911 is for real life or death situations

10 reasons not to dial service

A caller who phoned 911 to complain that a nail salon wouldn’t change their nail colour is No. 1 on E-Comm’s top 10 nuisance calls list of 2017.

Christie Duncan, the 911 operator who fielded the call, says nuisance calls occur more often than you’d think and they tie up 911 lines meant for emergencies.

“Spending time on calls like these takes me away from being available to help someone who is in a serious emergency situation,” Duncan said in a release. “And believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve received a call about the colour of nail polish.”

Here is E-Comm’s 2017 list of top 10 reasons to not call 911:

1. Complaining a salon wouldn’t change nail polish colour

2. Car refusing to move forward at a gas station pump

3. To report food was inedible and restaurant refusing to provide refund

4. Complaining tenant moved without returning keys

5. Calling because someone parked in their parking spot

6. Wondering if a washroom closed sign at a popular beach was legitimate

7. Complaining gas station wouldn’t accept coins for payment

8. Calling to ask if raccoons are dangerous animals

9. Asking if there’s a law preventing washing clothes at 6 a.m.

10. Calling to check the time following the fall time change

“As you can see by our 2017 list, some people believe 911 can be used as a customer complaint or general information service,” Jody Robertson, executive director of corporate communications, said in a release.

“While these calls are absurd, they’re more common than you might think. The fact is — every time a 911 call taker handles one of these calls, we waste valuable resources. We’re asking the public to help us help.”

Robertson reminds the public that 911 is for police, fire or medical emergencies.

“Non-emergency lines are for important police matters. None of the items on our list is a police matter.”

E-Comm, B.C.’s largest emergency communications centre, receives approximately 1.36 million calls every year.