How 911 Works

When a caller dials 911, the Brandon Public-Safety Communications Centre (BPCC) call taker asks, “911, What is your emergency?” Call takers are trained to ask a few brief questions to help determine which agency is required. BPCC’s job is to connect the caller as quickly as possible to the appropriate agency. The BPCC call taker will remain on the line with the caller until the agency answers. The entire process typically takes approximately 20-30 seconds.

Once connected to the primary response agency (i.e. ambulance), that agency’s dispatcher can, at any time, also contact other agencies to assist with response. For example, if the Medical Transportation Coordination Centre (ambulance) receives a call where police presence is required, they will contact the appropriate police agency for assistance.

On average, BPCC is responsible for creating approximately 360 events per day, each of which require multiple phone calls to coordinate. BPCC’s 2019 911 call volume was approximately 131,000. BPCC does not dispatch ambulances in Manitoba. That service is provided by the Medical Transportation Coordination Centre.