Long Response Times During 2008 Seattle Storm

A newspaper investigation has found that Seattle fire and EMS units failed to arrive prompting at medical emergencies during a paralyzing 2008 winter storm, and that city officials covered up the delays and didn’t include the problem in an after-action report. According to the Seattle Times, fire units and AMR ambulances were delayed by streets blocked by snow and covered with ice, leading to arrival times that were well beyond the 4-minute/90 percent standard used by the city for “Code Red” medical incidents, which are the most serious. Incidents peaked at 200 for four consecutive days, putting a strain on the EMS system. Fire units that did arrive on-scene frequently had to wait many minutes until AMR arrived, further depleting available fire department resources. The newspaper said neither the fire department or AMR was asked to contribute to a major after-action report, nor asked how the agencies could better respond during snow storms. In fact, the report claimed police, fire and EMS responses were not affected, and responses were only delayed by one additional minute. Read more the storm and investigation here.