From messy roommate to mixed-up coffee order: Top 10 moronic calls to 911 in B.C.

From a messy roommate to a barista that mixed up a coffee order, some British Columbians continue to call 911 for the most moronic of reasons.

E-Comm 9-1-1 has put out a list of the top 10 nuisance calls of 2021, and while the complaints are humorous, the organization reiterates that pointless calls to 911 puts the lives of other British Columbians at risk.

E-Comm 9-1-1 received 1.9 million calls in 2021 the organization said in a media release, making last year its busiest in its 22-year history.

And despite three provincial states of emergency, the heat dome, a very challenging wildfire season and catastrophic flooding, some people still called 911 for stupid reasons.

"It was disheartening to learn that we continued to receive 9-1-1 calls from people looking for information or trying to make general service complaints when so many communities were experiencing critical emergency situations," E-Comm’s spokesperson Jasmine Bradley said in the release.

"Our call takers are trained to treat every call that comes through as an emergency until they can determine otherwise. Every second that they spend speaking with someone who is upset about a mixed-up coffee order or wanting to report a messy roommate, is time they could have been helping someone in a life-threatening situation."

E-Comm says that despite ongoing efforts to educate the public about nuisance calls, many of the calls in this year's top 10 list are the same as in previous years.

"At a time when demand for emergency services is higher than it ever has been, it is extremely concerning that people continue to misuse 9-1-1 lines," Bradley said.

"9-1-1 is the first point of contact for someone experiencing a life or death emergency, it is critical these lines are free from non-urgent situations so our call takers can get people the help they need, as quickly as possible."

By sharing the list E-Comm hopes to educate the public about when and when not to call 911.

Top ten nuisance calls of 2021:

1. The barista mixed up their coffee order
2. A pedestrian was splashed on the sidewalk
3. Requesting a COVID test
4. Enquiring about becoming a 9-1-1 call taker
5. Wanting to know where they could vote during the federal election
6. Looking for weather updates
7. Asking for directions
8. Wondering why the bus wasn’t coming
9. Enquiring about COVID restrictions
10. Reporting a messy roommate

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