The emergency services operators in the UK make it very clear -- should the situation warrant immediate attention -- that someone _is_ on the way before they go

The emergency services operators in the UK make it very clear -- should the situation warrant immediate attention -- that someone _is_ on the way before they go on to ask more questions or suggest action to take as appropriate. I'm quite glad to have only had to experience that once, even thinking about it has raised my heart rate. Non-emergency calls to the police will usually involve working out who you are at some point in the conversation; non-emergency calls to NHS24/NHS Direct will start off by taking contact details and triaging that you really are not an emergency case. If you drop off the line and they can't get back in touch with you, they've got enough information to make sure you're OK.