In 2020, we received more than 1.8 million 9-1-1 calls in B.C. – that’s an average of 5,000 calls per day. Given the incredible volume of calls that we receive, we ask British Columbians to do their part in in keeping 9-1-1 lines free for emergencies only.
Emergency vs. Non-Emergency: know the difference
• 9-1-1 is for police, fire or medical emergencies where immediate action is required.
• Non-emergency numbers should be used for situations that do NOT require immediate response from police
To learn more about the difference between emergency and non-emergency calls, visit nonemergency.ca
Of the 1.8 million 9-1-1 calls E-Comm received, 98% of those calls were answered in 5 seconds or less.
From those calls:
• 65 per cent of calls were for police
• 30 per cent of calls were for ambulance
• 6 per cent of calls were for fire
Learn more about our 9-1-1 call statistics.
We also received a total of 38 Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) calls in 2020. T9-1-1 is a specialized texting service available for people who are Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of Hearing or Speech
Impaired (DHHSI) that allows registered users to communicate with 9-1-1 call-takers through text.