WASHINGTON 鈥 In the latest of a series of mistakes that have plagued D.C.鈥檚 emergency responders, a man died Sunday of a heart attack after a misunderstanding where a fire truck called to his house stopped at the wrong scene.
WASHINGTON 鈥 In the latest of a series of mistakes that have plagued D.C.鈥檚 emergency responders, a man died Sunday of a heart attack after a misunderstanding where a fire truck called to his house stopped at the wrong scene.
Truck 17 arrived at Jackson鈥檚 house on 60th聽Street at 4:02 p.m. 鈥斅燼bout five or six minutes after the call, Fox 5 says. says the truck was based about a mile and a half away.
Fire department spokesman Timothy J. Wilson tells The Post that the firefighters arrived to see police with 鈥渨hat they presumed to be their patient on the ground鈥 on the street near the house.
鈥淲hen they saw the patient didn鈥檛 need medical care, they went back to their quarters,”聽Wilson said.
Fox 5 says the firefighters were told by the police that medical assistance wasn鈥檛 required.
But Wilson tells The Post, 鈥渢hey had assumed the call they saw was the call they were on鈥 鈥斅爁or Jackson鈥檚 heart attack.
“That was not the actual call,鈥 he said.
An ambulance and another fire truck were on the way, The Post reports. But when Truck 17 told dispatch that Metropolitan police were “on scene. They are not needed,鈥 the other fire personnel were effectively waved off.
Jackson鈥檚 family had to call 911 again. An ambulance and fire truck were dispatched, and got there at 4:16 p.m. 鈥 about 19 minutes after the original call, Fox 5 estimates.
Jackson was taken to a hospital, but died there.
Asked whether a faster response would have saved her husband鈥檚 life, Gloria Jackson told Fox 5, 鈥淢aybe. I鈥檓 not sure. I鈥檒l say maybe.鈥
D.C. Fire Chief Gregory Dean expressed condolences to the family in a statement, and added,聽鈥淕oing forward, the Department will require units to repeat the address to the dispatcher upon their arrival at a scene to ensure they are at the correct location.”
The department and the Office of Unified Communications also “are working to incorporate clear language so that responding units have more information on the type of call they are being dispatched to,鈥 the statement adds.
See a report from Fox 5: