On February 24, Nova Scotia RCMP 911 Police Dispatchers will begin answering calls for service out of the new, state-of-the-art Operational Communications Centre (OCC) at RCMPNS Headquarters in Dartmouth.
Since 2018, the Nova Scotia RCMP has been planning this move to the modern space.
"The Nova Scotia RCMP OCC is now among the most advanced communications centres in Canada,
" says Insp. Dustine Rodier, Officer in Charge of the OCC. "We now have an OCC that reflects the exceptional work of our 911 Police Dispatchers.
"
The centre uses the most up-to-date technology for enhanced service to Nova Scotians, and was built with employee wellness in mind. Employee feedback and best practices from across the country informed the centre's design.
Features include:
- Several layers of redundancy built into our systems.
- Next Generation 911 compatible systems that will support continued advancements in technology.
- Open concept layout for ongoing situational awareness.
- State-of-the-art situational boards for enhanced situational awareness.
- Top quality ergonomic workstations with built-in features to support employee health and wellness.
- Plenty of natural light.
- Multiple areas for employees to decompress after challenging calls.
- Full working kitchen for employees to gather and share meals.
"RCMP 911 Police Dispatchers help Nova Scotians every day, through the challenging yet exceptional work they do,
" says Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman, Commanding Officer of the Nova Scotia RCMP. "The new, modern OCC enhances our existing abilities to provide an extremely high level of service to the residents of Nova Scotia for many years to come.
"
The Nova Scotia RCMP have produced a video about the new OCC. It can be viewed on Youtube or Facebook.
Transcript - New, state-of-the-art RCMP Operational Communications Centre set to open
(Music playing.)
(Door shown with Operational Communications Centre [OCC] logo.)
(Door opens.)
(Camera pans around the OCC.)
(Insp. Dustine Rodier appears on screen.)
My name is Insp. Dustine Rodier and I am the Officer in Charge of the Nova Scotia RCMP Operational Communications Centre, also known as the "H" Division OCC.
(Footage of a sign within the OCC: "Behind the headset, 911 Police Dispatcher")
(Camera pans around the OCC.)
(Footage of a lettering on wall within the OCC: "We are the vital link to public and police safety")
(Footage of 911 Police Dispatcher working.)
This is where our highly trained and dedicated 911 Police Dispatchers will soon be answering calls for service from across the province and making quick, high-risk decisions to protect the public and our first responders.
(Camera pans around the OCC.)
Since early 2018, we have been planning our move to this modern space and our OCC is now among the most advanced communications centres in Canada. We wanted our employees to work and take pride in a modernized, state-of-the-art communications centre. We asked what they wanted to see in the new OCC and they gave us lots of great suggestions.
(Footage of a 911 Police Dispatcher changing the height of their desk.)
The built-in features at the workspaces, the lighting, the décor and multiple areas for them to relax and decompress after challenging calls all reflect the feedback we received from our employees.
(Camera pans around the OCC.)
(Footage of three 911 Police Dispatchers socializing in a kitchen.)
(Tonya Carroll appears on screen.)
My name is Tonya Carroll. I've been with the RCMP for 15 years and just transferred into Nova Scotia "H" Division OCC in October 2019.
(footage of a lettering on wall within the OCC: "Value to Profession".)
(Footage of Tonya Carroll walking to a workstation in the OCC.)
(Footage of three 911 Police Dispatchers socializing in a kitchen.)
I'm really looking forward to everyone enjoying the new space. It's clean, it's new, it's technologically savvy. This is new. This is bright. We have outdoor windows. We can see sunshine. We're at headquarters. We get to be with the rest of our people. We're at the hub. It'll be good.
(Derek Wood appears on screen.)
My name is Derek Wood. I am a 911 Police Dispatcher with the RCMP in Nova Scotia and have been for 18 years.
(Footage of Derek Wood working at a workstation.)
What I'm looking forward to most about working in the OCC is the obvious open concept and being able to hear everything that's going on for situational awareness, as well as the cool new lights that we have that can alert somebody so that we can get to them and help them a little bit quicker.
(Footage of situational awareness boards in the OCC.)
(Footage of Derek Wood working at a workstation.)
Being in the new OCC to me will mean many years of continued service to our frontline members on the road, the public and to our partner agencies.
(EJ Kwon appears on screen.)
My name is EJ Kwon. I have been with "H" Division OCC for the past five and a half years.
(Footage of EJ Kwon working at a workstation.)
In a few years, we will be transitioning to the new Next Generation 911 system. Nova Scotians have needs to communicate with us in many different ways and we will be able to accommodate that.
(Glen Byrne appears on screen.)
My name is Glen Byrne. I'm the Commander of the Operational Communication Centre for the RCMP in Nova Scotia.
(Footage of Glen walking around the OCC.)
When we began this project, we travelled across the country, visiting many emergency dispatch centres. We did this to look at best practices to ensure we had new technologies that we can incorporate into our own centre.
(Footage of Glen working at a workstation.)
So, we also work with our external partners, such as EMO Nova Scotia, to ensure that the systems we put in place were all next Gen 911 compatible.
(Footage of Derek Wood working at a workstation.)
(Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman appears on screen.)
I'm Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman. I'm the Commanding Officer of "H" Division, which is Nova Scotia.
(Footage of 911 Police Dispatchers working.)
Police dispatchers are the first point of contact for people in an emergency situation. They are also the critical link to our officers in the field.
(Footage of the OCC.)
(Footage of 911 Police Dispatchers working.)
Dispatchers are essential to public safety and our new OCC will support them in the exceptional work that they do long into the future.
(Commissioner Brenda Lucki appears on screen)
RCMP 911 Police Dispatchers help people every minute of every hour of every day through the challenging and exceptional work they do. I am so proud to have these compassionate, hard-working professionals as part of our RCMP, and I wish them even more success in their brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
(Insp. Dustine Rodier appears on screen.)
When Nova Scotians call for help, our 911 police dispatchers will be there, operating out of our new modern OCC and using the most up-to-date technology. On behalf of all of the employees at the "H" Division OCC, we would like to thank you for your support and we look forward to serving Nova Scotians many years into the future.
(Screen fades to black.)
(RCMP signature: Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Gendarmerie royale du Canada)
(RCMP copyright: © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2020.)
(Canada wordmark)