Wheatland County prepares for Calgary 911 fire dispatch transition

By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County is continuing preparations to move fire dispatch services to Calgary 911 while also working through concerns about radio coverage and safety warnings raised by local fire associations.

It was noted that the initial target date of Nov. 30 has been revised to Dec. 8 in order to get contracts signed. 

Council received an update Sept. 8 on the transition, radio programming and the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System used by emergency responders.

Administration said work is underway with Calgary 911 and other technical partners to ensure dispatchers have accurate information about county roads, addresses, fire resources and response procedures.

Radio settings and communications between dispatch and firefighters are also being tested as part of the transition.

One issue being reviewed is radio channel scanning which allows a radio to monitor more than one assigned channel or talk group.

Administration said some fire associations have requested the feature, but adding it can be technically complicated and may place additional strain on the radio system.

The county is therefore reviewing it as part of the Calgary 911 transition rather than making changes separately.

Radio coverage generated considerably more discussion.

Portable radios issue an audible warning when they may be moving outside reliable coverage.

Administration acknowledged there have been complaints that the warning tone can repeat and become disruptive, particularly when firefighters take radios home.

Some have asked whether the warning could be disabled. Administration advised against that.

Council was told that this is an important safety feature and it’s the firefighter’s primary link to dispatch, incident command and other crews when they’re on an incident.

If a firefighter loses coverage, they could be unable to receive instructions, confirm their location or call for additional help. It was explained that there is an out-of-range tone that would warn them of that risk.

The county’s position is that the feature should remain active. 

Coverage testing has already taken place in parts of the county including the Rosebud area where radio communication has been a concern.

Administration said both handheld and vehicle mounted radios were tested. During the test, strong signals were reported through much of the area including inside buildings in Rosebud.

One out-of-range warning occurred in the far eastern portion of the county in a low-lying area near the Special Areas boundary.

Administration cautioned weather conditions were good during the test and radio performance can change because of weather, terrain and buildings.

Council also heard concerns from firefighters who take radios home because they want to hear dispatch information while travelling to the fire hall.

Reeve Scott Klassen said firefighters had explained they would rather listen to information through a radio than look at a phone while driving. 

“They prefer not to be on a phone driving and seeing what’s going on,” Klassen said. “The last thing I want to have is somebody with a phone in their hand looking at something and hit a ditch or t-bone somebody when they’re trying to help somebody else.”

Administration said it is working with the provider of the county’s notification application to explore possible improvements.

The county is also looking at practical ways to improve radio performance without removing safety features. Administration said the solution must preserve firefighter safety, be technically feasible and meet AFRRCS requirements.

Later in the meeting, council approved decommissioning and disposing of remaining equipment from the county’s legacy VHF radio system. Some mobile radios removed from fire trucks have already been repurposed for Public Works.