This tidbit reminded me of something that happened last weekend. My mother called me all a twitter because her water heater had sprung a leak, soaking some electrical wires, which then proceded to catch fire. Sounds familiar to me.
So my mom did what we are all trained to do - she called 911.
Nobody answered.
She had to call the fire department directly. Luckliy for her, when she killed the power the arcing stopped and nothing continued to burn.
But what would have happened if an intruder was trying to bust into her house? 911 would have done no good for her.
Not that I'd suggest trying to rob my mother. I've seen her make 1" groupings with a snub nosed .38 special and not even try hard.
Hat Tip Uncle