“Nozzle wasn’t working at the gas station” takes top 9-1-1 nuisance call of 2022: E-Comm

E-Comm answered a total of 2,109,440 calls on 9-1-1 in 2022.

That was a 1.8 per cent increase from 2021, marking the busiest year in the organization’s history for BC’s 9-1-1 dispatcher.

98 per cent were answered in five seconds or less, surpassing both E-Comm’s contracted service level, and industry standards for 9-1-1 call answering.

However, the service continued to field nuisance calls in 2022, diverting critical resources from British Columbians in real emergency situations.

“Nuisance calls never belong on emergency lines, but it’s extremely concerning how often callers know their non-urgent concerns aren’t an appropriate reason to call 9-1-1,” said E-Comm call taker Mark Kolomejac.

“We regularly get callers stating ‘I know this isn’t an emergency, but I didn’t know who else to call.’ If you have a flat tire or a broken windshield wiper for example, we can’t help you on 9-1-1, but a towing company or roadside assistance will be able to get you the support that you need.”

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 night time
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 called 9-1-1 because they had a broken window wiper
10. Someone cut in line at the car wash

E-Comm has compiled a comprehensive list of non-emergency resources available on its website.