Call Handling and Fire Dispatch Services

The vendor required to provide call handling and fire dispatch services to secure a qualified emergency communications provider capable of delivering:
•    Primary public safety answering point (PSAP) 9-1-1 call handling 24/7/365
•    Fire dispatch services for all county fire halls
•    Cad system support, implementation, and integration
•    Radio coordination and interoperability within system
•    Next generation 9-1-1 (ng911) readiness with a clear implementation roadmap
•    Measurable and enforceable service levels
- Emergency call handling and dispatch
•    Interconnect seamlessly with the existing TELUS 9-1-1 infrastructure.
•    Meet or exceed state 911 standards and demonstrate accreditation or active pursuit thereof with:
o    Center for public safety excellence (CPSE)
o    Accreditation country
o    International academy of emergency dispatch (IAED)
•    Receive and answer all emergency (e911) and non-emergency calls 24/7/365 originating from the county’s service area. 
•    Calls may include, but are not limited to:
o    Fire incidents
o    Motor vehicle collisions (MVCS)
o    Medical assists requiring EMS response coordination
o    Other life safety emergencies relevant to county response capabilities
•    Initiate and engage in SMS messaging sessions with registered deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired (DHHSI) callers, where applicable
•    Dispatch appropriate fire, rescue, or support resources for all incidents, in accordance with predetermined response protocols and run cards
•    Coordinate EMS, law enforcement, and other PSAPs for multi-agency responses, mutual aid, or large-scale incidents
•    Apply standardized call interrogation protocols to collect key caller information, including:
o    Phone number (for call back)
o    Address
o    Name
o    Nature of emergency
o    Any additional incident information including detailed directions if required
•    Provide region-specific tone-outs and alerts aligned with fire hall and operational requirements
•    Maintain redundant capability to ensure no single point of failure
- Radio and communications
•    Operate fully within system and p25 environment while maintaining interoperability with legacy vhf and uhf conventional systems and approved ROIP architectures
•    Maintain current programming and talk group structures
•    Coordinate tactical channel assignments during incidents
•    Ensure interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions and mutual aid partners
•    Maintain backup communication processes for crew contact in the event of radio failure, 24/7
•    Provide a 24/7 escalation contact number
- Computer-aided dispatch (cad)
•    Real-time unit tracking using our existing GPS modems
•    Incident time stamping
•    Run card management
•    Mapping and geospatial integration with ArcGIS and MRF using standard integration protocols
•    Supporting Inet public safety as the primary cad service and assisting in transition to a new cad provider with a detailed plan
•    Mobile data compatibility (preferred)
•    Automated reporting capabilities, with data export and integration to meet county reporting requirements
- Regional and interagency coordination
•    Support mutual aid responses
•    Support automatic aid agreements
•    Support large-scale or multi-jurisdictional incidents
•    Participate in provincial or regional emergency coordination frameworks
- Documentation and analytics
•    Participate in operational reporting for all call types, including re-routed calls
•    Provide monthly and annual performance metrics
•    Support records management systems
•    Capture and record ani, Ali, radio and SMS communications, and downstream PSAP handoffs
•    Assist with post-incident analysis when requested
•    Maintain records in compliance with applicable privacy legislation
•    Maintain documented and enforced standard operating procedures
•    Maintain a documented emergency response plan
- Testing and quality assurance
•    Scheduled tone-out, radio system, and cad failover testing
•    Participate in disaster recovery exercises and county-led emergency exercises
•    Maintain a quality assurance program
•    Maintain a clear complaint management process
- Suggested baseline metrics:
1. Measure and target
•    Call answer time: ≥ 95% answered within 15 seconds
•    Dispatch time (call received to tone-out): ≤ 60–90 seconds
•    System uptime: 99.9% minimum
•    Cad availability: 99.9% - 24/7 with redundancy
•    Tone-out accuracy: ≥ 99%
•    Staffing: minimum two trained dispatchers on duty at all times.