Short codes have become a common way of communicating, either by necessity or by marketing. Think, for example, of the well-publicized 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 emergency numbers that save critical time in urgent situations. Other 3-digit short codes (most notably 2-1-1 and 3-1-1) are used by callers to reach targeted recipients who can handle mostly non-life-threatening emergency routine calls (according to one study, up to 80% for non-emergency calls). While a sewer line backup may, in fact, be an emergency, especially to the people who are dealing with the backup right then — in most cases, a sewer line backup does not rise to the emergency level that requires prompt dispatch of fire, police or ambulance services.
