A Winnipeg woman forced to repeat herself three times after calling 911 about a serious head-on collision in northern Manitoba is frustrated that repetition is considered standard procedure by the people in charge of responding to emergencies.
Jennifer Larsen spent 14 minutes on the phone Monday, answering some of the same questions from three different individuals, while around her, a vehicle was on fire and frenzied bystanders rushed to pull people out of their vehicles and provide care.
Larsen was the first person to call 911 Monday following a head-on collision on Highway 6, approximately 40 kilometres south of Grand Rapids, that claimed two lives and injured five others.
She was a passenger in a vehicle that was travelling directly behind the collision involving a SUV and minivan, which happened around 3:45 p.m.
Larsen said she was desperate to put her first aid training to use, but was stuck on the phone longer than expected.
“With each transfer and repetition during the 911 call, there’s a growing frustration that I’ve provided this information,” said Larsen, who is married to a CBC Manitoba employee.
“The more I could be doing right now requires that I not be on the phone and that I be actively first aiding.”
A frantic scene
While tied up on the phone, Larsen said other bystanders were scrambling to ensure everybody’s safety. She told one of the people she spoke with that one person was trapped.
“I did several times try to communicate to them that the car was on fire, which had me very concerned that there was not a lot of time perhaps to deal with this situation,” said Larsen.
A police vehicle patrolling Highway 6 ultimately came across the crash before any of the dispatched emergency responders arrived.
Police say a 23-year-old woman in the front passenger seat of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene. She’s been identified by Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation as Marybelle Yetman, a “wonderful mother of two beautiful girls and a handsome son,” as well as a devoted partner. Her family has requested privacy at this time, Chief Angela Levasseur said.
Two other passengers in that vehicle, and the 23-year-old man driving, had non-life threatening injuries.
A 42-year-old woman in the minivan’s front passenger seat was rushed to a nursing station, where she died. Another passenger and the 54-year-old man who was driving had non-life-threatening injuries.
RCMP believe the SUV crossed the centre line into the minivan’s path, but the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid.
Given the seriousness of the collision, Larsen said she was most frustrated she had to repeat her location three times. She said it was difficult to describe her whereabouts because she was on a remote stretch of highway with few obvious landmarks.
“I asked them, can you use the GPS on my phone?”
Turns out, they couldn’t. Larsen’s position wasn’t traceable because she was calling from an area of Manitoba not covered by 911 service.
If someone calls 911 in those locations, such as Larsen did, the call is usually taken by an operator service, said Robert Stewart, who runs Manitoba’s 911 centre based in Brandon (Winnipeg has a separate 911 service).
Stewart said the operator transferred Larsen to the provincial 911 dispatch centre, which asked questions to dispatch firefighting crews, and then directed her to the Medical Transportation Coordination Centre, which asked questions to dispatch ambulance crews.
Through it all, Stewart said the agencies were sharing information between themselves. The 911 centre was speaking with the fire department in under three minutes, he said.
“Talking to us is not slowing down the response at all. In fact, when we have a general location — we know it’s Highway 6, for example, south of Grand Rapids — that’s enough for us to get help started.”
Still, he sympathizes with emergency callers who feel they’re repeating themselves unnecessarily, but he said each agency is doing their due diligence.
“All of that information they’re getting is necessary to make sure the crews get there, the crews are bringing the right equipment to the scene and that they’re getting there as absolutely fast as possible.”
The RCMP, which is also involved in some 911 dispatch calls, stressed it asks as much information as is required.
But Larsen questions if the repetition is necessary, when information is already being shared between agencies.
“There could be circumstances where the person on the phone is the only person on site, could be involved in the incident and injured themselves,” she said.
“Every minute counts, and I think it’s important to get to the critical information and decision points faster.”
Municipalities pay for 911 service
In Manitoba, communities and First Nations must opt into the 911 system operated by the City of Brandon, which costs $4.88 per person per year. This head-on collision happened in an unincorporated area that hasn’t signed up for the service, Stewart said.
A majority of Manitoba’s population lives in an area with 911 service, but the coverage area is less than 50 per cent of the province geographically, a Brandon spokesperson said.
Stewart said technological advancements will make it easier for 911 systems to locate callers. All emergency service providers in the country have been asked to upgrade their systems to a digital network.
Those improvements could address some complaints around service gaps, Stewart said.
The Manitoba government initiated a 911 review some time ago to advance “broader and more effective 911 coverage.” A final report is expected in the coming months, a spokesperson said.
Larsen said in an interview earlier this week she’s still processing what she witnessed at the crash site. She was among the bystanders who spent around two hours providing care, cleaning and bandaging wounds and trying to keep everyone calm.
“When you do spend that much time providing first aid, you feel connected to the people that you’re providing that care to,” she said. “They’re just in my thoughts a lot right now.”