A man uses his cellphone in downtown Toronto.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
A 911 caller who wanted to know how to rent a fire truck had the most absurd emergency call of the year, says a B.C. agency.
E-Comm, the emergency communication centre for southwest B.C., released its annual list of top 10 nuisance calls on Monday. The service, which receives more than 2,500 emergency calls a day, releases its list to draw attention to the problem of nuisance calls.
The full list:
1. "I'd like to speak to someone about renting a fire truck to block off a street for a party."
2. A caller phoned 9-1-1 to get their date's contact information so they could confirm details of their plans.
3. A caller phoned 9-1-1 to report a missed newspaper delivery.
4. Caller asks 9-1-1 if they can get the 'OK' to drive in the HOV lane because "traffic is backed up and they are late for an important meeting."
5. Caller dials 9-1-1 to activate voicemail on his cellphone.
6. "I threw my phone into the garbage can and can't get it out."
7. Caller dials 9-1-1 to ask for a morning wake-up call.
8. Caller dials 9-1-1 to ask how to call the operator.
9. "Can an officer come over to tell my kids to go to bed?"
10. "My son won't give me the remote control."
The list was compiled with input from staff and Twitter followers.
Matthew Collins, the dispatcher who handled the fire-truck call, said people don't realize that when they call 911 for non-emergency reasons they're tying up valuable resources.