A call about a restaurant that wouldn’t redeem a coupon and a report that a driver’s windshield wipers had stopped working are among the most frivolous 911 calls of 2018.
E-Comm, the largest 911 centre, released the naughty list on Thursday as a way to remind people of what doesn’t count as an emergency.
The call that topped the list: Someone who complained that a fast-food restaurant wasn’t open 24 hours a day as advertised.
Call-taker Heather Andrews, who handled that call, said when someone calls 911 to complain about customer service, it takes time away from helping people with actual life-or-death situations.
“This type of call ties up our ability to help people with real emergencies,” Andrews said in a statement. “Dealing with a complaint about the opening hours of a restaurant is a call that doesn’t belong on 911.”
Call-taker Kayla Ryan fielded a call from someone who said a store wouldn’t take back shoes without the original box.
“When someone calls 911 for general information, we still have to confirm the person is safe before completing the call,” Ryan said.
Someone also called 911 to complain that a gas station put the wrong type of gas in their car. Another reported that a car-rental company provided the wrong-size vehicle.
Others called 911 to report a lost jacket, to ask for help turning off their car lights and to find out where their car had been towed.
One caller, apparently forgetting the spring forward, fall back rule, phoned 911 to ask if the clocks move forward or backward during the spring time change.
In response, the slightly confused call taker said: “Sir, are you calling 911 regarding the time change?”
While the list might elicit a few laughs, E-Comm uses it to remind people that 911 is for police, fire or medical emergencies that require an immediate response.
“Most people use 911 responsibly,” said Jasmine Bradley, E-Comm spokeswoman. “But calls such as those on this year’s head-scratcher list waste valuable emergency resources that would otherwise be available to someone whose health, safety or property was in jeopardy or a crime was in progress.”
From January to the end of November, E-Comm handled more than 1.45 million 911 calls from communities spanning Vancouver Island and across B.C. E-Comm also provides call-taking and dispatch services to 36 police agencies and fire departments in southwest B.C. and operates the province’s largest multi-jurisdictional radio system.
