Austin Follow-Up: ‘Inconsistencies’

In the aftermath of a delayed response to a fire, the Austin-American Statesman newspaper has published a long article detailing “inconsistencies” and other problems at the city’s fire department comm center. According to the article, the city’s EMS dispatchers are evaluated on how they handle phone calls, and the police have a protocol system for determining what units to send. However, the firefighter-dispatchers have no protocols and aren’t formally evaluated on call handling. The reporter also found the fire dispatchers “have the discretion to not send firefighters to calls, including requests to investigate smoke and odors.” Read the article here.