IT would have been scant consolation to the loved ones of five women who died in a tragedy more than 70 years ago, but their deaths may have indirectly prevented even more people being killed in last month's Grenfell Tower inferno.

The women lost their lives in a fire in a doctor's house in Wimpole Street, Marylebone, on November 10, 1935.

A neighbour spotted the blaze and tried to alert the brigade via the local telephone exchange - which handled all calls manually in those days - but had difficulty getting through to the operator.

When fire crews eventually received the message the building was completely engulfed in flames and there was no hope of saving the five women.

As a result of that incident, the 999 emergency phone number for police, fire or ambulance was introduced in the capital on June 30, 1937.

More than 1,000 calls were made during the first week, with each 999 call triggering flashing red lights and hooters to alert operators in the exchange to give priority.

The hooters were apparently so loud that the operators pushed a tennis ball into the horn to reduce the volume until modifications were made.

The committee charged with coming up with an easy-to-remember number had originally considered using 707, which corresponded to the letters SOS on the telephone dial, or 333 before plumping for 999.

Glasgow became the second city to benefit from the system but it didn't reach the South West until 1946 and it wasn't until 1948 that is was eventually extended to all major towns and cities due to the Second World War.

Now eight decades on, the service handles more than 5,000 calls a day in the South West alone, while 560,000 are fielded nationwide, 97 per cent answered within five seconds.

Peak periods for 99 calls are around midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and the early hours of New Year's Day, when 9,000 calls can be received every 60 minutes.

Jon Reynolds, chairman of BT's South West regional board, said: "Recent events in the UK mean people are acutely aware of the work of the emergency services and the value of the 999 service.

"I am extremely proud of the BT operators and their role in 999. They are a highly competent team working at the sharp end of the most important communication services in the country.

"In the South West, countless lives have been saved over the last 80 years because of their professionalism and dedication."

A total of 49 per cent of emergency calls are for police, with 47 per cent for ambulance, four per cent for the fire and rescue service and less than one per cent to the coastguard and cave and mountain rescue services.

Hoax or unnecessary calls were a feature of the 999 service from the very beginning, including a complaint about bagpipes being played outside a house and a dispute between a neighbour and the coalman.

Here's a sample of some unusual calls Tweeted by Avon and Somerset Police in 2015: "Call from man wanting to report a seagull stealing his sandwich."

"Just had a call from man asking which car insurance company he is with as he has forgotten."

"Taken 999 call from a woman complaining that she is staying in a guest house & the owner won't cook breakfast."

"The taxi seat belt's too tight and has no leeway."

Around 35 per cent of the 30 million UK calls answered by BT each year do not involve actual requests for help - most are made by children playing with home phones or people accidentally dialling 999.

Remember, if you waste our emergency services's time you could be preventing them from dealing with a real emergency.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust call handlers dealt with 911,000 incidents in 2015/16 and so far this year there have been 430,000 calls - 41,484 in Somerset - with 13 per cent of those treated appropriately over the phone.

Last year 4,645 patients received critical care by emergency helicopter, paramedics helped deliver 213 babies at the scene and 43 per cent of emergency calls resulted in patients being taken to A&E.

Bosses are urging members of the public to only call 999 in an emergency, such as when a patient: *is unconscious or not breathing; *has a penetrating injury to the neck, chest, abdomen or thigh; *has had a severe allergic reaction; *has uncontrolled bleeding; *is having an asthma attack; *has severe chest pain (heart attack or cardiac arrest); *has taken an overdose; *has been submerged in water for more than one minute; *has fallen more than 10 feet; *or has traumatic back/spinal/neck pain.

If the situation is not immediately life-threatening, call 111 and you will be directed to the most appropriate service, or contact your GP, pharmacy or minor injuries unit.

SWASFT chief executive Ken Wenman said: “I am proud of our 999 service here in the South West and across the UK. All of the emergency services do an amazing job every single day.

“Staff at SWASFT are at the heart of the 999 service and work tirelessly to deliver the best possible care to our patients. They do an amazing job, often in difficult and challenging circumstances.

“Our dedicated and hard-working clinical hub staff are a real credit to the NHS and the 999 service and I am sure the 999 service will continue to grow and develop for another 80 years and beyond.”

Did you know you can also get through to the emergency services in this country by calling 112, which is in use across the European Union.

In Australia it's 000, you dial 111 in New Zealand, 123 in Columbia, 100 in Greece and Italy, 101 in Argentina, and 911 in USA and Canada.