WATERLOO, ON, CANADA — Rescue delays in a fatal helicopter crash have persuaded regional councillors to push harder to put emergency dispatchers under one roof.

WATERTOWN, NY — When it comes to house fires and other major emergencies, response time is sometimes the most important factor in saving property and saving lives.

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — If it weren’t for negative attention, DeKalb County E911 dispatcher Nyesha Brown says she and her co-workers would hardly get any recognition. In September, when the county recognized first responders during its Sept. 11 commemoration, Brown said E911 operators were not mentioned.

FLORENCE, AZ — The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Communications Division is changing the way 9-1-1 calls are handled in the event the person making the call hangs up or is unavailable.

UPTON, MA — In a reverse of a frequent problem in other towns, rescue officials here say people with medical emergencies are calling the Fire Department’s regular business number instead of 911.

SOUTH AFRICA — A RIDE in an ambulance, this time upfront though and not as a patient, was a dream come true for a Howick youngster.

ROXBURY, ME — In November 2007, fire and a propane tank explosion destroyed an old camp off East Shore Road at Garland Pond in Byron.