Cell phone accidental 911 calls continue to tie up emergency services

By: South Bruce OPP  January 17, 2015  1415

“LOCK IT IN YOUR POCKET”

(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) – The South Bruce OPP responded to 10,400 calls for service between Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2014. Of these, 605 were 911 calls, and of that number, only six (one per cent) were actual emergencies.

Cell phone accidental or “pocket-dial” calls accounted for 332 (55 per cent) of the 911 calls that the South Bruce OPP responded to last year. This is up slightly from 2013 when officers responded to 323 cell phone calls which made up 56 per cent of all 911 calls for the year.

The remaining 267 calls to 911 in 2014 included:

• 184 (30 per cent) accidental/misdial – e.g. programming an auto-dialer, attempting to call an overseas number
• 48 (eight per cent) child playing with the phone
• 35 (six per cent phone line trouble

How this compares to 911 calls received in 2013:

• 128 (22 per cent) accidental/misdial

• 79 (14 per cent) child playing with the phone

• 39 (seven per cent) phone line trouble

“Cell phone 'pocket-dials' continue to be an issue for emergency responders," says acting inspector Wayne Thompson, detachment commander, South Bruce OPP. "When 911 is called, emergency personnel will be dispatched. This represents a significant cost for ratepayers, but the potential harm is much greater if an emergency responder is delayed getting to someone who needs immediate assistance. I urge you to 'Lock it in your pocket.' Lock your cell phone keypad when you aren’t using it and save 911 for those who truly need it.”

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