost prohibitive. This change has made alternate service provider solutions possible without prohibitive trunking charges. As a result E-Comm is now actively offering their call answer services to other jurisdictions. 5 Commonly referred to as MPLS, this is a network process that allows data to be directed in a much more timely manner using a variety of different network protocols 33 P a g e

65 Further, in 2013 the RCMP revised their costing formula for the provision of PSAP services. This revision, which is part in parcel to the MOU signed in 2013 between the RCMP and the Regional District, resulted in a cost increase of over $100,000 per year New Public Safety Answering Point As noted in the "Analysis of Emergency Service Function and Bylaw" section, one of the possible options being discussed between the Peace River Regional District and the Oil and Gas Commission representative is the creation of a new 9-1-1/dispatch service provider. This could be accomplished by creating a new centre that would be established, implemented, and staffed as a new entity within the Peace River Regional District operations; or an RFP could be issued inviting one of the existing fire dispatch centres to take on the primary call answer service on behalf of Peace River Regional District. The challenges with either approach are as follows: Costs The volume of calls versus staffing/training requirements does not come close to justifying the expense in comparison to the existing arrangement with the RCMP. Liability Being directly responsible for has an extensive list of additional requirements that must be met to legally protect the Peace River Regional District. A further review of service provider options should occur given that recent changes in the Telus architecture has resulted in a reduction of major provincial PSAPs. 34 P a g e

66 3. Conclusions and Recommendations The purpose of this review was: (1) to examine the service for effectiveness, efficiencies and affordability, looking at processes, systems and equipment to deliver emergency call answer service, (2) to look at the integration of fire dispatch services to 11 fire departments, and (3) suggest solutions for public reporting of emergencies related to oil and gas activities through the primary public safety answer point service area. In forming these recommendations, Pomax considered that the Peace River Regional District is striving to achieve an enhanced level of service delivery at an acceptable cost to the public, especially considering the recent dramatic cost increases for both and fire dispatch fulltime equivalent personnel Conclusions Through this review, the consulting team has determined that the current contracted and fire dispatch services are delivered in an effective manner. In comparison to alternative fire dispatch providers from outside the Peace River Regional District, the current model is very expensive. Costs could be mitigated by moving to one fire dispatch for the region, however, this still would be considerably more expensive in comparison to other systems. The predicted growth in the region (see "Appendix D Peace River Regional Population Projections ") does not change the future economics for local fire dispatch in the region. The future fire dispatch contract should include a requirement for meeting NFPA 1221, as well as a requirement for the delivery of real-time redundancy/backup. Specific contractual details have been included in "Appendix F Cost Comparison Between Fire Dispatch." The inventory of fire dispatch equipment is in very good condition. Pomax recommends just a few replacements or upgrades. A model for future equipment purchase and maintenance responsibilities has been included, reference Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Model B With the changes in the TELUS network, Pomax recommends that the Regional District conduct a Request for Expression of Interest process to determine if there are more cost effective options for the provision of Call Answer service upon conclusion of the existing contract or sooner if the provisions of the contract permit. 35 P a g e

67 The Peace River Regional District addressing process and system are state of the art, and could serve as an example for many regional districts. Some immediate process improvements are required throughout the province in order to get the best possible location information for emergencies services. The Peace River Regional District team should take a lead in the province to make this happen Recommendations The consulting team recommends the following. Fire Dispatch Services For fire dispatching services, the Peace River Regional District should: Pursue the option of contracting an alternative fire dispatch provider with full-time dispatchers to replace both the South and North Region fire dispatch centres, or alternatively, create a combined, single regional fire dispatch centre with full-time dispatchers at one of the existing centres. Ensure that new fire dispatch service contracts include the service provider to meet NFPA 1221 requirements including real-time redundancy/backup and service delivery standards. Develop and implement a service contract with either the city of Fort St. John or an alternate service provider structured such that the contractor is responsible for all aspects of the fire dispatch service delivery, including the supply and maintenance of all equipment and technology. If the PRRD is to keep fire dispatch locally, Fort St. John is better suited to this role than Dawson Creek. Ensure the regional fire chiefs meetings, that occur twice a year, include a specific activity to address fire dispatch (utilizing the same format the Pomax consulting team followed during the fire departments meeting on August 27, 2012). Fire Equipment Inventory For fire equipment inventory, the Peace River Regional District should: Adopt Model B for future equipment purchase and maintenance, including any new or upgraded equipment for the dispatch centre. Upgrade or replace the current inventory of system equipment with a focus on standardization. (See the section entitled, Recommended Equipment Upgrades and Replacements. ) Ensure appropriate budgeting is maintained for system equipment and technology replacement or upgrades on an approximate ten-year service life cycle. 36 P a g e

68 9-1-1 Services For services, the Peace River Regional District should: Conduct an RFEI to determine if there are other potential Call Answer providers and the approximate cost. Undertake the two-staged collaboration process detailed in the section entitled, A Staged Approach to Creating an Oil and Gas Emergency Call Response System". Have the civic addressing team take a lead role provincially to coordinate the improvement of addressing information for call answer and emergency services dispatch; As well, immediate action should be taken to rectify the differences between provincial and regional district road names. Work with NorthwesTel to ensure they provide a proper civic address for landline installations in the areas they serve. 37 P a g e

69 Appendices Appendix A Acronyms Acronyms used in this report are presented below for references purposes. ALI Automatic Location Identification ANI Automatic Number Identification CISC CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee CRTC Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission E9-1-1 Enhanced ECNS Enhanced Community Notification System EMS Emergency Medical Service ESWG Emergency Services [E9-1-1] Working Group FCC Federal Communications Commission GIS Geographic Information System ICLU In-Call Location Update [aka Rebid] NENA National Emergency Number Association NFPA National Fire Protection Association NG9-1-1 Next Generation RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police T9-1-1 Text from 9-1-1

70 Appendix B NFPA Alarm Time Line Peace River Regional District

71 Appendix C Call Flow and Statistics 911 Calls 911 Dispatch in Prince George Ambulance calls Fire calls Police calls South Peace North Peace BCAS in Kamloops Dawson Creek Fire Dept. Fort St. John Fire Dept. RCMP Vehicles or Detachment closest to incident site Ambulance Stations closest to incident site Chetwynd Dawson Creek Fort St. John Hudson s Hope Tumbler Ridge Fire Dept. / Fire Society in Arras Chetwynd Dawson Creek Moberly Lake Pouce Coupe Tomslake Tumbler Ridge Fire Dept. / Fire Society for Beryl Prairie Charlie Lake Fort St. John Hudson s Hope Taylor Incident Site

72 Appendix D Peace River Regional Population Projections Year Projected Population , , , , , , , , , ,463

73 Appendix E Escalating RCMP Services Contract Estimates

74

75

76

77 Appendix F Cost Comparison Between Fire Dispatch Models Fire Dispatch Model Comparison Staffing (full-time equivalent) Annual Operating Costs ($) One-Time Capital Cost Total, (1st year only ) ($) Current Model No Change (including recommended dispatch technology upgrade) 4.0* 475,000 Computer aided dispatch for South Region $200,000 Upgrade of Zetrons at both location = $176, ,000 Current Model full-time dispatchers (including recommended dispatch technology upgrade) 11.2* 1,176,000 Computer aided dispatch for South Region $200,000 Upgrade of Zetrons at both location = $176,000 1,552,000 Combined Single Regional Fire Dispatch Centre full-time dispatchers (using the Fort St. John facility) 5.6* 588,000 Upgrade of Zetrons at location = $130, ,000 Combined Single Regional Fire Dispatch Centre full-time dispatchers (using the Dawson Creek facility) 5.6* 588,000 Computer aided dispatch for South Region $200,000 Upgrade of Zetrons at both location = $130, ,000 Brand new Regional Fire Dispatch and Centre with support for Oil and Gas Emergencies 11.2* 1,176,000 2 Positions $200,000** 1,376,000 Contract an Alternative Fire Dispatch Centre with full-time dispatchers from outside the Peace River Regional District Not Applicable 250,000 $125,000 to interface * Using estimated annual full-time dispatcher full-time equivalent cost of $105,000 ** Assumes utilizing relocated existing fire dispatch equipment from both north and south locations 375,000

78 Royal Canadian Gendarmerie royale Mounted Police du Canada Security Classification/Designation Rick GREENWOOD, Inspector Max XIAO, Regional Director Finance E Division RCMP Headquarters Green Timbers Way, Surrey, BC Your File V3T 6P3 Trish Morgan Manager of Community Services Our File P0 Box 810, 1981 Alaska Ave Dawson Creek, BC, V1G 4H Dear Sir/Madame Public Safety Answering Point (9-1-1 PSAP) Service Delivery et al RCMP Further to the meeting on , the purpose of this letter is to provide a summary of the RCMPs position to assist you in informing your Governance Board. At the meeting, Max XIAO, RCMP Regional Director of Finance confirmed the financial schedules are final, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is almost final and the number of resources required to provide the service is still up for discussion. He provided a historic and corporate overview as well as a road map for the 0CC Program to continue or terminate supplying PSAP service on behalf of the Governing Authority. This is summarized below. Overview: The RCMP had a 20 year contract with the Province of British Columbia that was renewed in Historically, the RCMP was characterized as being too reactive in their operations while accommodating multiple demands. The 2006 Brown Report characterized the RCMP as operating outside their capacity with an inability to say NO. Other organizational influence included the Federal Treasury Board s Deficit Reduction Plan and years of zero growth at the provincial level. Other recurring themes during the contract renewal were calls for standardization (consistency), core mandate (scope creep), accountability (fairness) and transparency. 0CC Context: PSAP service is outside of the ROMP mandate and is not a police function or core duty. It has synergies with police dispatch and there are benefits through partnering and integration. If the ROMP is to continue to provide PSAP Service, we must follow the terms prescribed by ROMP and National HQ in Ottawa. The basis of recovery is consistent Page of 2 Canad

79 Security Classification/Designation Policing Service Agreement (PPSA) but is not a result of the PPSA nor is it caused by any provincial direction or influence. As PSAP is outside the RCMPs mandate, we will only continue PSAP service on a full cost recovery basis at appropriate staffing levels within our existing service delivery model. We have been providing information to all stakeholders since July 2012 as the RCMP wants transparency for our costing model and our financial reporting. The ROMP has incorporated input and good advice from many of the Regional Districts with developing the financial schedules. The financial schedules are in their final form and the basis for issuing invoices for the new 2013 calendar year. Invoices for January have already been issued. March Road Map: The RCMP and the Representatives discussed a road map to provide a date for various milestones and key decision points. At this cross road there are 2 options for the Governing Authorities to consider: 1) Continue to partner with ROMP OCOs and sign the MOU. 2) Begin the process to exit and transition to a new PSAP Service Provider. The MOU is in its final or near final version that cannot be a contract. ROMP seeks a written decision on signing the MOU. The date proposed was Sept 3Qth, 2013, however, many requested time to properly inform their respective Governance Boards. The ROMP will agree to a new date of December 31, If no response is received by that date, the ROMP will provide 12 months notice and implement a formal exit process to terminate PSAP service delivery. Further, for full transparency, the MOU decision is step 1. Step 2 will ensure proper resourcing for the COOs to continue to provide PSAP service. The lack of clarity for the responsibility of abandoned wireless calls and existing unmeasured workload may further impact PSAP resourcing requirements. The ROMP will require adequate resources and in all likelihood, additional resources, than currently funded for. These are considerations that should form part of your decision making criteria on the signing the new MOU with the ROMP. If an agreement can t be reached, the ROMP will exit out of the PSAP Service and support and facilitate the execution of your decision professionally regardless of your choice. The ROMP encourages the Governing Authority to do their due diligence to ensure that PSAP service delivery is cost effective for the tax payer. Kind re E Div COO Program Management ax XIAO Regional Director Finance Page 2 of 2

80 - Budget Working Paper - Page 42 Service Fund Category Regional Portfolio Chair General Operating - 01 Staff Manager of Community Services Emergency Telephone System Requisition Exhibit 6 Adopted March 26, 2015 Tax Rates (based on current year assessments)>> Change from LY Total Amount to Requisition: 926,255 Requisition/Parcel Tax 1,050,900 1,044,084 1,057,091 1,075,664 1,095,619 1,050, ,000 Grants 120, , , , ,892 Prior Year Requisition: 926,255 Change from Prior Year 151,601 Borrowing Proceeds Trsf. From Reserves Prior Year Surplus 17, ,645 4,000 Other 4,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 EXPENDITURES 1,201,856 1,191,964 1,170,484 1,185,939 1,207,009 1,229, Emergency Telephone System Travel, Meals, Train, Conf, Wkshp 5,000 2,410-2,590 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10, Memberships Phones 2,000-2,000 2,000 2,040 2,081 2,122 2, Review & Implementation & RDFFG Project5,000-5,000 7,000 5, Insurance 4,900 4, ,700 4,700 4,794 4,890 4, Administration Fees 22,366 22,366 46,924 46,924 46,924 46,924 46, Equipment 90,000 51,260-38,740 30,000 30,600 31,212 31,836 32, /4 Radio Towers 16,000 4,529-11,471 10,000 10,200 10,404 10,612 10, Licenses 4,000-4,000 4,000 4,080 4,162 4,245 4, Satellite Service (Infosat) 6,000 5, ,000 6,120 6,242 6,367 6, Supplies - Office & Computer 2, ,436 2,500 2,550 2,601 2,653 2, Contracts - Glentel 25,440 27,221 1,781 30,240 30,845 31,462 32,091 32, Interconnect Service (Telus + NWTel) 112, ,125 6, , , , , , a Contract - Dispatch (RCMP) 414, ,685 20, , , , , , b Contract - Dispatch (DC) 217, ,784 24, , , , , , c Contract - Dispatch (FSJ) 250, ,642-14, , , , , , Transfer to Capital Reserve 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 (Used same, 2% inflation, or actual) 2015 Acct See Category # Note Account Name Budget Actual Variance Budget Budget Budget Budget Budget REVENUE Emergency Telephone System Requisition - electoral 628, , , , , , , Requisition - municipal 298, , , , , , , Grants-in-lieu 120, ,141-12, , , , , , Recovered costs 4,000 5,384 1,384 4,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 4, Unappropriated surplus 151, , , Total Category Revenue 1,201,856 1,190,381-11,475 1,191,964 1,170,484 1,185,939 1,207,009 1,229,511 Total Category Expenditures 1,201,856 1,173,318-28,539 1,191,964 1,170,484 1,185,939 1,207,009 1,229,511 Surplus (deficit) carry forward 17,064 Change from (9,892) Budget Notes: LY Budget -0.82% 1-a RCMP, Prince George: 3.4 FTE (wages & benefits & Facility Overhead). Per 5-year schedule. This year $420,613. Rounded to $421,000 1-b 1-c 2 Includes tower rental, tower maintenance and hydro 3 Includes revenue from Blueberry, Doig, Halfway, Saulteau and West Moberly Reserves for 911 service (approx. $3,400) - Plus PRIS tower rental 4 Contract for preventative maintenance only and satellite service and tower rental. 5 Continue to implement recommendation of study ($5K). Plus $2K to do a 911 Options for Northern BC in partnership with RDFFG 6 Accounting requirement to show interest earned on reserves (In/Out) with no tax effect. Recording purposes only - no budget. 7 Includes Industry Canada radio licenses. Equipment includes cost for equipment replacement, repair and maintenance for items outside of Glentel's preventative maintenance contract. Also 8 includes battery replacement Dawson Creek: 2 Full time Firefighters (wages & benefits). Received from City of DC Jan. 24/15 ($232, rounded to $232,900) Fort St. John: 2 Full time Firefighters (wages & benefits). Received from City of FSJ Dec. 29/14 ($214, rounded to $215,000) Building a Capital Reserve for two reasons. One is that all functions that have capital equipment should have a capital reserve for replacements (ideally it should be equal to the accumulated depreciation). The second reason is that CRTC will soon be requiring a change over to a new system that will allow for text and video transmissions which will result in a higher capital cost. This could happen at any time. Protective Services Manager will be required to attend Provincial 911 meetings. As of Dec. 31, 2014 Tangible Capital Assets Original Accu. Dep. Net Value No Debenture Fund 38 Machinery & Equipment 210, ,760 49,383 Total 210, ,760 49,383 Capital Reserve Balance Dec. 31 Annual Depreciation Expense 21,014 Equity 70,397 25,114

81 - Budget Working Paper - Page 43 EXHIBIT 911 Emergency Telephone Services 6 Category Basis of Apportionment: Converted Hospital Assessment - Improvements ONLY Tax Rate or Other Limitations: LGA s. 800 (2) (f) Bylaw 1263, 1999 None Adopted March 26, 2015 Requisition Tax Rate Figures for Prior Year Adjusted Amount Per 1000 Apportionment Percent Adjustment Requisition Tumbler Ridge 40, ,103, % (108) 40,767 Dawson Creek 84, ,104, % 7 84,167 Hudson's Hope 16, ,531, % (171) 16,321 Fort St. John 153, ,546, % 8 153,737 Taylor 16, ,388, % (31) 16,392 Pouce Coupe 3, ,950, % (16) 3,894 Chetwynd 25, ,917, % 17 25,553 Area B 333, ,239, % (176) 333,422 Area C 76, ,656, % (0) 76,561 Area D 169, ,764, % ,475 Area E 130, ,387, % (429) 129,612 See Area E Jurisdiction Split Below Total 1,050, ,136,589, % (0) 1,050,900 Area E - Jurisdiction , ,050, % (424) 127,976 Area E - Jurisdiction 760 1,641 3,336, % (5) 1, , ,387, % (429) 129,612 Municipal Requisition 340,831 Electoral Requisition 710,070 Total Requisition 1,050,900 After Prior Year Adj Last Year Change % Change $ Requisition 926, % 124,645 Assessment 2,000,428, % 136,161,124 Tax Rate % Class 1 - Residential Total All Other Classes 400, , , , , , ,000 50,000 0 Tumbler Ridge Dawson Creek Hudson's Hope Fort St. John Taylor Pouce Coupe Chetwynd Area B Area C Area D Area E

82 PEACE RIVER REGIONAL DISTRICT CALLS 911 Call Count History Total Total Total Total Total Total Total % Total Calls % Total Calls % Total Calls % Total Calls % Total Calls % Total Calls % % % % % Calls Calls Calls Calls Calls Calls Calls % Total 911 Calls 14,075 13,943 17,944 15,051 16,527 14,349 15,355 15,746 15,492 17,830 18,835 16,738 17,736 RCMP 9,800 70% 9,655 69% 13,191 74% 9,501 63% 10,370 63% 8,717 61% 9,000 59% 9,507 60% 9,358 60% 11,267 11,362 60% 9,743 58% 10,122 57% BC Ambulance 2,126 15% 2,324 17% 2,443 14% 3,082 20% 3,001 18% 2,952 21% 3,385 22% 3,397 22% 3,174 20% 3,440 3,893 21% 4,017 24% 4,163 23% Dawson Creek Fire Dispatch 329 2% 354 3% 332 2% 353 2% 666 4% 400 3% 550 4% 468 3% 491 3% % 380 2% 511 3% Dawson Creek Fire * % % % % % % % % % % % % Chetwynd Fire 75 14% 83 15% % 82 14% % 89 14% 97 14% 80 12% 94 14% % % % Tumbler Ridge Fire 50 9% 58 11% 27 5% 46 8% 85 12% 81 13% % % % % % % Pouce Coupe Fire 18 3% 16 3% 16 3% 25 4% 20 3% 19 3% 21 3% 24 4% 20 3% % 26 3% 30 4% Tomslake Fire 16 3% 7 1% 6 1% 2 0% 13 2% 4 1% 16 2% 21 3% 15 2% % 12 19% 9 1% Moberly Lake 30 5% 26 5% 19 4% 18 3% 50 7% 21 3% 18 3% 20 3% 13 2% % 13 9% 16 2% Arras Fire 17 3% 8 1% 7 1% 4 1% 12 2% 6 1% 7 1% 5 1% 8 1% % 9 20% 8 1% TOTAL South Peace Fire Calls Fort St. John Fire Dispatch 324 2% 317 2% 417 2% 391 3% 609 4% 435 3% 561 4% 478 3% 475 3% % 432 3% 431 2% Fort St. John Fire * % % % % % % % % % % % % Charlie Lake Fire 33 10% 46 8% 71 9% 30 4% 55 5% 41 5% 57 7% 58 7% 57 6% % 63 6% % Taylor Fire 79 24% 59 10% 72 9% % % % 90 11% % % % % 81 7% Hudson's Hope Fire 20 6% 13 2% 23 3% 21 3% 39 4% 26 3% 24 3% 47 5% 38 4% % 46 4% 53 5% Wildfire Management 19 2% TOTAL North Peace Fire Calls Non PSAP Agency % % Abandoned 1,496 11% 1,293 9% 1,561 9% 1,724 11% 1,881 11% 1,845 13% 1,859 12% 1,896 12% 1,994 13% 2,400 2,626 14% 2,119 13% 2,432 14% * Not all fire response calls go through the Call Centre, eg.auto dialer fire alarm systems, old community dialup service, therefore there may be some variance between the total number of calls a fire department responded to if they were not provided assistance from dispatch ** 911 system was implemented June 2001

83 911/Fire Dispatch Costs: Historical & Projected 911 PSAP Cost per Call % Increase last 7 years (2009 to 2015) Contract Amount (estimated 2016 & 2017) $ 100,000 $ 350,414 $ 294,800 $ 305,600 $ 301,073 $ 398,633 $ 430,625 $ 443,398 $ 450,155 $ 457,269 27% 343% Actual # calls from 2002 and 2009 to 2014 (average # calls from last 5 years from 2015 to 2017) 14,075 15,746 15,492 17,830 18,835 16,738 17,736 17,326 17,326 17,326 Cost Per Call $ 7.10 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Dawson Creek Fire Dispatch (SSAP) % Increase last 7 years (2009 to 2015) Contract Amount Dawson Creek (estimated 2016 & 2017) $ 122,901 $ 186,468 $ 190,200 $ 191,130 $ 205,390 $ 216,300 $ 220,626 $ 225,039 $ 229,539 $ 234,130 21% 83% Actual # calls from 2002 and 2009 to 2014 (average # calls from last 5 years from 2015 to 2017) Cost per South Peace call through DC Dispatch $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Fort St John Fire Dispatch (SSAP) % Increase last 7 years (2009 to 2015) Contract Amount Fort St John (estimated 2016 & 2017) $ 122,901 $ 193,646 $ 183,600 $ 183,514 $ 183,600 $ 240,000 $ 211,140 $ 215,363 $ 219,670 $ 224,063 11% 75% Actual # calls from 2002 and 2009 to 2014 (average # calls from last 5 years from 2015 to 2017) ,223 1,037 1,033 1, Cost per call North Peace through FSJ Dispatch $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ TOTAL Cost Per Call for Fire Dispatch (SSAP) % Increase last 7 years (2009 to 2015) Contract Amount Fort St John & Dawson Creek (estimated 2016 & 2017) $ 245,802 $ 380,114 $ 373,800 $ 374,644 $ 388,990 $ 456,300 $ 431,766 $ 440,402 $ 449,209 $ 458,193 16% 79% Actual # calls from 2002 and 2009 to 2014 (average # calls from last 5 years from 2015 to 2017) ,605 1,945 1,810 1,759 1,889 1,686 1,686 1,686 Cost per call through DC & FSJ Dispatch $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ % Increase last 7 years (2009 to 2015) TOTAL 911/Fire Dispatch Budget (includes equipment, TelCo Charges, etc.) $550,500 $956,194 $964,966 $917,166 $967,766 $1,114,366 $1,201,856 $1,191,964 $1,407,484 $1,215,939 25% 117% % Increase from 2002 to 2015 % Increase from 2002 to 2015 % Increase from 2002 to 2015 % Increase from 2002 to 2015 % Increase from 2002 to 2015 Comparison Costs per call RDFFG 911 PSAP $ Fire Dispatch $

84 ITEM #7 3.2