The sixth largest city in the province of Alberta is home to the first communications centre IN THE WORLD to earn triple status as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED). In little more than eight months, Medicine Hat 9-1-1 Regional Communications Centre earned three titles: Police ACE in April 2007, Fire ACE in December 2007, and Medical ACE in January 2008.

“This is a huge for us,” said Jaci Fox, quality assurance coordinator for the Medicine Hat 9-1-1 Regional Communications Centre. “This is a very positive experience for everyone.”

The task wasn’t easy, admits Centre Director Ronda Grant. Roadblocks included competing priorities for resources and the motivational element. To put it mildly, not all dispatchers wanted to make the transition to standardized protocol. It wasn’t an easy sell. In fact, on some days Grant forced herself to step back and catch her breath.

“It took a while for everyone to understand that protocol came down to providing an excellent service,” said Grant. “This was not about the individual dispatcher as much as being the best at what we do.”

Eric Parry, the Priority Dispatch Corp. police consultant who has worked closely with the Medicine Hat centre, couldn’t agree more. The buy-in, he said, came from telecommunicators believing that protocol is the right thing to do. “This was a journey for them and us [PDC and the IAED]. “You have to first gain confidence in the system, and then gain the confidence that you can do it.”

              The importance of an ACE is not confined to the excitement in the dispatch centre. The honor is a big deal for the overall emergency services community as well as the city’s politicians. Grant plans to invite everyone who is anyone in public emergency services and city government to a formal event celebrating the triple ACE distinction.

“We’re on a high note but not only because of the award,” said Grant. “We have a lot of projects on the go and a terrific staff that will help us get them done.”

The IAED, through its College of Fellows, established a high standard of excellence for emergency dispatch through the ACE process. While achieving ACE not an easy process, the recognition could be one of the most rewarding projects your communication center team can approach and achieve together.

“ACE says you’re a leader in patient care,” said Carlynn Page, IAED associate director. “It means your center is providing the best care at a consistently high level and it fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment among your dispatchers.”

The process requires the submission of an application (available from the NAED web site) along with a detailed, self-study document based on the Academy’s Twenty Points of Accreditation. The Academy’s Accreditation Board will review the application and documentation and, from there, arrange an onsite evaluation. The accreditation is renewable every three years.