« Répondre aux appels d’urgence : le quotidien sous pression des préposés aux télécommunications de la SQ »

Lorsque la vie nous réserve des surprises désagréables, des accidents ou des catastrophes naturelles, nous sommes souvent démunis et avons besoin d’aide pour récupérer notre vie quotidienne. C’est alors que certains professionnels interviennent pour nous aider à surmonter ces moments difficiles. Que ce soit dans les hôpitaux, les services de secours, les associations ou les tribunaux, ces personnes qui veillent sur nous jouent un rôle crucial dans la reconstruction de notre vie. Dans cet article, nous allons mettre en lumière le travail de ces professionnels souvent méconnus, qui sont là pour nous dans les moments où nous en avons le plus besoin.


Ashley Blais-Lefebvre, a 22-year-old emergency telecommunications operator for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), has been fielding emergency calls from the Estrie and Centre-du-Québec regions for two years. She is part of a team of nearly 400 people who are essential in coordinating police services in Quebec. According to the provincial police force, these operators receive an average of 1.8 million emergency calls per year, or three calls per minute. Blais-Lefebvre’s job is to receive, process, and transmit all calls that require immediate police intervention to citizens. Working as an emergency telecommunications operator suits her personality well, as she prefers to help people from a distance rather than being in the field. The job is unpredictable, but the empathy and patience that Ashley and her colleagues bring to their work are essential to doing it well. Struggling with mental health issues is also a reason why some people call the SQ’s emergency hotline. For example, Blais-Lefebvre had to remain on the phone with an individual who was attempting suicide, and she may have saved their life. Her mother, Carole Blais, was a dairy farmer in the Estrie region for many years and has always dreamed of joining the emergency services team. At the age of 50, she met the SQ’s hiring criteria and began working alongside her daughter. Empathy and patience are two of the most important qualities that the two women emphasize, as they are essential to being effective in this field. They believe that a love and respect for people is necessary to do the job effectively. Although calls can be difficult, their relationship allows them to confide in each other about tough calls they’ve received. The women work together to help people in their time of need, and Carole considers it a privilege to be in the front line of emergency communications. The SQ is currently searching for new employees to join its team of emergency response operators. According to Carole, people who enjoy working in teams can thrive as emergency response call handlers.