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Investigation Finds Washington, D.C. Ambulance Crew Hid During Mass Shooting
ROBY CHAVEZ
WTTG
Reprinted with Permission
WASHINGTON - It was the worst mass shooting in DC history, but FOX 5 has learned not everyone rushed to the scene.
STATter911: Mass Casualty: Emergency radio traffic after 9 shot
Related
DC Fire Investigates "Hiding Ambulance" During Mass Shooting
Sources say an internal DC Fire and EMS investigation shows some first responders actually did all they could to avoid the call for help. DC Fire and EMS confirm the actions of one ambulance crew are under investigation.
It was a chaotic scene the night of March 30, 2010. Nine people were shot on South Capitol Street; eventually 4 would die. The drive by shooting would send DC Fire and Emergency crews into mass casualty mode.
Internal documents obtained exclusively by FOX 5 tracked crews on that night.
By 7:31 p.m., several DC Fire and EMS crews were scrambling to the scene.
However, FOX 5 has learned that one ambulance and possibly the closest one was actually hiding.
Documents show 15 minutes after the first call for help, at 7:47 p.m., Ambulance 32 was still roaming free on its way back to the Irving Street firehouse on what's called delayed response.
The ambulance never responded to the scene.
News of an ambulance avoiding the scene brings little comfort to the grieving mother of 16-year-old Brishell Jones, Nardyne Jefferies.
The teen was one of four who died that day.
"It's appalling. It’s very disturbing. It just hurts. Very disturbing news. It feels like another slap in the face. Your children are not worthy of proper medical treatment and leave them. Whoever gets to them gets to them," said Jefferies as she wiped away tears.
By 7:33 pm an alert went out calling for all available ambulances to respond to the multiple shooting.
The dispatch records read 'multiple patients', 'gunshot wounds', 'serious bleeding'.
The union which represents the civilian medics says the finding is alarming.
"We need to know exactly why that ambulance was not made available especially given the enormity of the scene. We had a mass casualty scene," Kenneth Lyons Pres., AFGE Local 3721
What happened to ambulance 32?
The fire department’s own "I" tracker program shows it was driving away from the area.
Sources tell FOX 5 an internal investigation shows the unit and its two medics did all they could to avoid the mass shooting.
"What if that was one of their children or loved one that needed help. How would you feel if you just ignore a call and children lying there,” said Jefferies.
So what went wrong? It’s not just the crews fault for avoiding the scene.
Sources say an internal investigation shows the dispatchers also missed the ambulance.
Instead, at 7:48, “I-Tracker” records show while Ambulance 30 is arriving at South Capitol Street, Ambulance 32 is still not responding.
Records show in the height of it all at 7:49 p.m. the crew asked to go get fuel and was given the okay.
Sources now tell FOX 5 that fuel records show the crew never did get fuel, instead they were allegedly eating.
According to sources, GPS tracking shows the ambulance was on Mellon Street at the home of one of the medics, just a mile and a half from the shooting scene.
DC Fire and EMS acknowledged the ambulance did not go to the scene.
In a statement, Spokesman Pete Peringer says, "The incident of the shooting and the availability of A32 have been reviewed and has been referred to a DC F & EMS Trial Board. The investigation is continuing."
Sources say there are built-in systems to catch a hiding ambulance. Three supervisors and the Chief in charge that night caught it.
The Watch Commander, Fire Liaison and Emergency Liaison Officer all allegedly missed the automatic computer sensor which should have notified them that Ambulance 32 was missing and was perhaps closer than any other unit.
So far no one has been disciplined.
"If it's determined that they were doing something other than that and used the delayed response to conduct personal business then I think we have a serious problem reminiscent of the Rosenbaum incident," said Lyons.
DC Fire says 40 First Responders did go to the scene, including 3 transport ambulances and four medic ambulances.
FOX 5 has learned the trial board has reviewed the status of ambulance 32 and a resolution is expected soon.
According to documents, Ambulance 32 left Howard University at 7:09pm and was listed as “delayed response status.”
A memo dated March 2006 obtained by FOX 5 shows "delayed response status" is a rule that allows ambulance crews to head back without interruption to the fire house and the area they cover. In this case, back to southeast.
The document clearly states if there is insufficient transport services available to handle emergency calls like a mass casualty situation, they must respond.
In fact, it also says they’re supposed to closely monitor a dispatch channel while returning.
WTTG
Reprinted with Permission
WASHINGTON - It was the worst mass shooting in DC history, but FOX 5 has learned not everyone rushed to the scene.
STATter911: Mass Casualty: Emergency radio traffic after 9 shot
Related
DC Fire Investigates "Hiding Ambulance" During Mass Shooting
Sources say an internal DC Fire and EMS investigation shows some first responders actually did all they could to avoid the call for help. DC Fire and EMS confirm the actions of one ambulance crew are under investigation.
It was a chaotic scene the night of March 30, 2010. Nine people were shot on South Capitol Street; eventually 4 would die. The drive by shooting would send DC Fire and Emergency crews into mass casualty mode.
Internal documents obtained exclusively by FOX 5 tracked crews on that night.
By 7:31 p.m., several DC Fire and EMS crews were scrambling to the scene.
However, FOX 5 has learned that one ambulance and possibly the closest one was actually hiding.
Documents show 15 minutes after the first call for help, at 7:47 p.m., Ambulance 32 was still roaming free on its way back to the Irving Street firehouse on what's called delayed response.
The ambulance never responded to the scene.
News of an ambulance avoiding the scene brings little comfort to the grieving mother of 16-year-old Brishell Jones, Nardyne Jefferies.
The teen was one of four who died that day.
"It's appalling. It’s very disturbing. It just hurts. Very disturbing news. It feels like another slap in the face. Your children are not worthy of proper medical treatment and leave them. Whoever gets to them gets to them," said Jefferies as she wiped away tears.
By 7:33 pm an alert went out calling for all available ambulances to respond to the multiple shooting.
The dispatch records read 'multiple patients', 'gunshot wounds', 'serious bleeding'.
The union which represents the civilian medics says the finding is alarming.
"We need to know exactly why that ambulance was not made available especially given the enormity of the scene. We had a mass casualty scene," Kenneth Lyons Pres., AFGE Local 3721
What happened to ambulance 32?
The fire department’s own "I" tracker program shows it was driving away from the area.
Sources tell FOX 5 an internal investigation shows the unit and its two medics did all they could to avoid the mass shooting.
"What if that was one of their children or loved one that needed help. How would you feel if you just ignore a call and children lying there,” said Jefferies.
So what went wrong? It’s not just the crews fault for avoiding the scene.
Sources say an internal investigation shows the dispatchers also missed the ambulance.
Instead, at 7:48, “I-Tracker” records show while Ambulance 30 is arriving at South Capitol Street, Ambulance 32 is still not responding.
Records show in the height of it all at 7:49 p.m. the crew asked to go get fuel and was given the okay.
Sources now tell FOX 5 that fuel records show the crew never did get fuel, instead they were allegedly eating.
According to sources, GPS tracking shows the ambulance was on Mellon Street at the home of one of the medics, just a mile and a half from the shooting scene.
DC Fire and EMS acknowledged the ambulance did not go to the scene.
In a statement, Spokesman Pete Peringer says, "The incident of the shooting and the availability of A32 have been reviewed and has been referred to a DC F & EMS Trial Board. The investigation is continuing."
Sources say there are built-in systems to catch a hiding ambulance. Three supervisors and the Chief in charge that night caught it.
The Watch Commander, Fire Liaison and Emergency Liaison Officer all allegedly missed the automatic computer sensor which should have notified them that Ambulance 32 was missing and was perhaps closer than any other unit.
So far no one has been disciplined.
"If it's determined that they were doing something other than that and used the delayed response to conduct personal business then I think we have a serious problem reminiscent of the Rosenbaum incident," said Lyons.
DC Fire says 40 First Responders did go to the scene, including 3 transport ambulances and four medic ambulances.
FOX 5 has learned the trial board has reviewed the status of ambulance 32 and a resolution is expected soon.
According to documents, Ambulance 32 left Howard University at 7:09pm and was listed as “delayed response status.”
A memo dated March 2006 obtained by FOX 5 shows "delayed response status" is a rule that allows ambulance crews to head back without interruption to the fire house and the area they cover. In this case, back to southeast.
The document clearly states if there is insufficient transport services available to handle emergency calls like a mass casualty situation, they must respond.
In fact, it also says they’re supposed to closely monitor a dispatch channel while returning.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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I'm wondering how other members would really react in this situation?
It's easy to sit back and say they should've responded, should've been there, etc but for me, I've never been confronted with a shooting, so to run and hide seems pretty plausible till at least the scene is secured and declared safe. (Maybe "hide" is the wrong word, but you get my drift...)
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Permalink Reply by Patti Walz on
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Our DO would have us stage until the scene was safe. Scene safety is right next to BSI.
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Permalink Reply by capcityff on
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Some of you are completely missing the point of this story. They weren't "hiding" because it was dangerous. It isn't a matter of staging. These guys work at 32 Engine/Truck 16. They have seen shootings before. It's a regular thing in the area. Read the rest of the replies on here and maybe you'll understand was the rest of us(me, Ralph, FETC, and John) were talking about.
I don't have the time now, but if you guys are interested I can give a more in depth story of the actual shooting itself later on. It was an extremely violent event.
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Permalink Reply by sacramento fire buffs on
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THEY HAD TO BE ON THE RIGHT CHANNEL THEY ASKED DISPATCH IF THEY COULD GET FULE AND NEVER DID GET FUEL THEY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH IT
(THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO THEIR JOB GET RID OF THEM AND FIND SOME ONE THAT DOSE WANT TO DO THE JOB)
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Permalink Reply by CFD218 on
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Are you in the fire/ems service?
It IS possible to be on the wrong channel, change it back to the main dispatch channel, and then transmit. I have done this myself, you change the channel to speak to a different person, IE; the station or hospital, and then forget to switch it back. Then later you discover you need fuel and then switch the radio back to the dispatch channel.
This also never states if the dispatch center put out the alert tone for this station. If your radio is not on scan and your pager/radio doesn't get tripped you would never know of the call. A medic/medic truck has experienced, professionals staffing it and there is no way that they both would turn away from a MCI with massive trauma to pts. Also how would the news know if the crew got fuel or not, unless they somehow got a hold of the department's fuel card record. There are many realistic possibilities that are far less spectacular than the "run and hide" theory.
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You don't work for the DCFD so stop talking. You have no idea how we operate in DC and if you did you would know that we aren't on the dispatch channel when asking/getting for fuel.(They went for "fuel", not "fule")
If you ever want to be taken seriously then you need to know what you are talking about. It might also learn to take an elementary level spelling class. Maybe then one day you will be able to get a job like these guys.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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THEY HAD TO BE ON THE RIGHT CHANNEL THEY ASKED DISPATCH IF THEY COULD GET FULE AND NEVER DID GET FUEL THEY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH IT
(THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO THEIR JOB GET RID OF THEM AND FIND SOME ONE THAT DOSE WANT TO DO THE JOB)
The fuel issue is really a small aspect and really a seperate issue that they didn't fill up. The issue there, which you seemed to have missed also, if if permission was requested and granted for fuel....why didn't the person granting permission mention the shooting?
Yet, it is easy fo you to jump on the bandwagon of the media here and say they didn't want to do the job, yet you really don't know all the facts do you? There are many possibilities which could have happend without jumping to the conclusion the crew was "hiding" as being perpetuated by the media.
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I'm wondering how other members would really react in this situation?
It's easy to sit back and say they should've responded, should've been there, etc but for me, I've never been confronted with a shooting, so to run and hide seems pretty plausible till at least the scene is secured and declared safe. (Maybe "hide" is the wrong word, but you get my drift...)
To whom are you referring to when you say "It's easy to sit back and say they should've responded, should've been there, etc "...the media? the public? or other members here?
How would I react in the situation? Easy. Wait until LE has secured the scene, then we go in. Quite possibly this is what the vast majority of depts do as well.
The "hiding" issue I see being touted here stems from how the media is saying the unit did everything they could so as not to respond to the scene....vs staging. Problem is many questions that lead to disproving many such claims have been brought up by other members here and not the so called "investigative" reporter before running the story.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Oomkes on
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First off, find the Cap Lock button and turn your caps off, it comes off as yelling and makes it harder to read.
Second, read through all the responses, open your mind to the possibilities of the media being wrong\mistaken\not having all the info (I realize for those of us in the service, this is going to be a stretch lol ) and stop jumping to conclusions.
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The media never gets anything wrong and they never over exagerate either.... ;).
In all honesty I am only seeing the media side of the issue. It will be up to the Chief to determine if the responders did anything wrong and if so what their punishments should be. If these guys are like any other group of EMT/FF's then I am sure that they would have been on scene or monitoring the situation had they of known.
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It's actually investigated by Internal Affairs. The Chiefs job is different in a city like this. We have a TON of random civilian jobs and departments within the fire department. Unfortunately these people that get to make the judgement aren't firemen so they are always out to get us. Sucks that this job has lost a lot since you're always worried about getting in trouble. It's especially bad on the ambulance. It's to the point that we have cameras and microphones in each one now.
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Is the EMT service there private?
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