VANCOUVER — British Columbia's largest emergency dispatch and 911 call centre has put together a top 10 list for 2015 — and you don't want to be on it.
E-Comm, which handles emergency calls for 24 B.C. cities, towns and districts while dispatching 33 police and fire departments, has released the 10 most outrageous calls received by staff this year.
These ranged from requests to fish a basketball out of a tree to complaints of one roommate using another's toothbrush.
An exasperated parent even called to report her son would not put on his seatbelt.
But E-Comm spokesperson Jody Robertson says the most frivolous 911 call came from a man who wanted the phone number for a local tire dealership.
Almost 3,400 calls flow through E-Comm every day and Robertson hopes this year's top 10 list of bad calls spreads the message that 911 dispatchers must focus on emergencies and can't take time to manage situations that don't immediately threaten lives or property.
2015 top ten reasons to not call 9-1-1:
1. Requesting the number for a local tire dealership
2. Reporting an issue with a vending machine
3. Asking for the non-emergency line
4. Because a car parked too close to theirs
5. "My son won’t put his seatbelt on"
6. Coffee shop is refusing to refill coffee
7. Asking if it’s okay to park on the street
8. “My roommate used my toothbrush”
9. Asking for help getting a basketball out of a tree
10. Reporting that their building’s air system is too loud and they can’t sleep
