New fire department to keep using same dispatch

A 9-1-1 dispatcher in the Perris Riverside County/Cal Fire Emergency Command Center takes a call and dispatches fire personnel to the scene of the emergency. This center will continue to handle fire department dispatches for the new City of Canyon Lake Fire Department. Photo provided by Riverside County Fire Department.

With the city’s deadline for officially starting its own Fire Department less than seven months away, critical decisions are one by one getting checked off Interim Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse’s list. A biggie, regarding who will handle the city’s fire dispatching needs, has been decided. And the decision has a sense of calm associated with it.

The dispatch duties will be handled by the same command center in nearby Perris that is currently providing the service to CalFire, the current provider of fire services to Canyon Lake.

9-1-1 fire calls will continue to be routed to the Riverside County/Cal Fire Emergency Command Center (ECC) in Perris. Nothing will change when the city’s fire department takes the reins in January.

When a 9-1-1 call is made from Canyon Lake, the call will continue to first go to the Public Safety Dispatch Center (PSAP), which typically will be the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch Center located in Riverside. (If the 9-1-1 call is from a cellular phone, the 9-1-1 call may be answered by the California Highway Patrol PSAP in Fontana.)

Once the 9-1-1 dispatcher determines that the caller is requesting the Fire Department, the call will then be transferred to the Riverside County/Cal Fire ECC in Perris. The Perris ECC is one of the largest emergency command centers in the state. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year by well-trained Fire Communications Dispatchers, all certified as Emergency Medical Dispatchers. In addition to dispatching the correct personnel to the scene of the fire, they can provide pre-arrival life-saving instructions for medical emergencies.

When the dispatcher receives the 9-1-1 call, they will know where the caller is physically located, but will still verify the location with the caller. The location is entered into the computer, and the closest, most appropriate resource is immediately dispatched. Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) ensure the emergency personnel get to the incident as quickly as possible.

The Perris ECC also dispatches for fire departments in Calimesa, Idyllwild, Soboba Reservation, Pechanga Reservation and Morongo Reservation.