EDMONTON – Edmonton police are mailing brochures to homes and businesses this week explaining what does and does not constitute an emergency because people persist in calling 911 in error.
The first phase of a year-long campaign to reduce the number of non-emergency calls was only slightly successful. It decreased non-emergency calls to 60 per cent of the call volume from 64 per cent, but only for a two-week period before non-emergency calls went up again in December and into the new year.
“This continues to be a concern … because someone with a real emergency is made to wait for help,” Insp. Blair Edl said in a news release Tuesday. Edl is in charge of the police dispatch and 911 section.
In January, 28,186 calls were made to 911, and 17,628 or 62 per cent of those calls were not emergencies. Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 20, 18,290 calls were answered by 911 operators and 11,524 or 63 per cent were non-emergencies.
The majority of those calls were made from mobile phones and included accidental pocket dials. Most callers didn’t understand the difference between emergency and non-emergency situations. Calls included errant 911 calls made by children who were given unregistered phones to play with, prank calls and people phoning long distance or needing to dial 9 before the phone number.
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Even if people accidentally pocket dial police, police are urging them to stay on the line and let the attendant know what happened.
“The most important thing to remember is, please don’t hang up,” says Kim Pudde, 911 supervisor for Edmonton police, in a statement.
“You won’t get in trouble. Just stay on the line and let the operator know that you don’t need help. If you hang up, the police may need to respond to your call, which could take time and resources away from someone with a real emergency.”
Some of the other non-emergency calls to 911 also included a parking issue, as well as stolen bedding.
“Recently I had someone who called 911 because their neighbour shovelled snow on to their driveway,” says 911 operator Debbie Reimer.
As the campaign to reduce non-emergency calls continues, police are mailing a brochure to every home and business to outline what does and does not constitute an emergency. Emergencies include life-threatening situations including medical issues and fires, as well as crimes in action. Only then is dialing 911 appropriate.
People should call #377 on their cell or 780-423-4567 from a land line for non-emergencies including:
– car crashes where no one is injured and your car isn’t driveable,
– vehicle break-ins or property vandalism,
– a non-violent crime has occurred, or
– you see a suspicious activity.
People will also see information ads in LRT cars and on buses in the coming weeks.
“By making the right call, you may literally be helping save a life,” Pudde said in a statement.
You can see what it’s like behind the scenes at the 911 dispatch centre in the video below:
With files from Global News
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