Today the Port Moody Police Department (PMPD) moved its emergency call-taking and dispatch services to E-Comm. PMPD is the 17th police agency within southwest B.C. to integrate into E-Comm’s consolidated emergency communications centre; a transition that was the result of months of extensive operational and technical planning by PMPD and E-Comm.
Devon Moon, who’s been a Port Moody dispatcher for close to eight years and joined E-Comm as part of the transition, assumed command of Port Moody’s dispatch channels from within the E-Comm communication centre at 8:13am. Immediately following the cutover Port Moody Chief Constable Chris Rattenbury made a special radio broadcast from E-Comm to PMPD members: “This is Chief Constable Rattenbury speaking to you from E-Comm. This is an exciting day that comes after a lot of hard work from a great many people. Welcome to E-Comm and have a great shift everyone.”
The Port Moody Police Board approved transitioning dispatch services to E-Comm following an internal analysis that concluded the change would provide additional safety enhancements for officers and the public. Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay, Chair of the Port Moody Police Board, said Port Moody’s primary focus was to find a dispatch partner that aligns with PMPD’s goals of a safe community and organizational excellence.
“Our police department has strong ties to the community and we are extremely proud of the level of service they provide to residents,” emphasized Mayor Clay. “The additional staffing resources we are now able to call upon through our partnership with E-Comm means more resources to support our community, enhancing service for our residents and increasing officer safety.”
All PMPD dispatchers were offered positions at E-Comm prior to the transition. PMPD staff have been familiarizing themselves E-Comm’s communication centre over the past several months, while E-Comm call-takers took part in cross-training to learn about Port Moody’s operations, community and geography in order to provide a broader base of support for their new colleagues.
“E-Comm has a longstanding relationship with the Port Moody Police Department which has been utilizing our radio system for more than 15-years,” added E-Comm CEO David Guscott. “We’ve been dispatching Port Moody Fire Rescue since 2002 and are ready to provide the same high-quality call-taking and dispatch service to their police department.”
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E-Comm is the largest 9-1-1 centre in British Columbia and handles approximately 1.4 million emergency calls per year. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 35 police and fire departments, including Port Moody Police and Port Moody Fire-Rescue, and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional, tri-service emergency radio system in the province.