Fired Dispatcher Sues County Over Mistake

A former Fulton County (Geo.) dispatcher who was fired in 2008 for entering the wrong street name for a medical emergency is now suing the county for $10.5 million, saying she was overworked, unqualified for her duties and that the center was understaffed. Gina Conteh fielded a 911 call in Aug. 2008 reporting a woman with breathing problems. The call from a cellular phone showed the receiving tower address, but Conteh verified the wrong city in CAD, sending units to the wrong location. A 39 year-old woman died after waiting an hour for an ambulance, county officials say. The county considered her 12-year history of errors and discipline, they say, that generated 2,100 pages of personnel records, including 57 disciplinary actions over five years. The county fired her after the 2008 incident, and Conteh appealed. After a 5-hour hearing, the county personnel board affirmed the firing. Conteh filed for bankruptcy after her appeal was turned down, saying she had just $5 “cash in hand,”  had nearly $250,000 in assets but owed $177,000. Her lawsuit filed in Fulton County notes Conteh worked 62 hours before the incident, including two back-to-back double shifts. The lawsuit claims her firing was “political” and that management made her a scapegoat. Read more here.