The Edmonton Police Service (EPS), in partnership with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) and Alberta Health Services Emergency Medical Services (EMS), has launched a public education campaign to help Edmontonians understand when to call 9-1-1.
The EPS Emergency Communications and Operations Management Branch (ECOMB) is the primary Public Safety Answering Point for Edmonton, handling all 9-1-1 calls. Emergency Communications Officers (ECOs) then dispatch these calls to the appropriate emergency service, such as police, fire, or ambulance.
In 2023, ECOMB received approximately 648,000 calls to 9-1-1, with 32 per cent classified as non-emergencies. Since 2021, non-emergency calls to 9-1-1 have increased by 49 per cent.
“Non-emergency calls to 9-1-1 tie up resources and can delay response to real emergencies where every second counts,” said Kalie Anderson, Director of ECOMB. “In the moment, events can feel like an emergency, but if it isn’t a crime in progress or a situation where life, safety, or property is in immediate danger, it’s not a phone call to 9-1-1.”
Non-emergency events can be reported to various other services, including 2-1-1, 3-1-1, 9-8-8, or the EPS non-emergency line.
“Our ECOs field countless non-emergency calls, everything from children playing with a cell phone and mistakenly calling 9-1-1 to complaints about restaurant service and long waits in fast-food lines,” said Anderson. “It may sound comical, but they have serious implications for emergency response times.”
A growing issue is the number of callers who hang up on ECOs, sometimes due to high call volume or because they accidentally dialed 9-1-1. ECOs are required to call back all hang-ups regardless of the situation. To prevent further strain on police resources, callers should stay on the line, even if the call was a mistake.
Last year, ECOs had to call back roughly nine per cent of callers due to hang-ups.