(Photo by E-Comm)
E-Comm 9-1-1 has seen an influx of calls across the province since Secretary of Public Safety Mike Farnworth announced the new travel restrictions.
Long weekend from now until the end of May, BC is divided into three regions wedged together with the northern and internal health authorities.
Jasmine Bradley, director of communications, told Vista Radio that she couldn’t stress enough that these types of calls often interfere with life-threatening situations.
“We really need people who understand that a lifeline in the 9-1-1 system or in the non-emergency line that does not belong to one of these systems endangers lives and ties up resources for the wrong reason.”
Bradley mentioned that E-Comm has seen a surge in calls every time health restrictions associated with the pandemic are updated.
“We always see an increase in 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls from people with questions. On Friday, when the travel restrictions were announced, there was an influx of calls from people who wanted information, had questions, and weren’t sure if it meant they could still go to certain communities. “
“The volume of these calls has definitely decreased, but we are still seeing them. I heard on one of our answering machines that they just received another call from someone about travel restrictions. So it is really important that we need public help with this. “
She adds that all health-related calls should be made to 8-1-1, while most COVID-type inquiries that need to be reported to the police should be made through the non-emergency number.
E-Comm currently handles 99% of the province’s 9-1-1 call volume.
