Faulty fuel pumps, flat tires, late-night basketball lead ‘nuisance calls’ for 2022, E-Comm says

The dispatcher company that handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 911 calls says thousands of calls it dealt with in 2022, should have never been made in the first place.

E-Comm has released its top 10 ‘nuisance calls’ for 2022, noting that even if people are stressed about faulty gas nozzles or flat tires, neither are good reasons to dial 9-1-1.

Nuisance calls are described as reports that should not warrant a call to emergency authorities.

Top 10 nuisance calls of 2022:

1. The nozzle wasn’t working at the gas station
2. They had a flat tire
3. People were playing basketball on a public court at night time
4. Someone wasn’t picking up after their dog
5. Someone else was using their garbage bin
6. Complaints about children drawing with chalk at a playground
7. Their phone was stuck in a bench
8. Looking for an update on a nationwide telecom outage
9. They had a broken window wiper
10. Someone cut in line at the car wash

“Nuisance calls never belong on emergency lines, but it’s extremely concerning how often callers know their non-urgent concerns aren’t an appropriate reason to call 9-1-1,” said Mark Kolomejac, an E-Comm call taker.

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“We regularly get callers stating ‘I know this isn’t an emergency, but I didn’t know who else to call.’

“If you have a flat tire or a broken windshield wiper, for example, we can’t help you on 9-1-1, but a towing company or roadside assistance will be able to get you the support that you need.”

A total of 2,109,440 calls were made to 911 last year in B.C., marking a 1.8 per cent increase from 2021 and making 2022 the busiest year in E-Comm’s history.

Of those calls, E-Comm said 98 per cent were answered in five seconds or less, which surpassed E-Comm’s contracted service level and industry standards.

E-Comm is urging British Columbians to think twice as to whether their call is in fact an emergency, as non-emergency calls divert critical resources from emergency situations.

The emergency dispatcher service has listed a number of alternative resources for issues on its website for British Columbians as well.

5:09 E-Comm service concerns about public safety