<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1652361903670,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-fe9d-da96-ad7d-ffbf8a5c0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1652361903670,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-fe9d-da96-ad7d-ffbf8a5c0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_52313229", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1010982"} }); ","_id":"00000180-b871-d256-abed-bcf1b0920000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedA 911 operator in Washington, D.C., has been put on leave after sending EMS to the wrong address on Monday.
The error delayed emergency response to the correct address by minutes, where a woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Christopher Geldart, deputy mayor for public safety and justice for Washington, D.C., told the Washington Post.
FORMER 911 CALL CENTER HEAD WHO RESIGNED AMID SCRUTINY TO BE REAPPOINTED
“We do not believe the delay contributed to her death,” Geldart said.
The call came in around 10:05 a.m. for a person who was “not conscious or breathing and unable to be roused,” said Kelly Brown, chief of staff for the Office of Unified Communications, which handles all 911- and 311-related calls.
The dispatcher then sent emergency responders to the address of 122 I Street, SE, over a mile from the actual location of 1222 I Street, SE.
The correct address was learned at 10:13 a.m., and first responders were re-dispatched at 10:16 a.m., according to time stamps from Dave Statter obtained by the outlet.
The deceased individual was identified as 54-year-old Joyce Robertson, her mother, Patricia, told WUSA9. Robertson said she called 911 on Monday morning when her daughter went into cardiac arrest.
The incident has prompted an investigation by the Office of Unified Communications.
The incident echoes similar complaints that prompted an audit in 2021 of the city’s 911 system to address areas that could be improved to increase response time, as the agency fell below national standards.
Some of the areas of concern included “inadequate supervision of the call-taking and dispatch operations, inconsistent or ineffective use of call script protocols, inconsistent use of location determining technology tools to determine locations,” wrote Kathleen Patterson, auditor for Washington, D.C., in the 114-page report.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Earlier this year, the former head of the Office of Unified Communications was reappointed to her position after resigning last year following accusations that the agency’s 911 system was wasting valuable seconds trying to pinpoint callers.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Office of Unified Communications and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice for comment.
