Ambulance Gets Lost; Man Dies

[INIT915 1,119]

An ambulance that rushed a dying Chicago Marathon runner from the race to the hospital apparently got lost on the way, authorities said.

Chad Schieber, a Midland, Mich., police officer and father of three, collapsed while running the Oct. 7 race. An autopsy blamed his death on a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse, though heart experts say the condition rarely is dangerous.

Schieber, 35, was transported in an ambulance from Niles, which was one of 30 suburban crews called to help when high temperatures sent hundreds of runners to hospitals.

The crew called Chicago dispatchers to report Schieber was in full cardiac arrest, and they planned to take him to the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said this week, but there's no record of them seeking directions.

Niles Fire Chief Barry Mueller, however, said the crew did ask radio dispatchers for directions but got no response.

"That's not unusual. The airwaves could be jammed," Mueller said.

Mueller said the ambulance crew drove a couple blocks in the wrong direction when they flagged down a city ambulance and got directions. But the crew then apparently drove by the UIC Medical Center because they couldn't find the emergency room entrance.

The ambulance ended up a few blocks away when crew members saw the ER sign for the West Side Veterans Administration Hospital. The hospital is not part of Chicago's emergency response network but has a fully working ER, officials said.

Langford and Mueller could not say how long it took to transport Schieber to the hospital or whether it would have helped to get him there sooner

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[irishfire2491 24]

BUY a G>P>S unit it works

[firemoose827 324]

I think GPS should come standard in all emergency vehicles now. People are always asking what they could do to help us out if anything...tell the emergency vehicle manufacturers to include the GPS or even the Onstar as part of the standard package for all emergency vehicles.

You know....maps do work well also, if they were new to the area they should have looked over a map before they covered the race. Whenever I work a different station at my ambulance agency I hit the maps as soon as the rig is speced and look for all of the major hospitals, nursing homes, etc. But like they said, who knows if the response time would have helped this guy out or not. Its a shame...my best to the mans family.

[Guest]

SCREW THE GPS!

if you drive you MUST know your service area. and it doesn't hurt to know the ares you frequently go mutual aid to. not only that, but you should know every route to the hospital from the scene INCLUDING knowing road closures and high traffic construction zones to avoid.

the GPS is only an additional TOOL, in addition to your map books, but knowledge is the best tool you can have.

[ny10570 745]

people really need to learn how to read maps. GPS isn't the be all end all. I am so sick of working with people who have absolutely no clue how to read a map. One new guy I worked with at least had the maturity to come out and say I have no idea how to read a map. Turns he just lacked confidence in his skills. Since, the last three rookies I've worked with have had zero ability to read a map. I have to ask them if its to the right or left of major landmarks or roads and figure it out from there since god forbid I can't drive and read a map at the same damn time. Gave one partner a 5 minute heads up that I was going to need to know which turn off of E. Tremont I was going to have to make. She was still trying to find the damn turn. The point of this babbling is before anyone goes out there and dumps $300 on a GPS get Hagstrom and learn how to use it. GPS gets stolen, lost and broken. Outside of a few services GPS doesn't take into account traffic problems nor does it know which roads are are faster at noon or 5pm. When you use a map you get a picture of the entire route an dnot just your next turn.

[Oswegowind 17]

Woe, woe, woe...Calm down! How many times do you think that Chicago FD has called for mutual aid ambulances? The fact is that most of us probably went down to the World Trade Center incident and how many of us actually knew the way????? Maps are good, but in emergencies people get anxious and forget what they are supposed to do every day. GPS are good too, but they too have their faults, just ask the Yorktown Medics, I have heard a few funny stories!!! The fact is that the system was overwhelmed, and this was a tragedy! No one made him run the race, he took his own risk by doing so, it is horrible that he perished but it could have been prevented by many other means. It is a real possibility that he had no chance at living once he collapsed. The crew getting lost on its way to the hospital could have been prevented by easier means...grab someone at the scene, a cop, a passerby and get strict directions. Reading many of the stories regarding this marathon, it was a mess!!!!!! As well, it is up to the individual to take appropriate action! How many people have gotten lost? I am sure we all have at some point in time! I recall the first trip to Lawrence Hospital from Post 7 at Empress...two roads and I still was like, "WTF?"...crazy! So Happy Its Thursday happens!

[Guest paramedico987]

Been there, done that...

When we work the NYC marathon or other significant race, 308 prints us out color maps and directions to the closest 5 or so EDs. That being said a nameless co-worker got horribly lost taking a ROSC arrest the 3 blocks to the ED.

I HAD gps, but it's not working [chronic garmin problem I guess cuz I'm not the only one]. GPS has the distinct advantage of getting you there, but usually not the fastest route. I used to use it for locating numerics on long roads... very helpful for that since the cross street [which is NEVER given to me in dispatch much to my shegrin] is often obscure to me.

[Oswegowind 17]

I am glad 308 does preplan those events, however this event went beyond pre-planning! The pre-plan was overwhelmed and mutual aid was called based upon MABAS (which I read about today-mutual aid box alarm system, see October Firehouse Magazine). Unfortunately, some people weren't so familiar with the area. This could have happened to anyone of us. Send me to Brooklyn or Queens and I will be so lost...and as I have seen in the past, it is very easy for anyone to get lost in a tense situation.

I am sure that Chicago and the metro area mutual aid planners will go over this MABAS and correct the issues that arose due to this situation. In the future, all agencies that "could" become involved should be given packets containing important information and maps of the zones of the marathon. Hopefully, Empress and "308" take this into consideration for when they handle events so that this tragedy is not repeated anywhere.