First Responders provide an essential and selfless service to communities across Ontario. How do we collaborate with First Responders to provide proactive security and community protection?
What is First Responders Day?
May 1st is First Responders Day in Ontario – each year this day is observed to acknowledge the valuable contributions of who those who protect and preserve life, property, and the environment during emergency situations. First responders include Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, military personnel, and more. The First Responders Day Act was first passed in Ontario in 2013, with other provinces following suit (1). As a security provider, we collaborate with First Responders on a daily basis to assess and address a host of different incidents across a multitude of industries and sites – Police, Emergency Medical Services, and Fire Departments.
Our collaboration with Police:
Our primary goal is always to deter crime before it happens, prior to involving law enforcement. Our Live Remote Video Monitoring team utilize loud voice commands and bright LED strobe lights to warn individuals that they are being live monitored and the site is off-limits. If suspects don’t desist, our team will work with Police dispatch to send officers to the scene. Calls from our Monitoring Centre are prioritized and treated as “crimes in progress” – expediting the dispatch process.
We provide Police with specific details – the individual’s actions, their physical description, as well as their location on-site to assist Police with locating them. Our LED strobe lights can also be utilized to direct Police to where they need to go once they arrive on-site. All information is collected and detailed within Log Reports that are made available through our proprietary reporting platform, syncroReports. Our work with Police is key to our proactive security efforts, and we value the trusting collaboration we share in service of our community and protection for our clients.
Our work with Emergency Medical Services:
We capture more than just crime within our camera views, and we respond with the same urgency if we observe someone who is in need of assistance.
If our Monitoring team spot someone who is in distress, they will alert Emergency Medical Services to attend the scene and assess the situation and to perform a wellness check if someone needs help. Many of the sites we protect contain a host of hazards – falling from heights, electrocution, or other potential dangers. Our Video Security Units can be placed to cover the entire scope of a site, leveraging our proprietary cellular LTE+ platform to wirelessly connect all units independently to our UL Certified Video Monitoring Facility. If an incident does occur, our Monitoring team will contact the necessary parties. We also leverage our security technology to provide effective Health & Safety Monitoring to assist with preventing workplace accidents and injury. Our Monitoring team will watch to ensure safety protocols are being followed, and alert project managers if there is an infraction that could lead to injury.
When a fire is spotted:
We catch many different types of incidents within our camera views – including incidents of arson and fire. Many properties are vulnerable to the threat of fire – from construction sites, to critical infrastructure, to recycling facilities, whether they are set intentionally or due to other circumstances.
If our Monitoring team observe a fire in progress, they respond with the same urgency and professionalism as we would with incidents that require Police or Emergency Medical Services.
First Responders answer the call every day to serve and protect our communities. Through our trusting collaboration, help to ensure a safer and more prosperous community for everyone.
Resources:
- “OAEM Annual Tribute to First Responders Day”, Ontario Association of Emergency Managers