BC Emergency Health Services operates three integrated dispatch operations centres located in Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops. Together, these centres handle all 911 calls across the province and coordinate the emergency response.
These fast-paced centres operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They serve as the first point of contact for anyone who needs emergency pre-hospital care.
In 2019, BCEHS introduced new technology that allows emergency medical call-takers to answer and process 911 calls seamlessly across all three dispatch centres. This system ensures that calls can be handed efficiently, no matter which centre receives them or which community they serve.
The Vancouver Dispatch Operations Centre receives 911 calls and dispatches ambulances to more than 30 communities. Its service area stretches east to Mission and Agassiz, south to Manning Park in the Fraser Canyon and north to Pemberton and Lillooet. On average, the centre responds to about 900 emergency calls each day.
The Vancouver centre also includes the Patient Transfer Coordination Centre (PTCC). The PTCC acts as a single, province-wide coordination hub for patient transfers between designated hospital facilities across BC. The team coordinates about 350 transport requests per day and manages both air and ground critical care transports. Most transfers happen within BC, but some involve international transport.
The Kamloops Dispatch Operations Centre provides emergency dispatch services to communities across the BC Interior and Northern BC, covering all areas outside the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
This centre serves one of the largest geographical areas in North America. On average, it receives 500 to 600 emergency calls each day and dispatches ambulances to 98 communities across BC.
The Langford Dispatch Operations Centre provides emergency dispatch services for all of Vancouver Island, Powell River and the surrounding Gulf Islands. On average, the centre handles 250 to 300 emergency calls each day.
BCEHS dispatch operations centres are staffed by emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) and emergency medical call-takers (EMCTs). These highly trained professionals work closely with partner agencies, including police, fire, search and rescue, and the coast guard, to ensure people across British Columbia receive timely and effective emergency care.
EMCTs and EMDs are more than the calm and reassuring voice on the phone. They are often the first point of contact in life-or-death emergencies. They gather critical information and share it with paramedic crews and hospitals to support patient care.
They directing basic life support and advanced life support ambulances, as well as air ambulances when needed. They also coordinate with first responders, search and rescue teams, and police to make sure the right people and resources arrive at the scene as quickly as possible.
EMCTs and EMDs also provide emergency first aid instructions over the phone, such as CPR guidance during cardiac arrest and support during childbirth emergencies. These life-saving instructions, given while paramedics are on the way, can greatly improve patient outcomes.
When BCHES receives a 911 call, EMCTs and EMDs use an internationally recognized medical priority dispatch system. This system helps them quickly assess how serious the situation is and send the most appropriate response.
Pre-hospital emergencies are prioritized in a similar way to patients in a hospital emergency department. The most critical patients receive help first. The BC Ambulance Service assigns ambulances based on the caller’s description of the injury or medical condition.
About 70% of ambulance transports do not require an emergency driving response.
On May 30, 2018, BCEHS introduced an updated approach to assigning paramedics, ambulances and other resources to 9-1-1 calls. This system, called the Clinical Response Model (CRM), focuses on better matching resources to each patient's needs.
