911

Parkland County’s Emergency Communications Centre has continued to grow and evolve since its inception in 1988. Technological changes including state of the art radio equipment, GPS, (ambulance tracker) and computerized mapping, have created a complex, active and high profile centre.

With the implementation of Telus E911 service in November, 1996 and emergency medical dispatch services, the County's ECC has established itself as a regional communications centre. The ECC currently provides 911 call answer services to over 50 municipalities with a population in excess of 135,000. As part of the provincial 911 network, the Parkland County ECC also serves as an emergency backup to other regional call answer centres. Parkland County Emergency Communication Operators (ECO) are a dedicated group of professionals trained to meet the challenges of a variety of emergency situations. The ECOs are certified Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) in accordance with internationally recognized standards, and can often provide life saving ambulance pre-arrival instructions to citizens in need.

The ECC provides a number of other valuable services for the benefit of the public it serves, including telephone access for the hearing impaired, law enforcement communication services, and dispatch services to a number of other municipal fire departments. In addition, the ECC monitors alarms for the Parkland School Division schools and the Parkland County municipal waterworks, as well as providing dispatch services to Parkland County’s Animal Control Department.

Useful Facts

911 calls from pay phones and cell phones are free.
Use 911 only when people or property are at risk.
Make sure your municipal address can be clearly seen from the roadway by emergency services. (Please click here for more information on municipal addressing)
Let 911 operators control the call.
Do not hang up until the operator advises you to do so.
Teach your children when it is appropriate to use 911. Make sure your child care providers know your address and phone number.
If you call from your vehicle, stop in a safe area and look for street signs, addresses, major buildings or landmarks.
On highways, note your direction of travel, and any exit and highway numbers.
If you are in an area not served by 911, call the operator.

What Happens When You Call 911?

Critical Information the dispatcher will need to know:

Where is the emergency? (Give the address, name of the town, street, apartment building and name)
What is the phone number you are calling from?
What is the emergency?
Age and number of people involved
Are they conscious?
Are they breathing?

Calling 911

The 911 Emergency telephone system is designed to assist citizens with Police, Medical, or Fire Emergencies. Non-Emergency calls to the 911 System cause delays in handling other serious emergencies requiring immediate attention.

When to call:

To report a fire or smoke
To stop a crime
To request an ambulance for a medical emergency

When not to call:

To report a minor traffic accident (non-injury)
To make a prank telephone call
To ask for telephone directory assistance