Snow, Mistakes Prevent EMS From Reaching Man

Pittsburg (Penn.) officials are deciding whether discipline is appropriate after a man and his girlfriend dialed 911 for a medical problem 11 times over 30 hours, but no EMS unit ever arrived at his snowbound house. The first call was coded by a dispatcher as a low-priority incident after Curtis Mitchell described stomach pains. Two additional calls that day were coded more urgently. But on calls #2 and #3, neither dispatchers or firefighters knew of the previous incidents, and each time the EMS rigs couldn’t navigate through the snow to the man’s house. A dispatcher called the man back twice to see if he could walk to the corner where the EMS unit was waiting, but he could not. Medical personnel were at the comm center, officials noted, to prioritize responses during the snow emergency that hit the city. Officials said the city was ill-prepared for the snowfall, and that police, fire and EMS responses were delayed throughout the city. Read more here. Update: In March 2010 city officials notified the paramedics union that two of its members would be disciplined. The union representing dispatchers said it did not receive any notification. On Oct. 1, 2010 the family of Mr. Mitchell sued the city in an Allegheny County court, including a several EMS personnel and a dispatcher.