With all the lists of all the notable things that have happened this year, sometimes we forget some of the stupid things that happen, such as misdialing 911. Every year, E-Comm, which is the system that British Columbia uses for their emergency dispatch system, releases a list of the top 10 reasons not to call 911. Some of the calls could have been avoided by a simple Google search, or by just looking around your environment, but not everyone is that smart.
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#10. Reporting that their building’s AC is too loud and they can’t sleep.
Not an emergency, by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe that lack of sleep is impacting their ability to make smart choices.
#9. Asking for help to get a basketball out of a tree.
It's the thing to do to call the firefighters for a cat, but a basketball? Can't you just throw something at it? Use a big stick?
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#8. My roommate used my toothbrush.
Ok, this must have been done under the influence. How nuts must you be to think this is an emergency? Really?
#7. Asking if it’s okay to park on the street?
There's plenty of numbers to call to ask this question, and there's usually a sign that says what you can't and can do. If you can't read those, you've got bigger problems, bro.
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#6. Coffee shop is refusing to refill coffee.
Never seen a situation where a coffee shop will refuse to refill a coffee, even just to get the person to leave. Been a barista before, never seen anything like this escalate to a 911 call. Must be a damn good cup of coffee.
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#5. My son won’t put his seat belt on.
Seriously? You're having a issue with your son and you think that if you call 911, they'll come and what? Arrest him? Tell him it's illegal? Parenting fail.
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#4. Because a car parked to close to theirs.
This may seem like an emergency, but it's actually not. Figure it out.
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#3. Asking for the non-emergency line.
A quick Google search will find this, or in doubt, try 411.
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#2. Reporting an issue with a vending machine.
We're pretty sure there's a number printed on the side of the machine that asks you to call if there's issues. Not getting your tiny bag of Doritos isn't an emergency. Then again, BC is known for a certain plant-based drug that leads to the munchies.
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#1. Requesting the number of a local tire dealership.
That's 411, my friend. They'll help you out. Or the Yellow pages, that still exists, right?
