Emergency call from reserve goes unanswered

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A frantic phone call for help to 911 emergency services from the Enoch First Nation went unanswered for 10 minutes or more as a man was trapped under his car, injured in an automotive repair accident.

On April 10 at 10 a.m., Wayne Courtepatte was working on his car, which was up on blocks while he changed the brakes. While Courtepatte was underneath the car, it slipped off the blocks, trapping his head under the bumper. Courtepatte was unable to free himself and called out for help to the house where his mother Tilly, one of her friends and his cousin were inside.

The women came out of the house to see what was wrong and were terrified by Courtepatte's predicament. They ran back into the house to get cousin Matthew Ward, who was sleeping and did not hear the calls for help. Ward worked to free Courtepatte, and the women called 911 for help.

Understandably panicked by the situation, Ward had trouble trying to free his cousin. In an incredible display of self-control and presence of mind, Courtepatte was able to instruct Ward as to how to jack up the vehicle in order to free him. It was only after his release that Courtepatte discovered he had been deeply cut and was bleeding profusely.

While the drama unfolded in the yard, Tilly Courtepatte and her friend becoming increasingly frustrasted, unable to get an answer to their 911 calls. Out of desperation, the friend ran to a neighbor's house to get help while Tilly continued to call 911. Alerted to the situation, the neighbor was aware of the direct phone number to emergency services, a seven-digit number, and a call to Parkland County Emergency Services was placed and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene.

Within a short time of the call to Parkland County Emergency Services via the direct line, a 911 call from the Courtepatte household was finally put through to Parkland County Emergency Services.

Back at the Courtepatte yard, Wayne was in need of immediate medical attention to stop his bleeding. Accounts of the incident vary at this point, but it was decided to take Courtepatte to the hospital in a neighor's vehicle rather than wait for an ambulance that no one was sure was coming. Courtepatte was taken to the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton where he received about 20 staples to close a gash that went from his temple to the back of his ear.

On the Enoch reserve, witnesses said that the ambulance arrived about 10 to 12 minutes after Courtepatte was taken to hospital. Police also arrived on the scene and radioed the return of the fire fighting service that apparently had been dispatched as well.

The Enoch First Nation is located on the eastern fringe of the County of Parkland, and the county operates a 911 emergency call centre. Ken Van Buul, manager of Community and Protective Services for Parkland County, is in charge of the centre. He responded to our questions about the situation on the Enoch reserve.

Van Buul told Sweetgrass that Enoch does not have a 911 emergency services contract with Parkland County. As with all municipal governments within Parkland County, any jurisdiction requiring 911 service must sign a contract in order for direct call service to be provided. Van Buul went on to say that service will not be denied without a contract, it is just not direct service.

As a result of this situation, calls to 911 from Enoch are not routed directly via computer to the Parkland County Emergency Centre when someone makes a call. A 911 call from Enoch goes to a Telus operator who is not directly involved with emergency services. It is then up to the Telus operator, the same operator who answers when zero is dialed, to transfer the call to a 911 emergency call centre.

Van Buul said the first call to come into Parkland County was at 10:14 a.m. and it was from a Telus operator with a caller from Enoch asking for the police. The call was then transferred to police services and released.

At 10:20 a.m., Van Buul stated that a econd call came in from Enoch via the emergency centre's direct line asking for an ambulance, and that an ambulance, police and fire fighting services were dispatched.

Van Buul would not comment as to why it took more than 10 minutes for the 911 call to be answered by a Telus operator.

Shawn Hall is a spokesperson for Telus, and he confirmed that currently calls to 911 from Enoch go first to a Telus operator who then transfers the call to the Parkland County emergency centre.

Hall said Enoch had been invited to participate in 911 service for the reserve, but they had declined. Hall could not say when this invitation had been made, nor who at the Enoch First Nation Telus had contacted. Hall did say that direct 911 service costs 58 cents per phone line per month, of which 14 cents goes to Telus.

Shawn Hall also said Telus operators always answer the call when someone dials 911 from an area that does not have a 911 direct services contract. He would not respond otherwise when asked by Sweetgrass to explain why the calls from Enoch were not answered for a reported 10 minutes or more.

Sweetgrass contacted Enoch First Nation and spoke with Clark Peacock, who is in charge of emergency preparedness planning. Peacock was surprised to hear that Enoch is required to have a specific contract with Telus and Parkland County in order to receive direct 911 emergency call service. He promised to investigate.

When he reported back to us, Peacock said plans were being drawn up to obtain direct 911 emergency call service for the First Nation.

Peacock went on to say that Enoch works with Emergency Management Alberta, a division of the provincial government that works with First Nations in emergency and disaster planning. In all his planning experience, Peacock said he had never heard that a specific contract was required for 911 calls to be routed directly to an emergency call centre. Peacock wondered how many other First Nations in Alberta were in the same positin as Enoch.

Sweetgrass contacted Fran Byers, First Nation District Officer South with Emergency Management Alberta. Byers was also surprised to hear that a specific contract is required for direct 911 service. Byers told Sweetgrass that she would check with other First Nations in Alberta to see whether or not they have direct 911 service.

Wayne Courtepatte told Sweetgrass he was in a hurry to bring home his wife and new daughter from the hospital, and that was why he rushed his repair job that resulted in his accident. He said he is glad that he was not more seriously hurt and that he will use more caution in the future.