To help reduce the number of accidental and non-emergency calls to 911, government launched an awareness campaign today, May 7.

“The 911 awareness campaign is a collaborative effort with our first responders, including RCMP, municipal police, Emergency Health Services and fire services,” said Mark Furey, Minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office.

“We are reaching out to the public in a number of ways, including a short Call 911 Emergency video.

“We hope the video will better inform people on how to use this important lifeline the right way and reduce the number of non-emergency calls to 911.”

About 20 per cent of calls to 911 are non-emergency, misdials or nuisance calls. Many Nova Scotians accidently call 911 via their cell phone, while others call to report a less serious incident such as a noise complaint.

“Every accidental call must be treated as a legitimate call until the call taker can determine otherwise,” said Mr. Furey. “Improper calls to 911 ties up valuable resources. Intentional abuse of the system can lead to charges.

“Nova Scotians should only call 911 if their health, safety or property is in immediate danger. If in doubt, call 911.”

Nova Scotia 911 call takers receive 650 calls per day. They play a critical role in protecting the health, safety and property of Nova Scotians.

The Emergency Management Office administers the provincewide 911 emergency service and works closely with all emergency response agencies.

The four 911 public safety answering points in Nova Scotia are Dartmouth, Sydney, Truro and Kentville.

To view the video, visit www.novascotia.ca/noemergency .

Source: Release