Non-emergency 911 calls can put others at risk

I recently had the occasion to speak with police leaders from several police services across Canada. During the course of the conversation the discussion turned to the challenges many agencies are facing with our respective communication centres and the use of 911 for matters that are not emergencies.

According to the National Emergency Number Association, the concept of a single number for the public to call for all emergencies was recommended by the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration in 1967. In February 1968 the first 911 call was made in Haleyville, Alabama by Senator Rankin Fite. In the years to come the number was adopted across the U.S. and Canada.

Call-taking and dispatch in communication and 911 centres has evolved at lightning speed over the past two decades. Some citizens may have a mental image of Lily Tomlin’s character “The Operator” or Officer Farva from Super Troopers, but those cannot be farther from the real picture. The new series 911 — while made for entertainment — does a decent job at demonstrating the pace and pressures one faces.

It is a function that is now heavily dependent on technology. It requires skilled and dedicated personnel that are trained, consistently mentored and continually ✦processes learning as technology and

change. Canada is on the brink of moving towards even more technological advancement as communication centres prepare for the biggest technological upgrade in a generation appropriately known as NextGen 911.

In my conversations with my colleagues a theme that emerged was no matter how much technology there is, one of the biggest obstacles facing communication centres is the inappropriate use of 911 by citizens for events that are not emergencies requiring an immediate response from police, fire or paramedics.

I heard from my colleagues the stories of people calling for weather conditions, water conditions, parenting advice, asking how to deal with a neighbour’s yard and one I have experienced in several jurisdictions that I have worked, the person that decides to call 911 to get the emergency service to arrive more quickly only to find out there was no crime in progress, no fire, no medical distress and no emergency at all. It is not uncommon to hear on the radio or television the year’s top 10 most ridiculous calls to 911.

There is one exception. I have a lot of latitude when it is a child calling 911. That is what they should do if they perceive something as an emergency. But that latitude diminishes when the caller is an adult and should have the common sense to know a weather inquiry or how to roast a turkey is not an emergency.

In communication centres that serve as the call-taking, 911 and dispatch function every time the 911 number is used for a non-emergency it slows down the system. It also ties up lines that are supposed to be dedicated for bona fide emergencies. If all of those dedicated 911 lines become busy, communication centres are designed to then bounce the overloaded calls to another centre, further straining their capabilities to deal with incoming 911 calls and prolonging the time it takes to get calls dispatched. To be candid, calls to 911 that are not real emergencies disrupt the system and could put somebody experiencing a real emergency at risk.

In Alberta we are fortunate to have Alberta 511 for citizens to get official road reports. The City of Lethbridge is also in the midst of launching a 311 service to answer questions about the various services in Lethbridge that are not related to emergency services. In our digital age, most questions can be answered through the internet or a social media platform. Most emergency services also have a non-emergency line for citizens to call for general matters or questions.

Locally the Public Safety Communications Centre is a stand alone unit within the City of Lethbridge and is responsible for call taking, dispatch and 911 for all first responders — police, fire and EMS. 911 is the emergency number for all services. For non-emergency police matters please call 403-328-4444. I ask that citizens exercise common sense when they call 911. It should be used for events that truly require an immediate response. In doing this we can all help keep the system efficient and working toward the original goal of reporting emergency situations and getting the appropriate response to those in need.