Reasons not to dial 911 as call taking service releases annual nuisance calls

No matter how many times the province’s 911 call takers beg people not to needlessly tie up the lines with calls that don’t the help of a first responder, it just keeps happening.

E-Comm 911 is out with its annual list of, what it calls, nuisance calls, and call-taker Mark Kolomejac admits it’s frustrating because it can potentially put the life of someone, who genuinely needs help, at risk.

“Knowing the ramifications of a nuisance call because when I’m responding to a nuisance call, it’s taking time away from that person who could be in a real emergency where they are requiring police, fire or ambulance immediately and to really know what that does. If people knew what the impact would be if they’re delaying calls like this, then I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be calling again for something like what’s on the list.”

Related Articles:

• B.C. 911 call takers stretched thin amid staffing, retention challenges

• 911 providers in BC want dependable access, regardless of network outages

Kolomejac says he’s taken his fair share of nuisance calls and explains anytime someone calls they take it seriously, even if it seems silly.

“It’s definitely a concern but we want to help people as much as we can, that’s what we’re here for,” says Kolomejac. “Every call that comes in, we treat as an emergency. So, we need to ask our questions to make a risk assessment, by asking probing questions, really listening to what they’re saying, the background, and their tone of voice — it helps to determine what’s happening and… if I’m confident there is no emergency, we take the time to advise them saying, ‘This is not for 911,’ then we disconnect the call.”

E-Comm call taker Mark Kolomejac. (Courtesy E-Comm 911)

E-Comm says the top 10 nuisance calls of 2022 were:

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 nighttime
4. Someone wasn’t picking up after their dog
5. Someone was using their garbage bin
6. Complaining about children drawing with chalk at a playground
7. Their phone was stuck in a bench
8. Looking for an update on a nationwide telco outage
9. Someone cut in line at the car wash
10. Someone called 9-1-1 because they had a broken window wiper

Kolomejac says educating the public is the motive behind releasing these calls, which he says come into E-Comm every day. He says the best way to know whether to call is if the situation you’re calling about is a matter of life or death.

He says this is also a good time to remind your kids how to use the service.

E-Comm says 2022 marked one of its busiest ever after taking just over 2.1 million calls.