More DC 911 Dispatching Issues Seen
Miscommunication appeared to cause more 911 dispatching issues this week in Washington, D.C., by the Office of Unified Communications (OUC). An ambulance, with a patient inside, called for help Monday after getting hit by a vehicle chased by police in…
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Southeast Washington, according to OpenMHz audio of radio transmissions flagged by former reporter Dave Statter. The D.C. dispatcher appeared to become confused which ambulance had sought help, and at first sent responders to a different one located in the city’s Northeast quadrant. A day earlier, responding to three men who fell overboard from a power boat, D.C. dispatchers sent help to the wrong marina, about five miles away, tweeted Statter with audio from that incident. The three men drowned, said a Washington Post report. OUC declined comment Tuesday. The Office of D.C. Auditor might probe OUC next year after many reports of dispatching issues including sending first responders to the wrong address or multiple responders to the same place (see 2008070042).