20% of calls to B.C.'s overloaded 911 dispatchers believed to be accidental, pocket dials

A fifth of the calls made to B.C.'s 911 dispatchers are believed to be accidental, putting further strain on an already over-burdened system, the agency that runs the call centres says.

In a message asking the public to be aware of the impact of accidental 911 calls, E-Comm said the mistakes can "take away critical resources" from people who need them most.

"During each shift, a significant number of calls I receive on the emergency lines are misdials or hang-ups from people who have accidentally called 911,” said police call taker Roanne in a news release shared by E-Comm.

"Some pocket dials are obvious – we can hear people having fun, singing along to music while they’re driving or cheering at sporting events. But we still need to take the time to call people back and confirm there isn’t an emergency happening."

The agency estimates it receives "hundreds" of accidental calls each day. E-Comm said it thinks the rapid growth of cellphone use has led to the rise in the mistakes. Ten years ago, 67 per cent of calls made to 911 came from a cellphone. Now, that figure is up to 79 per cent.

"Many times, people don't even realize that they’ve called us by mistake and when they do, they instinctively hang up the phone," call taker Meegan said in a statement.

"If you call 911 by accident, please don't hang up … the important thing is to stay on the line and let us know so that we can ensure you are safe."

E-Comm's awareness campaign comes as the agency deals with significant wait times for callers and ongoing staffing issues.

Earlier this month, E-Comm said "extended" wait times were expected over the Canada Day long weekend due to staffing shortages. The agency said it has been "very transparent about the fact that our organization is understaffed and underfunded." 

Making matters worse, E-Comm previously said it anticipates this to be one of the busiest summers on record for emergency services and first responders. In late June, it said it's already seeing some of its highest volumes of calls in more than two decades. 

Offering tips to prevent pocket dials, E-Comm advised cellphone users to lock and store their device safely when it's not in use. Devices should be turned to airplane mode if children are playing with it and 911 should never be programed into a phone.