The St. Thomas Fire Department is looking into the possibility of separating their 911 lines after 1 call was missed last month as a result of them being cut. The incident occurred on August 14th around 11:35 a.m. when a subcontractor for Rogers accidentally cut 3,100 individual pairs of wires near Moore Street and Centre Street.
This resulted in all three 911 lines, the primary communication line from the EMS Central Ambulance Communications Centre and the main fire department line being cut.
Shortly after the department realized they were without service they sent a staff member to the police station and forwarded all their 911 calls to the police’s dispatch. Service to two of the police’s four 911 lines was cut, as a result of the police separating two of their lines out for contingency planning.
A temporary rerouting solution was in place by 11:30 p.m. at the fire department. The fire department is working with Environmental Services and exploring the feasibility of separating their 911 lines. A report with their findings will be back to council in the future. $150 in overtime costs was incurred during this incident.
