1 Year Later Series from Bank Robbery and Shooting - EComm Dispatcher Matt Spaans

True Blue Podcast

**Trigger Warning**

This episode discusses the topic of a bank robbery and shooting where 2 people died and multiple others were seriously injured, some of the content may be distressing to the listener. This series of episodes was created with the objective that talking about the subject could in part provide the listener with more information about the event from many different perspectives. It could also provide the police officers, their families and others that were involved with an avenue to come forward and talk about their experiences and to encourage others suffering from mental or emotional distress to seek trauma support by reaching out to a professional or an advocate.

On this episode we hear from Matt Spaans, EComm 9-1-1 Dispatcher that was on duty at the very moment this terrible event unfolded. Matt, at that time, was 21 years old and responsible for the radio dispatch for Saanich Police; amazing! Matt talks about what it was like being in the background of the incident, having said that, you’ll realize how important the EComm 9-1-1 staff are to police officers when high risk events take place. Gunshots rang out over the radio and the 9-1-1 system went wild!

All police officers are thankful for the dedication and professionalism of Matt and all his colleagues at EComm 9-1-1. Another group of people who helped keep our community safe on that day.
https://www.ecomm911.ca/join-our-team/
Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

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