Blog | 911 Emergency Dispatcher | 911 Emergency Dispatch

Vancouver, B.C. – Whether you’re fed up with your food delivery, curious about COVID or have questions about quarantine, 9-1-1 is not the right number to call.

E-Comm, which handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 9-1-1 call volume at its two emergency communications centres, has released its annual top 10 list of calls that don’t belong on 9-1-1, reminding people that every time someone calls 9-1-1 with a non-urgent concern, they are putting the lives of other British Columbians at risk.

In addition to the increase of pandemic-related enquiries that tied up 9-1-1 lines in 2020, E-Comm call takers also dealt with some familiar consumer complaints that seem to wind up on its top 10 nuisance calls list year after year including cars that can’t start, bank cards that are stuck in ATMs and callers wondering about the time.

E-Comm call taker Megan McMath answered the number one call on this year’s list. She says general complaints on the emergency line that aren’t police, fire or ambulance matters, divert critical resources from people in real emergencies. “Calling 9-1-1 to ask a question or report a consumer complaint may seem harmless enough,” says McMath. “But, what people may not realize is that we need to treat every call as an emergency, until we can determine otherwise. That means that every moment we spend responding to general questions, concerns or complaints takes away from our priority – helping people who need help right away.”

Here is E-Comm’s list of top 10 reasons not to call 9-1-1 in 2020:

1. Complaining that their food delivery driver did not deliver their meal
2. Enquiring if there is a full lockdown for COVID-19
3. Wondering if having a trampoline is illegal during COVID-19
4. Asking for assistance to apply for CERB
5. Complaining that the mattress they had purchased second hand was more soiled than advertised
6. Reporting that their bank card was stuck in the ATM
7. Reporting their neighbour for smoking in a non-smoking building
8. Enquiring about how to enter a career in law enforcement
9. Confirming the time
10. Asking for help because they were locked out of their car

“We understand that people are frustrated and worried about COVID-19-related issues, but general questions and complaints about the pandemic don’t belong on 9-1-1,” says Kaila Butler, E-Comm senior communications specialist. “Our goal each year with this list of nuisance calls is to drive home the message that we need the public’s help to keep 9-1-1 lines free for people experiencing real emergencies who need immediate assistance from police, fire or ambulance agencies.”

E-Comm is asking the public not to call 9-1-1 to report concerns about public health violations and encouraging British Columbians to refer to the wide range of resources available for COVID-19 instead.

• To report public health violations, please contact your local by-law office or call your local police non-emergency line.
  • In Vancouver, please call 3-1-1 or report your concern online
• If you feel that you might have COVID-19, please call ahead to your primary care provider’s office or 8-1-1 to assess whether you need testing
• For non-medical information about COVID-19, call 1-888-COVID-19 or visit bccdc.ca

E-Comm has handled more than 1.7 million 9-1-1 calls so far in 2020. For more information about E-Comm, visit ecomm911.ca.

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Photo/Interview Opportunity

E-Comm will be offering interview opportunities over Zoom or by phone on Wednesday, December 30 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The following spokespeople are available for interviews:

• Megan McMath, E-Comm call taker who answered the number one call on the top ten list, located at the Vancouver Island Emergency Communications Centre
• Kimmie Kidd, E-Comm call taker who answered a call on the top ten list, located at the Lower Mainland Emergency Communications Centre
• Kaila Butler, Senior Communications Specialist

To coordinate an interview, please contact [email protected]

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, E-Comm will not be inviting media inside its Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island Emergency Communications Centres this year. However, interviews may be facilitated outside both facilities. In addition, video/photo assets are available here.

Media Contact
Sam Corea
Senior Communications Specialist
604-215-6248
[email protected]

About E-Comm
E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments across the province. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service, wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley.

Vancouver, B.C – E-Comm continues to see an influx of calls related to COVID-19, particularly over the weekends, as many callers look to report house parties, their neighbours having guests or concerns about businesses not adhering to public health orders such as restaurants serving alcohol past 10 pm. It’s important to remember that these calls do not belong on 9-1-1 as they tie up important resources from people who may be experiencing life or death emergencies. Instead of dialing 9-1-1, callers looking to report concerns related to COVID restrictions should reach out to their local bylaw office or call their local police non-emergency number, if their bylaw office is unavailable. In Vancouver, you can make these reports by calling 3-1-1 or using the VanConnect app. A list of police and fire non-emergency numbers in B.C. is available at nonemergency.ca

Unfortunately, we are also seeing more callers taking out their frustrations on our staff. Our call takers need to help first responders determine if there are any COVID-related risks to them or to the caller before the first responders arrive on scene – this means call takers may need to ask some additional questions about the situation at hand. We understand that people are feeling anxious and stressed out, but we ask everyone to try to recognize that the voices you hear on the other end of the phone are your friends, your family members, your neighbours, and they are doing everything they can to get you help as quickly as possible.

About E-Comm

E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service, wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley. In 2019, E-Comm received more than 1.84 million 9-1-1 calls in B.C. and answered 97 per cent of those calls in five seconds or less.

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Media Contact

[email protected]
604-215-6248

E-Comm is excited to welcome Stephen Thatcher to our team as the new Vice-President of Operations starting January 25, 2021.

Stephen has been a member of the RCMP for 28 years and is currently in the role of Assistant Commissioner and Lower Mainland District Commander. Throughout his career with the RCMP, he has served in a number of operational, operational support and administrative roles across B.C and at national headquarters in Ottawa. His extensive and impressive background in policing and on-the-job experience will strengthen E-Comm’s leadership help support our employees in Operations.

In this new role, Stephen will help lead our Emergency Communications Centre operations through the remainder of the pandemic, while simultaneously helping advance our public safety initiatives.

Vancouver, B.C.—E-Comm announced its new Board of Directors today, following the company’s Annual General Meeting. Because of physical distancing measures required during the COVID-19 pandemic, E-Comm held its Annual General Meeting virtually, for the first time in the company’s 21-year history.

Shareholders have named six new board members, with the remaining members designated by shareholders reconfirmed by their nominating entities for another term. The shareholder nominated directors appointed four independent directors:  incumbents Doug Campbell, Barry Forbes and Denise Nawata, together with Nancy Kotani, newly elected as an independent director after a search process overseen by the Company’s Governance Committee.

Doug Campbell returns as Board Chair, a position he has held since 2016. During today’s online meeting, Campbell acknowledged the exceptional work of E-Comm staff and the first-responder community during the COVID-19 pandemic. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank everyone at E-Comm for their ongoing dedication and efforts to provide continuous emergency communications services to the citizens of our province and first responders in these exceptional and unusual circumstances,” said Campbell. “Whatever the new norm brings us, we know our professional emergency communications team is ready for the task.”

The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the company’s strategic planning and direction, finances and operating results. Management is accountable to the Board of Directors for day-to-day operations and administration.

E-Comm shareholders nominate Board members who provide extensive knowledge and experience to the company through their work on the Board and as members of the Board’s standing committees.

2020-2021 E-Comm Board of Directors

Independent Directors nominated by the E-Comm Board

A second board seat, nominated by the Cities of Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody and Village of Belcarra, is to be filled later.

About E-Comm

E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service, wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley. In 2019, E-Comm received more than 1.84 million 9-1-1 calls in B.C. and answered 97 per cent of those calls in five seconds or less.

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Media Contact

Jasmine Bradley
E-Comm Corporate Communications
604.215.6248

Annual General Meeting set for September

Vancouver, B.C., June 25, 2020 – From opening the South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre, to finalizing its new strategic plan, to marking 20 years of service, 2019 was a year of important milestones for E-Comm as the company worked with its public safety partners to deliver exceptional emergency communications to British Columbians and first responders.

In E-Comm’s 2019 Annual Report published today, the company notes the extensive work completed last year on its new strategic plan has helped guide E-Comm with the challenges of operating emergency communications services during the current global health crisis.

“As we began 2020, E-Comm staff, like all first-responder, health care and other essential service workers, had to adapt and deal with the professional and personal demands of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Oliver Grüter-Andrew, E-Comm President and CEO.  “We continue to adapt to changing conditions as we deliver on our commitments to serve the citizens of our province.”

E-Comm has postponed its Annual General Meeting until September 17 and is exploring ways to hold the meeting virtually under current public health protocols in B.C. E-Comm will announce the 2020-21 Board of Directors in September. The Board provides governance to E-Comm and is responsible for overseeing the company’s strategic direction, finances and operating results. Management is accountable to the Board for E-Comm’s day-to-day operations and administration.

About E-Comm

E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service, wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley. In 2019, E-Comm received more than 1.84 million 9-1-1 calls in B.C. and answered 97 per cent of those calls in five seconds or less.

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Media Contact

Kelly Furey
E-Comm Corporate Communications