By Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle

It’s hard to imagine what the world would be like without the 911 emergency call system. 

Remember what it was like before? You simply dialed the number of the police station or fire department and they came running. Similar to today, but not sure if the response is faster or slower.

The 911 system has an interesting history. The first known national emergency number (999) took root in the United Kingdom in 1937-38, and it is still in use today.

The push for a nationwide emergency number in the United States came in 1957 when the association of fire chiefs recommended it for the reporting of fires. 

According to Wikipedia, the first North American city to use a central emergency number was Winnipeg, MB in 1959. Winnipeg reportedly used 999 but switched numbers when 911 was proposed by the United States.

It was reported that the murder of a New York City woman in 1964 gave much weight to the urgency of creating a central number for emergencies. 

In 1968, AT&T chose the number 911 based on cost factors and the ease of which it could be remembered by most people.

The first 911 (test) call was made in Alabama that year. In Canada, the emergency number was adopted in 1972.

Today, the 911 system is much more streamlined and efficient, but not everyone knows its primary intent, judging from some of the “nuisance” calls that E-Comm receives every year. 

Here are the top 10 nuisance calls in 2022 (with our commentary).

  • The fuel nozzle isn’t working at the gas station. (We’ll send an officer over with a jerry can right away.)
  • I had a flat tire. (So did I a couple of years ago, but I didn’t call the police.)
  •  People are playing basketball on a public court at night. (Did anyone score a three-pointer?)
  • Someone isn’t picking up after their dog. (The poop police only work on Saturdays.)
  • Someone was using my garbage can. (Put in some mouldy yogurt next time.)
  • Children are drawing with chalk in the playground. (A new “fuddy duddy” school just opened up for cranky people – it has one more seat available just for you.)
  • My phone just got stuck in a bench.(Okay, put all of your fingers in another hole so that you can’t phone 911 again.)
  • I’m looking for an update on a nationwide telecommunications outage. (There’s an outage, all right, and it’s happening with this call.)
  • My window wiper just broke. (You’re in luck. Our recruit just graduated from that department; he’ll be right there.)
  • Someone just cut in front of me at the car wash. (Well, go in there and hold him until we arrive. By then, everything will be forgotten.)