Dispatcher To Be Re-Trained After Error

A Dane County (Wisc.) dispatcher who fielded a telephone call reporting an idling truck will receive additional training, officials said following a two-month investigation into the incident that ended with a man’s death. The incident was the third in a string of complaints over dispatcher performance at the center, all involving deaths. In the March 7th incident, a resident called to ask if it were legal for a vehicle to have its engine running for 30 minutes, and dispatcher Nathan Waite simply told the person “Sure.” The caller ended the call with an expletive, but seven hours later police found Carl Gloede dead inside the car, apparently from an accidental carbon monoxide leak. Waite told investigators he didn’t consider the incident a “public safety problem,” and the comm center’s interim director defended his decision. However, Madison police officials say they want dispatchers to be more probative in their handling of calls, and comm center officials said Waite will be put on a performance improvement plan. Read more here.