One call to 911 this year included a complaint about a box of 38 over-ripe avocados – something E-Comm is asking the public not to call them about.
E-Comm is once again asking the public to be judicious with their calls to 911, the number for serious police, medical and fire emergencies.
In addition to the rotten avocado call, the annual list of inappropriate calls to 911 this year included complaints about a dry cleaner staining a shirt, a McDonald’s that wouldn’t open its doors, a neighbour wearing too much cologne and requests for technical support, directions to Shoppers Drug Mart and help removing a wasp’s nest.
One E-Comm police call taker, Laura (last name not given), said the service understands these situations might feel “urgent,” but 911 is not the appropriate number.
“We must treat every call as an emergency until we know otherwise and each second we spend responding to a call that does not belong on 911 is time we could be getting help to someone in a life-threatening emergency,” she said in a media release.
General questions, consumer complaints and lifestyle grievances do not belong on 911, E-Comm said.
E-Comm, which handles about two million 911 calls per year, released its annual list of top 10 unusual calls in order to raise awareness of the importance of keeping 911 lines for emergencies only.
E-Comm is asking everyone to do their part by helping keep 911 lines free for in-progress crimes or emergencies that require immediate help from police, fire or ambulance only.
Most people use 911 responsibly, said police call taker Kuzivakwashe (last name not given), and they want people to call when they need help in an emergency.
“By directing your non-urgent calls to the appropriate resources, such as your local police non-emergency line, you are helping to ensure our call takers are available for real emergency situations,” said Kuzivakwashe in a media release.
Tips on proper use of 911
9‑1‑1 is for police, fire or medical emergencies when immediate action is required: someone’s health, safety or property is in jeopardy or a crime is in progress.
- Know your location at all times
- Don’t program 9‑1‑1 into any phone
- If you call 9‑1‑1 accidentally, stay on the line and let us know
- Lock and store your cellphone carefully to prevent accidental 911 calls
- Do not text or tweet 911
- Call takers cannot transfer your non-emergency call from 911; visit nonemergency.ca for a list of alternate resources for reporting non-emergency matters
Top 10 calls in 2024 that did not belong on 911
Their neighbour was wearing too much cologne
The dry cleaners stained their shirt
McDonald's wouldn’t open their doors
They wanted directions to a 24/7 Shoppers Drug Mart
Complaining the power was out
Requesting technical support
The box of 38 avocados they purchased were rotten
They left their phone in an Uber
Requesting help removing a wasp's nest
There was a domesticated-looking bunny in the park
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 To stay updated on Richmond news, sign up for our daily headline newsletter.
💬 Words missing in article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
