4. 911
ANNUAL REPORT 2007
RAPPORT ANNUEL (2007) SUR LE
SERVICE 9-1-1 |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council receive this
report for information.
RECOMMENDATION
DU COMITÉ
Que le Conseil prenne connaissance de ce rapport à titre d’information.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services
Department report dated 24 April 2008 (ACS2008-CCS-OEM-0002).
Report to/Rapport au:
Community and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services communautaires
et de protection
and Council / et au Conseil
24 April 2008 / le 24 avril 2008
Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur
municipal adjoint,
Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de
protection
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : John Ash, Manager
Office of Emergency Management/Unité des
mesures d’urgence
(613) 580-2424 x28627, John.Ash@Ottawa.ca
|
SUBJECT: |
|
|
|
|
|
OBJET : |
RAPPORT ANNUEL (2007) SUR LE SERVICE 9-1-1
|
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Community and Protective Services Committee and Council receive this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION DU
RAPPORT
Que
le Comité des services communautaires et de protection et le Conseil prennent
connaissance de ce rapport à titre d’information.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Attached is a copy of the 9-1-1 Annual Report for
2007 from Ottawa Police Service (OPS) who administer the 9-1-1 contract on
behalf of the Community and Protective Services Department.
Highlights of
the report include:
§ Total calls for service (calls answered) for 2007 were 210,599 with a daily average of 577 calls. This represents an increase of 1.6% in calls compared to 2006 and a reverse of the four year trend of a slight decline in 9-1-1 calls answered.
§ Of the calls for service in 2007, 65.86% were received for Ottawa Police Service, 4.09% for Ottawa Fire Services and 25.89% for Ottawa Paramedic Service (the balance of 4.16% were for other, such as military police, RCMP or provincial police services).
§ The service level objective in place for 9-1-1 is to have 98% of all calls answered within six seconds. For 2007 the annual performance average was 97.9% (an increase of .9% from last year).
§ In 2007 callers abandoned a total of 274 calls (equates to 0.1% of total calls) down from 497 calls in 2006 (which equated to 0.2% of last year’s total calls).
§ At the request of the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Police Service has added a new reporting feature – 911 public complaints. A total of 8 public complaints were received in 2007. Once received, the complainant is contacted in each case to review the circumstances and information exchange that occurred with the respective call agent as well as 9-1-1 procedures. As quality customer service is a key element of 9-1-1 and because the identification of service improvements is critical to maintaining superior standards, performance review, in-house training, and/or other means are utilized where applicable.
It should be noted that call volumes cited in this
report refer to emergency calls answered by the 9-1-1 Service only. Calls to all emergency services (Police,
Fire and Paramedic Services) come from various sources other than the 9-1-1
Service. Accordingly, there is not a
direct one-for-one relationship between calls answered by the 9-1-1 service and
total calls received by Police, Fire and Paramedic services.
The attached Annual Report details the activities
of the 9-1-1 Service in 2007.
RÉSUMÉ
Vous
trouverez ci-joint le rapport annuel sur le service 9‑1‑1 pour
2007, préparé par le Service de police d'Ottawa (SPO), qui administre les
contrats du service 9‑1‑1 au nom des Services communautaires et de
protection.
Voici quelques faits saillants énoncés dans le
rapport :
§
Le
nombre total d’appels de service (appels auxquels des préposés ont répondu)
s’est établi à 210 599 en 2007, pour une moyenne quotidienne de
577 appels. Cela représente une augmentation de 1,6 % par rapport au
nombre d’appels reçus en 2006 et vient inverser la tendance à une légère
diminution qui avait été constatée au cours des quatre années précédentes.
§
De
tous les appels de service reçus en 2007, 65,86 % visaient le Service de
police d'Ottawa, 4,09 % concernaient le Service des incendies et
25,89 %, les Services médicaux d'urgence (les 4,16 % restants
s’adressaient à d’autres services tels que la police militaire, la GRC et la
Police provinciale de l'Ontario).
§
En ce
qui concerne son niveau de service, le numéro 9‑1‑1 a pour objectif
de répondre en au plus six secondes à 98 % de tous les appels reçus, ce
qu’il a réussi à faire en 2007 dans 97,9 % des cas en moyenne, ce qui
représente une augmentation de 0,9 % par rapport à l’année précédente.
§
En
2007, 274 appels (ce qui équivaut à 0,1 % du nombre total d’appels) ont été
abandonnés, en baisse par rapport à 497 appels en 2006 (ce qui équivalait à 0,2
% du nombre total d’appels de l’année dernière).
§
À la
demande de la Ville d’Ottawa, le Service de police d’Ottawa a ajouté un élément
au rapport, soit les plaintes du public concernant le service 911. Huit (8) plaintes de ce type ont été reçues
en 2007. Lorsque l’on reçoit une
plainte, on communique avec le plaignant afin de passer en revue la situation
ainsi que l’échange d’information qui a eu lieu avec l’agent ayant reçu l’appel
tout en tenant compte des procédures du service 9-1-1. Étant donné que la qualité du service à la
clientèle constitue un élément clé du service 9-1-1 et que la détermination des
améliorations pouvant y être apportées revêt une importance cruciale pour le
maintien de normes supérieures, on a recours à l’examen du rendement, à la
formation interne et à d’autres moyens s’il y a lieu.
Il
importe de noter que les volumes d’appels mentionnés dans le présent rapport
renvoient aux appels d’urgence auxquels ont répondu des préposés des services
du 9‑1‑1 uniquement. Les
appels visant les différents services d’urgence (services de police, des
incendies et d'ambulance) proviennent de diverses sources autres que les
services du 9‑1‑1. De ce
fait, il n’existe pas de rapport direct d’égalité entre les appels reçus aux
services du 9‑1‑1 et tous les appels reçus aux services de police,
des incendies et d'ambulance.
Le rapport annuel ci‑joint explique en
détail les activités menées en 2007 par le service 9‑1‑1.
CONSULTATION
No consultation was required for this administrative report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications associated
with this report.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 - 9-1-1 Annual Report, 2007
DISPOSITION
Ottawa Police Service – operation of the 9-1-1 Bureau under contract to the Community and Protective Services Department.
DOCUMENT 1
|
|
REPORT RAPPORT |
|
DATE: |
April 7th, 2008 |
|
TO: |
Chair and Members of Emergency and Protective Services Committee |
|
FROM: |
Inspector Michael Rice, 9-1-1 Bureau Manager, Ottawa Police Service |
|
SUBJECT: |
2007 Annual Report
on 9-1-1 Operations- Ottawa Police Service |
Make the right call information is available in
the Bell Canada phone book and on the Ottawa Police Service website. 9-1-1 is an Emergency Services reporting system that has
been in operation within the geographic boundaries of what is now the City
of Ottawa, since June 15th, 1988. The system was initially established by the former Regional
Municipality of Ottawa Carleton in consultation with Bell Canada, and has
since its inception, been operated and managed by the Ottawa Police
Service. The partners in this
system include fire, paramedic and police agencies operating within the
municipal boundaries of the City of Ottawa. The Enhanced 9-1-1 Primary Public Safety Answering Point
(E911 PPSAP) operates from within the Communications Centre of the Ottawa
Police Headquarters, located at 474 Elgin Street. The E9-1-1 PPSAP is staffed through a rotation of personnel
working within the Communications Centre, who during the course of a
working shift, rotate between police call taking, radio dispatching and
9-1-1 call agent roles. This system provides a pool of personnel fully
conversant with 9-1-1, the ability to temporarily augment 9-1-1 with
additional call agents during times of high demand, and the dedication of
members that bring the skills and expertise expected of police dispatchers.
9-1-1 STAFFING / MANAGEMENT
Twenty of the 102 call
agent positions within the Communications Centre complement have been
established as 9-1-1 positions to provide continuous coverage. Until March
2006, the E9-1-1 PPSAP was typically staffed with four 9-1-1 call agents at any
given time, although this may be reduced to three during hours of low call
activity. In 2007, the average number of 9-1-1 call agents logged on was six.
During peak hours or incidents resulting in high demand, additional resources
can also be quickly re-assigned to 9-1-1 call taking positions from existing
police Communications Centre staff.
The Ottawa Police staffing model provides six platoons or workgroups and a fixed shift, each including one Supervisor and one Manager. Shift rotations provide coverage twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. During peak hours, shift overlaps and a fixed shift provide additional personnel to supplement staffing levels. The Shift Managers report to a police Staff Sergeant, who in turn reports to the Inspector in charge. The Inspector is designated as the 9-1-1 Bureau Manager.
SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS ENHANCEMENTS
Performance Management System
On January 18, 2006, 9-1-1’s recorded announcement heard by
callers when all call agents are busy was updated, including caller direction
to stay on the line and not hang up.
This announcement is activated after 10 seconds if all agents are busy
and a 9-1-1 call(s) is waiting to be answered by the next available agent.
On June 30th, 2006, all call agent positions in the
Communications Centre were reconfigured to receive ANI/ALI (Automated Number
and Location Information) and ACD phone sets were standardized, allowing any
OPS call agent to quickly log on and receive 9-1-1 calls when necessary. As a result, the average number of call
agents logged on to 9-1-1 in 2007 was six. The overall complement of the Ottawa
Police Communications Centre was also increased by five positions in 2006 as
part of our Strategic Staffing Initiative. These changes have contributed
towards reaching established performance objectives.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
Critical to maintaining
the integrity of 9-1-1 is the ability to consistently provide an exceptionally
high level of service. The service level objective in place at 9-1-1 in Ottawa
is to have 98% of all calls answered within six seconds, once received by the
Ottawa Police phone system. This high objective far exceeds those set by other
Primary PSAP’s in Ontario (i.e. Toronto Police Service- 90% of all calls
answered within 10 seconds, Peel Regional Police Service- 95% of all calls
answered in 6 seconds, OPP- 95% within 12 seconds).
In comparison, the
National Emergency Number Association (NENA USA) call answering standard is to
answer 90% of all 9-1-1 calls within 10 seconds during the busy hour (the hour
each day with the greatest call volume), and answer 95% of all 9-1-1 calls
within 20 seconds.
The Bell Canada system
requires approximately five seconds to process a call, which once delivered to
the Ottawa Police Service, is processed by an Automatic Call Distributor system
and directed to the first available agent.
Incoming 9-1-1 calls are forced, which means that an available call
taker is automatically alerted to the incoming call by an audible tone in their
headset followed by an instant connection.
Service level performance has consistently improved year after year since 2002. For 2007, the average service level achieved was 97.9%, with 7 out of 12 months over 98%, 4 months over 97%, and 1 month over 96%.
|
2007 |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
|
Percentage |
98.6 |
98.4 |
98.4 |
97.6 |
98.1 |
97.9 |
98.2 |
97.1 |
96.6 |
97.5 |
98.5 |
98.3 |
97.9 |
CALL ACTIVITY
In 2007, 9-1-1 call
agents answered 210,599 calls
representing a 1.6% increase compared to 2006 (+3,440 calls). Between
2003 and 2006, the volume of calls answered has decreased year over year;
however, this trend reversed in 2007. The daily average of calls answered in
2007 was 577.
In comparison, the total calls for service (Calls Answered) for 2006 was 207,159 with a daily average of 568 calls answered. In 2005, the total calls for service were 211,372 with a daily average of 579 calls. As evidenced by the chart below depicting calls answered, the last three years have been relatively consistent.
ABANDONED CALLS
Callers abandoned only 274 of all the calls offered to 9-1-1 during 2007, equating to only 0.1% of the total calls offered (210,873).
In comparison, callers abandoned a total of 497 calls in 2006, 1,527 calls in 2005, and 1,856 calls in 2005, and 1,856 in 2004. A continuous decrease of calls abandoned has been experienced over an eight year period, from a high of 5,351 out of 241,371 calls offered in 2000 to our current low of 274 out of 210,873 calls offered in 2007.
As evidenced in the following illustration based on monthly results for the period January to December 2007, of the 0.1% total abandoned calls, 63.9% of 9-1-1 callers abandoned in less than 12 seconds, 35.4% abandoned between 12 and 24 seconds after calling, 0.7% abandoned between 24 and 36 seconds after calling.
The number of abandoned calls is very low. Most callers who decide to disconnect typically do so once they hear the recorded announcement that plays at the 10 second interval if the call(s) is yet to be answered. The recorded announcement plays during periods when call activity suddenly peaks; however, fewer callers are hearing this now that more call agents on average are logged on and available.
Percentage of Calls Abandoned/ Duration (seconds)
AVERAGE HANDLING TIMES
The Ottawa Police Service began capturing
average handling time data in 2005. This represents the time an agent takes on
average to handle a 9-1-1 call.
Although the handling time of each call varies according to the type of
emergency service required, this measurement provides a standard benchmark from
which to monitor annual trends and call agent performance. For 2007, the
average handling time of 9-1-1 calls has remained consistent with 2006 at 98
seconds. In 2005, it was 101 seconds and in 2004 it was 96 seconds. This includes retaining calls that are
identified for police.
9-1-1 COMPLAINT STATUS FOR 2007
The Ottawa Police Service received a total of eight (8) public complaints during 2007 related to 9-1-1 at the E911 PPSAP, and in some cases police response (any issues brought forward by the public that relate to a Secondary PPSAP are forwarded when received to the appropriate downstream agency).
Follow-up review has determined that four calls were appropriately handled; however, improved service was identified as a requirement in four of the other calls. An Ottawa Police-initiated Operational Review was also conducted for a call for service requiring multiple-agency response.
Once received, the complainant is contacted in each case to review the circumstances and information exchange that occurred with the respective call agent as well as 9-1-1 procedures. As quality customer service is a key element of 9-1-1 and because the identification of service improvements is critical to maintaining superior standards, performance review, in-house training, and/or other means are utilized where applicable.
|
No. |
Date Received |
Nature of complaint received |
Outcome of Review |
|
1. |
April 12th |
9-1-1 PPSAP response redirecting two emergency calls from same individual to the main police ph. number and Police Other Emergency line respectively (re theft from a vehicle, not in progress). |
9-1-1 response appropriate No further action required |
|
2. |
May 3rd |
9-1-1 PPSAP decision to down stream to Secondary PSAP based on nature of call (fire) |
9-1-1 response appropriate No further action required |
|
3. |
Jun 29th |
9-1-1 PPSAP response and follow-up advising the caller of the appropriate police ph. number to use (re individuals drinking in a public place). |
9-1-1 response appropriate No further action required |
|
4. |
Aug 20th |
9-1-1 PPSAP and police response to an assault/fight in progress |
9-1-1 procedures and police response to call appropriate. Identified need for improved information exchange by call agent. |
|
5. |
Aug 24th |
9-1-1 PPSAP and police response (re damage to property in progress). |
Incorrect classification of call by the call agent. |
|
6. |
Sep 8th |
Police-initiated review of 9-1-1 PPSAP and police response to a personal watercraft found floating on the Ottawa River with no operator (later confirmed drowning). |
Police Operational Review conducted involving Police and Fire personnel. Recommendations currently being addressed. |
|
7. |
Oct 4th |
9-1-1 PPSAP response to a request by the caller for information concerning medical response by Secondary PSAP to call location. Second issue also raised by the caller concerning Secondary PSAP. |
Review determined improved information exchange required by the PPSAP call agent with the caller. Second issue forwarded to Secondary PSAP for follow-up. |
|
8. |
Nov 15 th |
9-1-1 PPSAP request for caller to provide closest intersection for police response, and information provided to caller to use main police phone number for follow-up (re assault) |
Identified need for improved information exchange by call agent. |
|
9. |
Dec 10th File #07-1646 |
9-1-1 PPSAP and police response (re threatening person) |
Appropriate 9-1-1 & police response. No further action required. |
PARTNER AGENCIES
The distribution of calls for service for the emergency service providers within the City of Ottawa has remained reasonably constant for several years, with the majority of calls requiring a police response.
Compared to 2006, there was marginal reduction of calls in 2007 handled by police (-0.5%), a very slight increase of calls handled by paramedics (+. 23%) and fire (+. 19%).
|
|
Ottawa Police |
Ottawa Paramedic |
Ottawa Fire |
OPP |
Quebec 911 |
RCMP |
Military Police |
|
2007 |
65.86% |
25.89% |
4.09% |
3.15% |
0.91% |
0.07% |
0.02% |
|
2006 |
66.36% |
25.66% |
4.28% |
2.86% |
0.76% |
0.07% |
0.01% |
|
2005 |
68.07% |
24.06% |
4.05% |
2.98% |
0.76% |
0.07% |
0.01% |
|
2004 |
71.62% |
20.38% |
3.44% |
3.05% |
1.42% |
0.07% |
0.02% |
|
2003 |
74.30% |
17.17% |
3.34% |
2.63% |
2.49% |
0.06% |
0.01% |
|
2002 |
75.54% |
16.8% |
2.95% |
2.36% |
2.30% |
0.05% |
>.01% |
|
2001 |
77.2% |
15.6% |
3.25% |
2.27% |
1.60% |
0.03% |
0.01% |
|
2000 |
77.6% |
15.5% |
3.1% |
2.31% |
1.40% |
0.04% |
0.01% |
CALL SOURCES
Calls originated from the following sources within the City each year from 2002 to 2007.
|
Source |
2007 % |
2006 %
|
2005%
|
2004 %
|
2003 %
|
2002 %
|
|
Cellular |
43.65 |
40.4 |
40.7 |
42.30 |
50.40 |
50.8 |
|
Residential |
32.39 |
34.8 |
34.2 |
33.27 |
29.30 |
29.5 |
|
Commercial Single Line |
8.40 |
8.25 |
8.07 |
7.33 |
4.95 |
4.53 |
|
Centrex |
4.12 |
4.88 |
5.09 |
5.57 |
5.23 |
5.28 |
|
Public Pay Telephone (for ILEC and Independent Telephone
Companies only) |
4.11 |
4.64 |
5.22 |
4.95 |
4.30 |
4.02 |
|
Commercial Push Button Including PBX |
4.52 |
4.47 |
4.53 |
4.38 |
3.93 |
3.65 |
|
Unknown |
2.70 |
2.06 |
1.72 |
1.68 |
1.43 |
1.76 |
|
Local Residential Resale |
0.11 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
0.28 |
0.15 |
0.11 |
|
Public Competitive Pay Telephone |
0.06 |
0.14 |
0.13 |
0.17 |
0.21 |
0.30 |
|
Multi-Party Line (Commercial, Residential) |
0.04 |
0.05 |
0.06 |
0.06 |
0.05 |
0.06 |
|
Data |
0.00 (9) |
0.03 (61) |
0.02 (33) |
0.01 (13) |
0.00 (3) |
0.01 (11) |
|
Foreign
Exchange Service |
0.00
(1) |
0.00 (3) |
0.00 (1) |
0.00 (1) |
|
Nil |
|
Consumer
Internet Protocol *This proposed Service Class for the residential market
is not in use at this time. |
|
0.00 (1) |
0.01 (16) |
|
|
CONCLUSION
9-1-1 is a critical gateway to the provision of emergency services within the City of Ottawa. The Ottawa Police Service, as manager of the E9-1-1 Primary PSAP, is committed to maintaining high standards of performance and quality service, ensuring timely and effective handling of emergency calls for service within the municipality and public safety.
Submitted by,
______________________
Inspector Michael Rice
9-1-1 Bureau Manager
Ottawa Police Service