We also received a total of 23 Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) calls in 2019.
T9-1-1 is a specialized texting service available for people who are
Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of Hearing or Speech Impaired (DHHSI) that allows
registered users to communicate with 9-1-1 call-takers through text. Find out
more about T9-1-1.
E-Comm has released its annual top 10 list of calls that don’t belong on 9-1-1 and are reminding the public that 9-1-1 is not an information line or a customer service complaint line.
A complaint about a hotel parking spot that was too small, hair that wasn’t styled quite right and late night vacuuming topped this year’s list. For more calls, please read the full news release.
Vancouver, B.C. – From a small parking spot to a bad haircut to late-night vacuuming, E-Comm continued to receive calls in 2019 that don’t belong on 9-1-1.
Since 2013, E-Comm has surveyed its call-taking staff each year for calls that tie up emergency lines and, each year, there’s no shortage of examples of calls they have handled that do not warrant a call to 9-1-1. Equally alarming for the organization this year was an emerging trend, where some callers know they aren’t in an emergency, but call 9-1-1 anyway seeking general information.
“Sometimes, it feels like people may have forgotten that the reason to call 9-1-1 is to get help in a life or death situation,” explains Chelsea Brent, the call taker who handled the number one call on this year’s list. “I take a lot of 9-1-1 calls where ‘I know this isn’t an emergency’ are the first words out of the caller’s mouth. But when I’m answering calls that aren’t an emergency, it means I’m not available for someone else who really does need critical help.”
Some of the general questions received by 9-1-1 call takers this year included asking for information about local water restrictions and a caller wondering why traffic was so bad. Checking with municipalities or DriveBC is the right source for these questions, not 9-1-1 or police non-emergency lines.
Here is E-Comm’s list of top 10 reasons not to call 9-1-1 in 2019
To complain hotel parking spot was too small
To complain hair salon didn’t style their hair properly
To complain their neighbour was vacuuming late at night
Because they were upset the coin laundry machine didn’t have enough water
To enquire why traffic was so bad
To request police bring a shovel to dig their car out of the snow in front of their house
Because police are being ‘too loud’ responding to an emergency and requesting that they should come back in the morning
To get information about water restrictions
To report a broken ATM machine
Because a gas station wouldn’t let them use the washroom
“Our staff must treat each call as an emergency until they are confident there isn’t one,” says Jasmine Bradley, E-Comm Corporate Communications manager. “Although these calls may seem absurd at the surface, our call-takers must take the time to investigate each one to make sure there isn’t a real emergency before directing them elsewhere. That takes time away from helping those in crisis.”
E-Comm is responsible for 99 per cent of the province’s 9-1-1 call volume and handled more than 1.6 million 9-1-1 calls in 2019. For more information about E-Comm, visit ecomm911.ca.
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Photo/Interview Opportunity
E-Comm invites the media to its Lower Mainland Emergency Communications Centre at 3301 East Pender Street on Monday, December 30 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. for interview opportunities with Chelsea Brent, E-Comm call taker who answered the number one call on our top ten list, and Jasmine Bradley, Corporate Communications Manager.
For interviews, you must confirm your attendance in advance by emailing [email protected]
Note: Government photo identification is required to enter the E-Comm building. Photos and video in the Emergency Communications Centre is permitted under specific conditions.
Additional Media Resources
Photo of E-Comm call taker Chelsea Brent
Audio file – a sample of 9-1-1 nuisance calls handled by call takers at E-Comm in 2019:
“You’re calling 9-1-1 to ask about traffic?”
“…to find out if there’s a water restriction?”
“Your neighbour is vacuuming?”
“Somebody won’t let you use their washroom?”
“You can’t move your vehicle…”
“There’s not enough water in the laundry machine…”
”Your car doesn’t fit in the parking spot.”
“This is not a police issue and it’s certainly not a 9-1-1 call.”
“This is not a police matter in any way.”
“When you dial 9-1-1, it puts you to emergency services.”
“9-1-1 is for life or death emergencies only. So, I mean, if you can’t get your car out of the snow, then maybe take the bus or SkyTrain to wherever you’re going – OK?”
Media Contact Kaila Butler Senior Communications Specialist
Despite public perception, current phone technology in Canada does not pinpoint your exact location or provide 9-1-1 call takers with specific information (such as apartment number or the floor of the building) if you call 9-1-1 from a cellphone. This is why “what is your location” is the first question our call taker asks you when you call.
In an effort to education the public about the importance of always knowing their location when dialing 9-1-1, E-Comm has launched a public education campaign which will run on the radio and across social media.
Vancouver, B.C.–With nearly three-quarters of 9-1-1 calls in B.C. originating from cellphones, E-Comm says knowing your location is now more important than ever. Of the more than 1.13 million 9-1-1 calls the emergency communications centre has received so far in 2019, 74% originated from a cellphone–a 10% increase over five years. With more people using mobiles only and social media geotagging and delivery apps that show location in real-time, E-Comm is concerned that there’s a potentially dangerous public misconception that cellphones provide an exact address or location to 9-1-1 call takers.
“While calls from landlines give us a person’s exact whereabouts, information from cellphones is nowhere as precise,” explains E-Comm’s Director of Public Safety Initiatives, Ryan Lawson. “Because location is determined by cell tower triangulation, it’s generally narrowed down to within a block of where someone is calling. That’s helpful, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for our staff to work with callers to find out exactly where they are so first responders can get to them as fast as possible.”
Lawson adds that new 9-1-1 technology, currently in development by cellphone carriers as part of a North American-wide initiative called Next Generation 9-1-1, will allow for future improvements.
“In the coming years, we’ll see calls delivered to 9-1-1 with more precise location and additional information about the caller, the device being used and the location from which it is calling. This means call takers will spend less time trying to determine where the emergency is taking place and dispatchers will be able to make better decisions on what resources to dispatch and where. Until then, ‘what is your location’ will always be the first question our staff ask.”
9-1-1 call taker Madison Sheane agrees. “When you call 9-1-1, my job is to get you the help you need as quickly as possible. You can help me do that faster by answering my questions, including knowing your building or home address, the streets or landmarks you are near and your compass directions. This allows me to narrow down precisely where you are and I can get that information to first responders who are already on their way to help you.”
Sheane adds that people are often surprised when she asks them for their address on a call. They assume 9-1-1 call takers already have this information, based on what they see portrayed on TV and in movies.
E-Comm surveyed its 9-1-1 staff to ask what they thought was the most critical piece of operational information callers need to understand and knowing your location was number one. As such, E-Comm has launched a public campaign highlighting this: https://bit.ly/2DHFsGE
E-Comm was the first 9-1-1 centre in Canada to begin receiving general location information from cellphone carriers when it first became available in 2009. The organization is now participating in the next phases of 9-1-1 evolution mandated by the CRTC.
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Photo/Interview Opportunity
E-Comm invites the media to its Lower Mainland Emergency Communications Centre at 3301 East Pender Street on Monday, December 9 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. for interview opportunities with E-Comm Director of Public Safety Initiatives Ryan Lawson and 9-1-1 Call Taker Madison Sheane.
For interviews, you must confirm your attendance in advance by emailing [email protected].
Note: Government photo identification is required to enter the E-Comm building. Photos and video in the Emergency Communications Centre is permitted under specific conditions.
