Calgary's 911 call centre answers many emergency calls with complex issues.

Last year, the call centre answered over one million emergency and non-emergency calls.

The city is growing very fast, making it hard for us to keep up. We need to plan and hire more staff.

This growth is a challenge for us.

In 2025, calls increased by four per cent, with 18,000 community events supported.

Some 2,000 calls were sent to 211 for help with mental health and other issues.

We are the first to respond to emergencies and take our work very seriously.

When people call us, it's often the worst day of their life, and they need to trust we'll help them.

As the city becomes more diverse, we get more calls that need language help, which can take longer.

A former 911 worker, Evan, says the job affected his mental health due to the graphic nature of some calls.

Evan worked at 911 for seven years and found it hard to hear about people's worst days.

Now, Evan helps people as a run coach and advises those in the field to prioritize mental health.

Evan says self-care is crucial and recommends finding a therapist before starting the job.

Calgary 911 provides mental health support for its staff, learning from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The centre pays more attention to mental health and provides a supportive environment.

Even with many calls, the centre assures it will answer when you need help.

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