Heavy traffic at mall parking lots is only one of many silly calls made to 9-1-1.
So says Jody Robertson, spokesperson for E-Comm, which handles the emergency line in B.C.
This, after Burnaby RCMP had to remind Boxing Day shoppers not to call the number simply because of the traffic jams around malls and stores.
Speaking on CKNW with guest host Steve Darling, Robertson says E-Comm receives “nuisance calls” all the time.
“We had someone call to see if their favourite electronic store would honour a return on Boxing Day without the receipt. That’s a nuisance call. In fact, probably need a stronger word than nuisance because it’s not. It’s much more than a nuisance, it’s getting in the way potentially of real emergency calls.
“We get people calling 911 for a taxi. Now, naturally we really applaud those people who have been drinking to plan a safe ride home, but we need you to call the taxi company not 911.”
Robertson estimates there are about 70-thousand accidental pocket dials to 911 each year.
About The Reporter
