> We had a rotary phone in the kitchen for ages in my parents house. My mother only finally got rid of it because dialing 911 took too long on it when my dad passed (2008).

I am really sorry for your loss.

911 can sometimes be awful to use. You end up explaining yourself 2-3x, then wait for what seems like forever for anyone to come help, and in that whole time, you could imagine ordering and receiving a pizza sooner.

I recall once, dialing 911, and they ask you what your emergency is. You take all the time answering their questions and explaining the issue, only for them to transfer you to another 911 despatch because odds are you were talking with the state despatch. Then you end up re-explaining everything all over again.

And of course, once you have explained everything, there is the waiting. I swear, you will see 4 cops show up for a routine traffic stop, but call for help, and you're wondering where they are (likely at someone's routine traffic stop). The same thing for the fire department. I once called for a neighbor (thankfully no one was home), and metaphorically speaking, we could have hosted a full neighborhood cookout using the flames, well before the fire department finally showed up.

But I digress. You have my sympathy. I do believe the system in place needs reform. Not just local reform or state-wide reform, but on a national level.