If you call 911 in the US and hang up (or don't respond/speak to the operator) they will send someone. (I'm 99% sure this is true in all states--it is certainly true in the three different states I've lived in).
About 5 years ago I'd just moved into a new place (VERY rural). During the night a pillow slipped off of my bed and on to a heater in my room. The pillow began to catch fire and the fire alarm went off.
I hadn't realized it was a new-style alarm system, so it made a huge racket and in my sleep-addled state I thought it was a security alarm going off, so I grabbed a phone and ran and hid (yes, I was hiding from a fire *sigh*). I dialed 911, but it seemed to me that the phone wasn't working properly and so I disconnected the phone. As I woke up more I remembered that, oh yeah, this house didn't have a security system. I took care of the pillow (it was smoldering, not really in flames) and went back to bed.
20 minutes later I woke up to a fire truck pulling into the driveway full of volunteer fire fighters. The 911 operator had caught a second of the sound of my alarm going off, recognized it as a fire alarm, and dispatched the fire crew.
When I was younger, there was even a thing on our phone (offered through one of the carriers), where if your phone was off the hook for more than 3 minutes the phone company automatically dialed 911 on your behalf. This was for a situation where you need help, go for the phone, but only manage to get it off of the cradle and don't manage to actually dial anyone.
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john-mather43
7 years ago
I live in UK and some how my landline rang 999 -I had gone to the shops-came back to find police at my door! Apparently it was some kind of fault ! But based on my experience they would.
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