In reply to:

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Assuming one is a 999 operator taking calls at home.

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Or you simply want the emergency services to be able to call you back to get or give some important information?

It's an important point. It's quite common for a modern mains powered phone to ring fine using mains power normally but to rely on the bell wire to power the ring if the mains is down. You snip the bell wire, don't realise that the phone no longer rings without mains power because the filter's the wrong type, and end up without an important life line and not realising it until it's too late.

Do 999 operators really tell people they'll return the call later? AFAIK they stay on the line as long as possible/necessary and are capable of holding the line open indefinitely so even if the caller hangs up, the next time they lift the receiver the operator will still be there.

While I agree it might be a bind to unwittingly lose incoming calls for a time, it is certainly not anything approaching putting oneself in peril.

Edited by Stabilo (Mon 26-Mar-07 08:32:41)

"a) a requirement - BT or your telephone operator may need to contact you."

Not as far as I'm aware, since BT themselves offer (or did) incoming calls barred lines (we had one at one of our remote sites). Also, for a requirement for a ringer to be useful, they would have to force us to plug a phone in (what about dsl only/mobile phone households) and have an obligation to answer it whenever it rang (what about the elderly, or even the away from home?).

So a sensible precaution against anyone wanting to call you whom you may want to receive yes, but I can't think of a single emergency situation nor contractual or otherwise requirement where it might apply.

Police/fire/ambulance operators often need to ring back if their personel have difficulty locating an address. They may stay on the line if someone is dying there an then, e.g. not breathing but otherwise will end the call after taking the details and dispatching a crew/patrol

No idea ? Seems a little hopefull.

in power cuts we get people ringing round to see who still has power so a working phone is useful when the lights go out.