“911 What Is Your Emergency?"

Could you ask that question?

Could you be the one talking a child through an emergency? Could you listen to the panic of a parent calling in with an unresponsive child like we had to a few years ago? Could you remain calm and put calls through to the fire department, the paramedics, the police department, and the peace officers?

These guys do, and they are amazing at their job.

We have fourteen 911 Dispatchers that work right here in Parkland County! They pull 12 hour shifts answering calls from all over Alberta, they serve 250,000 residents and answer approximately 63,000 emergency calls per year.

We went right into the dispatch room to watch them work. 

They welcomed the kids to come right in and they were very quiet, and in awe. The dispatchers would swivel in their chairs to chat with us and then the phone would ring. 

Evacuating an elementary school because of a suspected gas leak. 

Sending an ambulance to a senior who had fallen.

Answering a pocket dial.

Dispatching a fire truck to an alarm in Redwater.

Then they would swivel back in their chairs to us to chat again. Their work screens are huge, their ability to multitask is so impressive. I can barely use my iPhone and these men and women are listening to callers, dispatching the right emergency service, watching the response times, and doing it all over and over again without losing their cool.

They are quite simply, amazing

Third storey fire? Suspicious package? Choking child? Victim trapped in a vehicle? Boating accident? Missing senior? Robbery?

Every single emergency situation has a different set of questions, different responses, different actions, and these men and women know how to handle every single one of them. 

I ask them about the worst calls they have ever received. 

They said you don’t want to hear about those.

I ask them about the funny calls they receive. 

They said it was a pretty entertaining few months when marijuana was legalized!

I ask them if they have ever had to call 911 and one said yes. She was the panicked parent suddenly calling her friends at work needing an ambulance for her young child. 

Wow. 

We take calls for beef jerky orders, they take calls and SAVE LIVES all over the province. 

It was hard to decide on what to gift these amazing humans! We decided that maybe a nice, peaceful, dinner out for each of them would be an idea and so we went straight to Porta Romana in Spruce Grove. One of our favourite local restaurants…the owners are amazing, the food is all hand made daily, and the ambiance in the room always seems so cozy and peaceful.

Porta Romana offers 10% off to all service men and women, all the time. How amazing are they

We hope you enjoy a relaxing evening out, you so deserve it. 

We need you. And we thank you for answering our calls for help.

Merry Christmas

~ Amanda & Trevor Wilhauk