O-Train operators now required to 'immediately answer' emergency calls onboard trains
O-Train operators are now required to "immediately answer" all emergency calls onboard the Confederation Line.
A report for the Transit Commission outlines the new policy for operators responding to emergency calls on the Passenger Emergency Intercom two months after an assault on an O-Train vehicle at Rideau Station.
Ottawa police officers responded to an assault on the O-Train at Rideau Station on Dec. 8. OC Transpo special constables arrested one person in connection to the assault.
There were comments on social media and Reddit that suggested the emergency intercom wasn't working or that no one picked up during the incident on the train.
In an inquiry to transit staff, Coun. Rawlson King asked about the protocols for the emergency intercom button, noting witnesses to the assault said the button for the Passenger Emergency Intercom button was pressed, but there was no response.
"Just a dial tone," King said.
In response to King's inquiry, Transit Services General Manager Renee Amilcar said records show that 30 seconds elapsed between the button being pushed to the call being answered by the operator.
Amilcar says all calls on the Passenger Emergency Intercom go directly to the O-Train operator on board the train.
"If conditions allow for safe communication while the train is moving, the Operator will continue to the next station while communicating with the caller and then contact Main Line Control on arrival," Amilcar said, adding operators are trained to treat each call as an emergency "requiring immediate attention."
Operators are responsible for contacting OC Transpo's transit operations control centre, and a response is then dispatched for special constables, emergency services or a supervisor.
Amilcar says "as part of our lessons learned", emergency intercom procedures have been updated to state that operators "must now immediately answer all PEI calls".
"If operating conditions are unsafe, passengers may be asked to stand by briefly until the Operator can safely support."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Wisconsin school district says active shooter 'neutralized' outside middle school
A Wisconsin school district said an active shooter was 'neutralized' outside a middle school in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, and no one inside the building was injured.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
The remains belonged to three adults, a teenager and a newborn baby, according to a statement from the Latebra Foundation, a historical organization based in the Polish city of Gdansk, published Thursday.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.