The City of Cape Town’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) is one of the many departments primed to deal with increased demands on its services this festive season.

The call centre is the first port of call for many members of the public who require assistance in an emergency, whether they need medical assistance, a fire to be attended to, or assistance when their vehicle has broken down on the highway.

The centre fields, on average, 43 000 calls a month.

‘The Public Emergency Communication Centre is linked to a number of City agencies, but also external partners, so it is ideally positioned to activate the appropriate response in an emergency. However, the response is only as good as the quality of the information provided, so we urge callers to please be as comprehensive as possible in their description of the problem that requires assistance,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

Callers to the Public Emergency Communication Centre are advised to listen to the call taker’s questions and to answer them as best as possible, to minimise delays in activating a response.

Some basic information that will likely be required during a call includes:

• The caller’s name and contact number, in case the call drops
• The incident location (cross street or landmark)
• A brief description of what is happening/happened
• A description of the patient’s condition or medical history in the event of a medical call
• A description of the suspects and their whereabouts/weapons used in the event of a crime
• A description of what exactly is burning, and whether anyone is trapped in the event of a fire emergency

‘One of the most common challenges our staff face is callers who become irate when they are questioned about an incident. This is part of the process, so that the call taker is able to make a full assessment of the situation and dispatch the appropriate resources. The sooner a caller provides the information, the sooner help will be on the way and the call taker is able to help the next person who has an emergency.

‘We also need to reiterate that prank calls continue to be a challenge. Experience has shown that it is not only children who make prank calls but adults too. While these calls are a nuisance that frustrate our staff no end, they can have more far-reaching impacts like preventing someone with a real emergency from getting through to the call centre without delay. It’s simply not on, because the actions of these pranksters have the potential to deprive someone of lifesaving assistance,’ added Alderman Smith.