Poll: Calling 911

Have you ever had to call 911 for any reason? I'll group this into three categories:

1. No, never for any reason;
2. Yes, for a minor accident (e.g. fender-bender); and
3. Yes, for a serious/dangerous/life-threatening situation.

Driving in Houston, I see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles all the time. I was just wondering this morning how often normal people are actually involved in such actions. I've been in a few accidents over the years, and 911 has been called to get a police/ambulance response, but most of those have been minor and precautionary. There have been two serious incidents where I had to call 911 over a potentially life-threatening situation (interestingly, both occurred while living in College Station and not in Houston).

The first time was a few months after our marriage; we were living in what turned out to be not the nicest apartments and one of our neighbors, while generally a nice lady, got into some big arguments with her ex. One night, around 1 or 2 a.m., we heard them outside arguing with such ferocity and vehemence that we decided police involvement was needed to calm this domestic dispute (from talking with a cousin who is a cop, these are usually the worst kinds of situations).

The second time we called 911 was a few months before we left College Station. We were living in a decent rent house in a decent neighborhood. Our house backed up to a creek, so there was a little separation between us and the houses behind us. One night, I think it was around midnight, we noticed a glow coming in from our bedroom sliding glass door which led to the back porch. When I got up to investigate, I saw that the warm orange glow was emanating from a tree in the backyard just across the creek from ours, quickly becoming engulfed in flames. No idea how it started, but I didn't want to see it grow.

What stories do you have?

Tags: 911, Emergency, Accident, Fire, Argument, Domestic Dispute, Poll