Do Not Disturb

I would like to remind people who have answering machines in their homes and deliberately set them at night so as not to be disturbed that they leave themselves open to disaster if they cannot be reached in an emergency! Particularly if they live in condos or apartments in case of fire, electrical failure or even floods in the building! Also, if distant relatives have to reach someone in an emergency, it could be frustrating to hear an automatic machine with a short message and a shrill beep hour after hour. No telephone operator can intercept, either. I realize wrong numbers can be an annoyance at 3 a.m., but is the chance of danger worth not being able to learn that danger is near?

JEANNE WEISMAN

Hollywood