9-1-Uhm, What?
It is annoying enough receiving prank calls from strangers or friends—but some callers dialing 9-1-1 recently had dispatchers asking, ‘Are you serious?’ Whether people are trying to be funny, or just don’t know any better, 9-1-1 calls shouldn’t be made in regards to receiving a morning wake-up call or acquiring about a missed newspaper delivery.
Yet still, these calls were made.
E-Comm, the regional emergency communication centre for southwest BC, recently released a report announcing the top 10 most ridiculous 9-1-1 calls of 2013. By doing so, they are hoping to bring awareness of the issue and that people will think twice before dialing those three digits.
As we all know (or most of us, rather), 9-1-1 calls are made when seeking police, fire or medical emergency services that require immediate attention for ones safety and well-being.
“More than 2,500 9-1-1 calls flow through E-Comm every day,” says spokesperson Jody Robertson. “Our teams are dedicated to helping to save lives and protect property. For them, having someone call 9-1-1 to ask for ‘the time of day’ is exasperating.”
One of E-Comm’s 9-1-1 call-takers, Matthew Collins, knows just how irritating it is to receive these kinds of calls, as he dealt with an unusual request from a caller that took the first spot on the list. “What people don’t realize is that when they call 9-1-1 for information or any other reason that is not an emergency, they’re tying up valuable resources that are meant to be at-the-ready for people who are in serious need of help,” he says.
They had a difficult time narrowing it down to just ten, but here is what they came up with to make up the list of the most absurd calls of 2013:
- “I’d like to speak to someone about renting a fire truck to block off a street for a party.”
- A caller phoned 9-1-1 to get their date’s contact information so they could confirm details of their plans.
- A caller phoned 9-1-1 to report a missed newspaper delivery.
- Caller asks 9-1-1 if they can get the ‘OK’ to drive in the HOV lane because “traffic is backed up and they are late for an important meeting.”
- Caller dials 9-1-1 to activate voicemail on his cell phone.
- “I threw my phone into the garbage can and can’t get it out.”
- Caller dials 9-1-1 to ask for a morning wake-up call.
- Caller dials 9-1-1 to ask how to call the operator.
- “Can an officer come over to tell my kids to go to bed?”
- “My son won’t give me the remote control.”
By Meagan Gill
Photos are courtesy of E-Comm.
