Vancouver — the agency that seals with the most emergency calls in British Columbia has declared 2022 was its hectic year, but along with managing life-saving public services, EComm says it is still getting an unacceptable number of nonsensical calls.

EComm, which deals with all but a part of B.C.’s 911 call volume, has released a list of the top 10 frolicsome complaints it says came in last year.

The list ranges from kids drawing with chalk in a park to a disordered roommate, a damaged windshield wiper, a cellphone stuck in a bench, and, No. 1 on the list, a faulty nozzle at a gas station.

Call takers say callers often admit they aren’t reporting an emergency but admit they don’t know who else can help, so EComm has posted an inclusive list of alternative resources on its website.

The agency says in a statement that common queries may not seem critical, but because each one links a call taker and could put public security at risk, callers are admonished to check the non-emergency list if they are inexact before dialing 911.

EComm states it answered just over 2.1 million 911 calls last year, a 1.8 percent rise from 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 4, 2023.