In 2017, 911 operators in Saskatchewan received more than 40,000 abandoned calls.
“A 911 call comes in and we don’t know what the source of that call is, so we have to treat it like it’s an emergency,” said Duane McKay, the commissioner of Saskatchewan’s emergency management and fire safety.
From January to November of 2017, Sask911 operators took 330,281 calls.
Of those, 58 per cent (190,296) were from a cell phone, and 12 per cent (40,046) were abandoned, meaning a caller hung up after dialing.
“When you do misdial, or have accidentally dialed 911, stay on the line, speak to the operators and ensure they understand it was a misdial or that there is no emergency situation,” said Charlene Luskey, the director of emergency communications for Saskatchewan.
“If you hang up, we have to dial that back, and then hopefully you answer it. If not, we pass it onto the RCMP or the law enforcement agency within the jurisdiction and have them try to find you,” McKay said.
Some devices, such as iPhones with newer operating systems, can have their lock button clicked five times to have the option to swipe SOS. After swiping, the smartphone dials 911, but it doesn’t ping your location to 911.
McKay said Sask911 has received calls from people testing out the feature, which ultimately ties up emergency resources.
“Smartphones cause a lot of problems for us. They’re a tremendous device. We can’t live without them, but we get a lot of pocket dials and it’s simple to avoid,” McKay said.
Emergency officials are reminding the people to lock their phone screens and teach children how to properly use 911.
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