SPVM radio wave system breakdown: Calls “could easily have gone wrong”

The Advanced Radio Communication System of the Montreal Agglomeration (SERAM), which provides communications for Montreal firefighters and police officers, was disrupted for about two hours during the night from Saturday to Sunday due to a breakdown.

The interruption, however, had no effect on the operations of the authorities, and no major incident occurred in Montreal during this period.

At 4 am, service was restored.

“A plan has been drawn up to ensure the safety of SPVM personnel and the response to emergency calls in the territory of Montreal,” assures the police service of the city of Montreal in a communication sent by TVA Nouvelles.

The system, which cost more than $70 million and will be in place until 2030, is not the first to break down, and according to Yves Francoeur, president of the Brotherhood of Montreal Police Officers, these outages are becoming more frequent.

“Now it’s happening more often, and the breakdowns are longer and longer,” he explains. This affects 911, which wants to dispatch police officers for emergencies.

Mr. Francoeur confirms that many peace officers on duty have intervened with violent individuals and required assistance from other police officers to conduct their intervention.

“Fortunately, there was no untoward incident, but we will not wait to react,” he said. Although replacement [du SERAM] As planned for 2030, we don’t think we’ll get there. Fortunately there are calls that turn out well, but they can easily go wrong.

That’s why the Brotherhood of Police on Sunday afternoon requested the urgent organization of an Occupational Health and Safety Committee with the City of Montreal and the SPVM.

“We hope things go well, but we do not rule out the possibility of a formal complaint with the Occupational Health and Safety Commission,” he said.

Watch the full explanation in the video above