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:
- The nozzle wasn’t working at the gas station
- They had a flat tire
- People were playing basketball on a public court at night time
- Someone wasn’t picking up after their dog
- Someone else was using their garbage bin
- Complaints about children drawing with chalk at a playground
- Their phone was stuck in a bench
- Looking for an update on a nationwide telecom outage
- They had a broken window wiper
- 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.
“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.