The second week in April every year is recognized as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. On behalf of all Manitobans, we’re saying a BIG thank you to the 50+ MAHCP members working at Manitoba Transportation Coordination Centre (MTCC) for everything you do!
The Manitoba Transportation Coordination Centre (MTCC) located in Brandon, Manitoba is part of the 9-1-1 emergency response system, and Manitoba’s 24-by-7, state-of-the-art command and control centre for the dispatch of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in rural and Northern Manitoba.
Outside the City of Winnipeg, 9-1-1 calls are answered at the Provincial Public Safety Answering Point in the City of Brandon. Calls are then directed to the correct agency, depending on the type of emergency. MTCC staff specialize in processing medical calls, and respond to all calls from areas that utilize a local 10-digit emergency number for ambulance.
Learn more about the role of MTCC System Status Controllers:
“MTCC provides an essential public safety service over a jurisdiction of more than 650,000 square kilometres,” said Cory Szczepanski, MAHCP Senior Labour Relations Officer, who represents the MTCC team. “Manitoba’s Northern and rural regions are geographically massive, and dispatching ground and air ambulances from roughly 100 stations and bases across Manitoba is extremely complex.”
Dispatchers: The ‘first first responders‘
Known as System Status Controllers (or more generically as ‘dispatchers’), MTCC’s staff is trained to help callers provide care until an ambulance can get to the scene. Emergency Medical Dispatchers maintain two licenses: an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and also an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) or Primary Care Paramedic (PCP).
“MTCC is an essential part of the lifeline in Manitoba, and dispatchers are often referred to as the ‘first, first responders’,” says Szczepanski. “The reality is that depending on location and call volumes, it can take a considerable amount of time for EMS to arrive at an emergency scene. MTCC dispatchers provide vital information to civilians to help them administer possible life-saving measures while they await the ambulance’s arrival.”
Manitoba is in the throes of a health-care staffing crisis, and a severe shortage of paramedics resulted in ambulances sitting idle in 2024 for an average of 30,000 hours each month. Meanwhile, the intensifying pressure of overwork and increasing call volumes is a heavy weight – one that Szczepanski says is taking its toll on our members, including MTCC staff.
“MTCC dispatchers often work very short-staffed, and they’re handling extremely high-pressure situations. They have to try to get all the necessary information from panicked callers about location, the nature of the emergency, and any potential risks to paramedics, all while trying to coach callers through trauma. This is a very difficult, emotionally-taxing career that is not for the faint of heart, and we appreciate their work so much.”
MTCC dispatchers coordinate responses with other emergency response agencies, such as fire and police dispatch to help ensure that people get the right help at any given time. MTCC also coordinates facility to facility transports known as ‘interfacility transfers’ across the province, as well as interprovincially.
“In the case of a serious car accident, for example, those involved may require specialized care that only an acute care centre can provide, so a patient may need to be airlifted to HSC. Or maybe an elderly personal care home resident needs to be transported to hospital for critical medical care due to an unexpected illness,” says Szczepanski. “MTCC coordinates all types of transfers, leveraging the resources at their disposal and relying on the support of specialized health care providers like paramedics and Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapists to get patients to where they need to be for the best care.”