What’s all the broohaha about 911. Call 911 from you cellphone in California and you want the local police, and you have to go through the Highway patrol emergency operator, which can take many minutes, not seconds.
I think the FUD about 911 is overhyped and the alternative routes to reach the emergency operator are likely faster than a cell phone, but not yet like straight PSTN 911.
You are correct. Locally I know the direct number to the police/fire switchboard and use it when in the city of Smyrna GA rather than go through the combined dispatch of Cobb County GA 911 system. It is faster that way but few in the public are aware of these ‘private’ numbers as they are not published.
All a user switching to VoIP has to do is learn from someone what alternate numbers can be used to reach the 911 center and program them as a speed dial.
It is not the end of the world if you avoid 911, it is a system designed for ease of use by a generally uninformed public.
ki4je