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n = NEWS 'FIRST FIRST RESPONDERS" GET BETTER DIGS IN NEW POLICE HQ : COMMUNICATIONS nber 20 the team of about 62. "It is a ' WHAT THEY DO. very. demanding role they g BUREAU IS OFTEN apiastake, day In day ort | Handle all incoming calls from Intil now, the bureau has the public, including 911, as we 2 THE PUBLIC S FIRST been working out of Be a 3s Wel Milton Canadian Champi s CONTACT, TAKING £ MORE THAN 350,000 < CALLS A YEAR SAIRA PEESKER speesker@metroland.com There's a term that Staff Sgt. Dave Cross uses to de- scribe the people who work in the Halton Regional Po- lice Seryice communica- tions bureau: The first first responders. The team of civilian em- ployees who take incoming calls, and handle dispatch and route calls between po- lice officers are often the first point of contact when a member of the public re- ports trouble -- putting them in a crucial role. "It's a challenging area AR LAI: OB L cramped conditions in the headquarters built in 1991. But with the new Halton po- lice headquarters opening Sept. 24, the communica- tions team will work out of a bigger, brighter room with a reorganized seating plan, designed to help dispatchers work together better and plan emergency responses faster, says Cross. "The current positioning isn't optimal for some of the processes," said Cross, who has been managing the bu- reau for about three years. "As things progressed over time in this facility, and our space was becoming a pre- mium, a lot of the worksta- tions didn't get integrated in the right areas. This move is allowing us to put the dis- patchers (for different parts ofthe region) in a better area AURIS RR Wi LG Eco-Fr 2 orl Price 751 Main St. E., (Across from GO Station) it's going to Burlington, we will be able to manage that easier." All 911 in Halton Region are routed through the po- lice communications centre, which often will redirect calls to the fire department or emergency medical ser- - [ A\NTEEL HTH EVRY 1 NU nanny Ware-B FREE ESTIMATES Milton 905-878-6919 Choice common type of call the cen- tre manages. Of 351,000 calls bureau staff processed last year, only 114,000 were relat- ed to emergencies. More commonly, says Cross, peo- ple call with non-urgent po- lice matters such as thefts. The expanded space in Graham Paine/Metroland The 911 communications centre at the Halton Regional Police Service's new headquarters is four times larger. monthly in order to stay on top of constantly evelving procedures and policies. It will also make life at work a more comfortable experi- ence overall, says Cross, with ergonomic worksta- tions, better acoustics and enough space that workers Catch a Great Deal! rerouting calls between police | officers. NUMBER OF STAFF. About 62 NUMBER OF CALLS IN 2017. More than 351,000 NUMBER OF 911 CALLS IN 2017: 114,000 being, he says happy staff will be "projected outward" to béfter public service. "The big thing will be the internal morale and the wellness piece," he said. "You'd have to see our cur- rent facility and go over to the new one to see that it's like night and day. Making sure they're well enough to be here, that they like com- 'because of what we're deal- so they can talk a lot easier vices, depending on the na- the new building will allow won't feel cramped. While* ingto work, willreflectasfar ing with on a daily basis," amongthemselves...Ifacall tureoftheissue.Callsto911, for more training, which most of these upgrades are as the public interaction said Cross, who manages originates in Oakville but however, are not the most staffers already undergo bi- focused on employee well- goes." Place Browse our inventory of vehicles by Body Style, popular Makes and Models, Province, popular Cities or by Price. Whatever path you choose, you will find the right car, in the right location, for the right price! | { « f (S101 SI1NIV NES Eo 14 (HRV ISIBRTY Fine whet you're VISOR LI SRST ART: - | : 3 a [oe i autocatch.... insidehalton.com "~