If your luggage is too big for carry-on or a store refuses to take back your air fryer, emergency services should not be your next call.
That is the reminder from E-Comm, BC’s emergency communications organization, which has released its annual list of the top 10 reasons people called 911 in 2025 when no emergency response was required.
The list is compiled from real calls received by police call takers throughout BC and is intended to highlight the importance of keeping 911 lines open for true emergencies involving immediate threats to health, safety, or property.
“No matter how absurd a call might seem on the surface, we have to treat every 911 call as an emergency until we can confidently determine otherwise,” said Bailey Mitchell, a police call taker with E-Comm.
“Every second spent fielding questions about traffic, hornets, or bad haircuts is time that could otherwise be helping someone in a life-threatening situation.”
According to E-Comm, these were among the most common non-emergency calls last year:
- Their luggage exceeded carry-on limits
- Walmart would not return an air fryer
- Their dishwasher was broken
- Someone parked at Starbucks and went into a grocery store
- A non-electric vehicle parked at an EV charging station
- They wanted to complain about traffic
- They were locked out of their Airbnb
- They left an iPad at a SkyTrain station
- They wanted help removing a hornet from their apartment
- They were unhappy with a haircut
While some of the calls may seem harmless, E-Comm says even brief non-urgent calls can delay help for someone facing a real emergency.
Police call takers are unable to assist with non-urgent issues through 911. In many cases, concerns can be addressed by calling a local non-emergency police line or using alternative community resources.
“The majority of people use 9-1-1 responsibly, and we want British Columbians to feel confident calling for help in an emergency,” said Carly Paice, communications manager at E-Comm.
“No matter the time of day, our call takers are here to connect people with critical emergency resources when they need them most.”
E-Comm handles approximately 99% of all 911 call volume in BC, answering around two million emergency calls each year.
Residents are reminded that 911 should only be used when immediate action is required and a person’s safety, health, or property is at risk.
For non-urgent matters, E-Comm encourages people to seek out appropriate non-emergency resources instead of tying up emergency lines.
