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December 29, 2016 - 8:32 AM
VANCOUVER - As 2016 comes to a close, the dispatchers for 911 are sharing some of the most ludicrous calls of the year including someone asking for help with a broken locker, getting a soccer ball off of a roof and with a spider in the bathroom.
E-Comm gets more than 1.3 million calls a year, but in a media release the people who answer the phone when you dial 911 have narrowed that down to the 10 most pointless calls. The list includes a request for help because of a broken electric shaver, getting bored in traffic and a chore-dodging teenager.
While it reads as a ridiculous list that’s funny, E-Comm staff say it’s important to recognize that these calls take time and can delay the emergency response for someone in real need of help.
Jim Beland with E-Comm says these types of calls aren’t that rare.
“As call-takers our job is to treat each call like an emergency until we can determine otherwise, and this takes time,” he says in the release. “We want our time reserved for people who need help because they have a legitimate emergency.”
These are the top 10 unnecessary calls received by the province’s dispatchers in 2016:
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Requesting help opening a broken gym locker
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Enquiring about job opportunities for a family member interested in police work
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Because an electric shaver would not turn off
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Requesting a ladder to get a soccer ball off the roof
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How best to get a drone down from a tree
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Tired of waiting in traffic
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‘There’s a big spider in the bathroom’
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Complaining they couldn’t get into a nightclub
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Because their teenager refused to do chores
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‘Can you tell me what time it is?’
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