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Next time you accidentally call 911, don’t hang up until you are connected with an operator, emergency officials warn.
That’s because operators need to track down the original caller to ensure everything is fine, which takes time away from real emergencies.
“Every second counts in an emergency, so when it takes operators a minimum of 90 seconds to call back every person who hangs up, that is time that could be better spent responding to an emergency 911 call,” Toronto police told the Star in an emailed statement.
Toronto police saw a 30 per cent rise in unintentional calls since last year — up from 2,781 hang ups in 2022 to 3,582 in 2023.
Why 911 centres are flooded with ‘fake’ calls
“TPS Communication Services, like other 911 call centres, have been experiencing an increase in hang up calls,” a spokesperson for Toronto police told the Star.
Another reason 911 centres receive these “fake” calls are unsubscribed devices, which cannot be dialed back, say officials. Even without a SIM card, these devices can still call 911 if the SOS/Emergency feature is not deactivated.
Hamilton police said more than 22,600 calls came from unsubscribed devices in 2022. This year so far, 9,200 calls came from these devices.
“Unintentional dials happen when a mobile device is carried in a pocket, purse, backpack, or other piece of clothing accidentally activates the keypad, causing an emergency call,” Hamilton police said in a press release, adding, “many calls continue to be from young children when they are given cellphones and smartphones to play with as toys.”
In recent years, health-care staffing shortages have left emergency services in Ontario scrambling, resulting in slower ambulance response times and more injuries on the job. Some residents have expressed concerns over calling 911 and being put on hold during life-threatening situations.
Reasons people give for hanging up
According to police, some of the excuses people have given for failing to remain on the line include:
- Over reporting and feeling like too many people have already called for help
- Wait time on the non-emergency line is too long and they dial 911 for faster service (don’t do this as this is not the case, warn police)
- They think they’ll get in trouble for misdialing 911
- They are using 911 as a “scare tactic” for people around them
- They change their mind after dialing 911
- They pocket dial or activate the SOS/Emergency feature
How to prevent unintentional 911 calls
If you call 911, you should wait for the call to go through, even if you change your mind about the call, say police.
Hamilton police are encouraging people “not to let children play with mobile phones or tablets that are capable of activating the SOS/Emergency feature.”
They also recommend using the keypad lock feature, turning off the 911 autodial feature and refraining from including 911 on “speed dial” on mobile phones.
Toronto police call centres have recently started sending text messages asking callers to call them back if there is an actual emergency.
“Some phones can’t receive text, so those will continue to be called back,” Toronto police said.
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