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Shore 9-1-1 centre not fi

Dear Editor:
Open letter to all North
Shore council members:

Re: proposed 9-3-1 call
centre for North Shore.

} should state that I do not
speak for any ageney and the
following thoughts are strictly
“my own personal views,

The Sept. 12 North Shore
News had an article regarding
the proposed 9-3-1 centre.
Untortunately, this article con-
tains some information chat 1
believe to be erroncous, and
would like to correct.

But first; one question:
How exactly will the advent of
.4 9-1-1 centre on the North
«Shore allow, “more control

“aver who responds-to various °

cemergencies wt?
2 Answer: it won't!
« The reasons for this are
«simple. Dispatch of ambulance
‘paramedics and fire depart-
iment first-responders is done
punder the terms oi'a document
‘called = the - First-Responders
Agreement.

Basically the policies state

- that first-responders are to be
. Sent to all medical emergencies
with a few specific exceptions, .

suchas maternity calls, calls to
doctors” offices and where a
ener evel ge care than the

Dede Baiton

“* I read. with amusement

y ;

Europear

ning’ genetically ‘cng?

seeds and products, ‘it seems

unlikely that North American

maniifacturers. will “voluntui-

ly”. submit: their products to

boycotts and frarket demise.

+ You will alo nose-that

not the govetiiment of Canada

ithat is regulating the labcllin,

b the industry itsclf designe
regulated. Once again

the. PGancetian government is .

contracting out. the work and

being’ regulated. “As Brewster
Kneen, author of the book
Farmageddow has stated: “This:
i enable the

1 legal res nsidifity,
n ‘for. ealth and

Gene cally ‘engineered s0 soy,
ola “com and/or’ potatocs ’
dre in . virtually: all of the
processed foods we cat, so we

are already unknowingly con-

‘suming, . thése-'untested: and

unlabelled products right now.

“In, my, opinion, the - “genetic
ngincering of our food supply
‘ig the most important agricul-
‘ture and food issue Facing us
today, and | implore all
_ Canadians to wake up and get
informed as to what.we are cat-
You. will learn’ that the
| more people kriow about the
_ genetic. engincering ‘of food,
the - less’ they want to: eat it
much less buy it!
Jane Thorthwai re, RD. N.
» Nutritionist =
North Vancoitver

fitst-responders can provide is
already on scene, ie

Cceupational First Aiders,
nurses, ete,

You should be aware that
the physical location of a 9-1-1
centre will have no effect what-
soever on who is sent to calls.
All chat a 9-1-1 call centre does
is answer the phone and say
“Police, fire, ambulance. Who
do vou require?” At that point,
depending on the caller’s
response, the call is forwarded
to the requested agency.

All medical calls are for-
warded to the ambulance ser-
vice, where the call is then
assessed by the call-taker.
Certain questions are asked,
and the resources necessary are
determined.

Te should be noted that the
reason that all medical calls are
in fact forwarded to the ambu-
lance service is that the ambu-
lance service dispatcher is the
only emergency dispatcher

“trained in: medical ‘call ‘assess-'

fir Sho:

(ALL.

Nes

ment, and pre-arrival medical
instructions. (How to de CPR
and first aid over the phone).

T submit chis information to
you, so that your deliberations
on whether to support a North
Shore 9-1-] centre can be
based on facts, not wishful
thinking by an impassioned,
albeit well-intentioned, propo-
nent of this plan.

Although the Greater
Vancouver Regional Districe-
wide E-Comm system has not
proven to be a dependable sys-
tem yet, it should be possible
tor the problems to be worked
out if pressure can be brought
to bear on the management.
So far they seem co be very
resistant to any improvements
and in face appear to be bury-
ing their collective heads in the
sand,

Communications between
the various agencies can. only

improve with everyone under. : B

the same roof. Something that

~-san‘ only be df benefit to’ all §

‘We Can Help.

Family . Services of the North Shore.

_ Community Family Counseltin

) Program

“* Families. Cosples. Individuals.
Services Available in Farsi’ -

We're Available™

te ohne: iat tents: avaiiebie ee

;’ Master's levet training. They will: wal ith you to.
help j jou’ make’ the changes’ in vali life that you
seek. Confidentiality f is, assured. |i

“l know how difficult it is to tote that first step,
and make a cal! to speak to @ counsellor. What
will you say? Will the person on the other end
of the phone understand? When you call me I
will provide you with all the support and
information you need and guide you to a coun-
sellor or program that best meets your needs.”

.. Vicki LeCocq
Intake Counsellor

We are helped by your
support of United Way

r i ‘ a
Wy we

BOX

Lower Mainlanders. (And
semething that can do nothing,
but help with the ongoing ten-
sions between agencies.)

The costs of a North Shore
9-1-1 centre as printed in the
paper seem to be very low. This
is probably because the costs
quoted for E-Comm reflect
the necessity ro pay jor the
building and set up of the
complete system. [ would sug-
gest thar if the costs for the
construction of the Gerry
Brewer building were factored
into the quete for the North
Vancouver centre, the costs
would be somewhat different
from those presented to the
various councils,

Council members would do

Sunday, October 24. 1999 — North Share News - 9

well to remember that every:
one involved in this debate has
their own axe to grind.

So by ail means consider
the issues — after all, there may
in fact be some good reasons
net to join E-Comm — but do
not think for a second, that
having a 9-1-] centre in North
Van translates to more control
over dispatch policy. That
belief is simply absurd.

Burrard infer is not some
magical barrier to telephone
lines. And in the event of “the
Big One” the phone lines to a
possible North Shore 9-1-1
centre would be no more like-
ly co be functional than those
te E-Comm. After all, phone
lines on land are just as at risk

Better Understanding

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iS aSwer

as those underwater and on
bridges. fn fact, I would think
that the dandlines are even
more vuincrable, due to falling
trees, poles, buildings, fires,
out-of-control vehicles, ete,

R. Whiting

North Vancouver

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eee

‘Munié

ipal

| Election -

Weli that's exactly what you're being asked to doi in ‘th pcoming ateriront
task force referendum. The District is quoting an unrealistic cost of $53 0
lion which will somehow amount to $41, 00 per year, per household ;

doesn't include allowances ‘for property appreciation oF carrying ¢ co
loss of tax revenues for the properties they nurchase. 2...

Doeen’ this sound familie? -

A message toc N North Shore Concemed Citizens Associatio