Have you had to call the emergency phone service? What were the results ?

I am also in Australia. I have always had positive results except once about 12 years ago. I worked in a crisis youth centre and was doing night duty on my own when a young man turned up at the door and I refused him entry. He forced his way in and started attacking me with a piece of timber. I locked myself in the office and rang 000. I was told I would have to wait as the nearest police to me were investigating the discovery of a dead body. I argued that I felt I should take priority as I was at least still alive. Had to wait two hours, in the mean time a couple of guys in the street came to help and held him till the police (no sirens) came. This young man who was known to many shelters and banned had two histories of murder at only 16.

I would put in a complaint to the emergency services, who will review the tape and give retraining to the operator.

Here in America that would be one of the reasons we have 911. It's not only for medical emergencies it can be criminal, they will dispatch the police, fires, they will dispatch the fire department whatever life threaten situation you are in, about to be in or witnessing you call 911. The saddest thing is that so many times people will not even make that small gesture to get help for someone in need...........it's not like the vast majority don't have cell phones. Hard to believe but it happens often. I have call 3 times, once when my daughter was hit by car. and twice for me for suspected brain aneurysms ...........I had already had two surgeries. In all three events they were there there in minutes and had me and my daughter to the hospital ASAP>

Yes, njss, but first, THANK YOU !, your story is a BIG PLUS for OUR right to gun ownership.

I had a worker at my home, that cut his hand and thumb with a tool and was bleeding quite heavily, so I immediately called 911(the emergency number).

I just moved here and didn't know where the hospital was, and he couldn't drive with his condition.

After about 15 minutes, the Medics arrived and took him to the hospital, and he was released about 4 hours later.

Because we don't live in "town", the Medics also handed the worker a bill of $500 for their services.

Yes, also in Australia. Twice for an ambulance: first time for myself, I was in alot of pain (injured back) but not life threatening. However, the ambulance came very quickly and the two men were extremely kind and helpful.

Second time, for my partner, who was some distance from home, in the bushland reserve behind our property and had contacted me by mobile. It was late at night, so I wouldn't have been able to find him, so after giving instructions to the ambulance men, and making my partner crawl closer to a designated lane-way, they found him and promptly took him to the nearest hospital. I thought that was very good service despite the complications in finding him.

I never had a problem with 000. You confronted a drunk male with a knife, and you still had the time to ring the police? Did you ring after the incident, or during. If you were confronted by a male with a knife the police would have attended immediately. If you have a complaint, you should make it to the Ethical Standards Dept and get them to investigate your call to police.

Mine was in the USA with 911. A large fight with about 10 people on my dark street woke me up at about 3AM. I called 911 and they put me on hold "all lines busy....your call is very important" for about 5 minutes, The operator kept asking me questions that I had no answers to because I could hardly see them and all of the shouting was in Spanish and was mostly about each others mother and inadequate performance or anatomy in a reproductive nature. By the time the officer got there, about fifteen minutes, the people had left and I had time to get dressed. We found the man at the end of my driveway with his head bashed in but alive. It was all about a family fight.

When I had my last heart attack, I called 911 because I was home alone. The ambulance was there in about 5 minutes, and since I had

called, it went over the scanners - my husband didn't hear it because their 2 way radio - scanners don't pick up in a metal building and neither does his cell phone. One of his co-workers was out of the building and heard it - he went flying back to the building and told my husband to get home. They didn't even have me in the ambulance yet, and he was there.

We have a non-emergency number to call also

Fast with in 7 minutes a fire truck, paramedic vehicle and a police car and ambulance. This is a small rural community with fantastic emergency response. For prowlers ect..they come as soon as possible.

I had to twice, once for my bed ridden father, and the emt's from the fire department were here in 3 minutes and they started getting him ready for the ambulance ride. And once for myself as I had panceatitis, the same thing emt's then ambulance. they don't screw around, you need help you get it here in cedar rapids Iowa. And the flood from june is estimated at 3 billion dollars in damages so far.

I have had to call many times, mostly because of my father's health problems, and they were wonderful. Their policy is take every call seriously, don't question the caller. Fines for false reporting are high though.

Virginia, USA