Kelowna 
E-Comm is requesting British Columbians to make a new year resolution to protect the province’s critical emergency resources by keeping 9-1-1 lines free for police, fire and ambulance emergencies.
Mark Kolomejac/E-Comm
E-Comm, the dispatcher that handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 9-1-1 calls, has released their list of the top 10 nuisance calls of 2022.
The dispatcher says the number-one-ranked complaint of a nozzle failing to fuel your car at the gas station or the second-ranked call about a flat tire diverts critical resources from British Columbians in real emergencies.
Top 10 Nuisance Calls of 2022 in B.C.
- The nozzle wasn’t working at the gas station
- They had a flat tire
- People were playing basketball on a public court at night time
- Someone wasn’t picking up after their dog
- Someone was using their garbage bin
- Complaining about children drawing with chalk at a playground
- Their phone was stuck in a bench
- Looking for an update on a nationwide telco outage
- Someone cut in line at the car wash
- Someone called 9-1-1 because they had a broken window wiper
“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. We regularly get callers stating ‘I know this isn’t an emergency, but I didn’t know who else to call,’” said E-Comm Police Call Taker Mark Kolomejac. “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.”
E-Comm has a comprehensive list of alternative resources online to help residents to reach the right resource in a non-emergency.
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.
