Major Screw Up

[JBE 328]

From Firehouse.com

911 Dispatcher Turns Caller Away, Man Dies

Family Files Wrongful Death Suit

POSTED: 5:53 p.m. CST February 22, 2005

UPDATED: 6:15 p.m. CST February 22, 2005

Story by nbc5.com  

CHICAGO -- Police in suburban Sauk Village released a 911 tape this week in which a dispatcher declined to assist in a call from a man asking for help.  

Police Chief Thomas Lacheta said the Dec. 21, 2004, call was apparently in reference to a 28-year-old man in need of medical assistance.  

Jacob Kibbey, of Mokena, was found dead in his sport utility vehicle in a hospital emergency room parking lot in nearby Dyer, Indiance on Jan. 2, 2005.  

The audio tape indicates that an unidentified caller alerted police to Kibbey's illness:  

911 Dispatcher: "911."  

Caller: "Yes, I'd like to, uh, report someone that's injured -- someone who needs assistance -- at the emergency hospital in Dyer, Ind."  

911 Dispatcher: "Where are they at?"  

Caller: "They're in Dyer. And they're in a brown GMC Jimmy."  

911 Dispatcher: "This is Sauk Village Police."  

Caller: "Yes. I was wondering if you could put it through, please."  

911 Dispatcher: "No, I can't."  

Caller: "Oh, who do I call?"  

911 Dispatcher: "You'd probably have to call Dyer."  

Caller: "All right."  

Investigators say Kibbey died of an accidental drug overdose.  

His widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.  

Saul Village officials were withholding comment pending litigation.

I read this and it said to me that the calltaker has either very little experience, or little common sense.

How hard would it have been to ascertain the proper information and pass it on to the proper PD or EMS??

I rarely want someone to get hung for screwing up, but this is inexcusable. If the dispatcher doesn't lose some money, she's gonna lose her job. This is stuff EVERY person in our line of work should be cognizant of. You get info from somewhere outside of your municipality, you pass it along to that municipality as fast as you can. I can't think of how many times we would get calls for Westchester or Rockland, and we would take the info and pass it along to 60 or 44. It's not that hard.

This is one of the times I am truly ashamed of some of my colleagues.

[DMA327 12]

No thing is better than calling for an ambulance only to have a police car show up and try to talk you out of it!

[Truck4 48]

"No thing is better than calling for an ambulance only to have a police car show up and try to talk you out of it!"

-What's your point?

-And what's this have to do with the above story?

[mikeinet 37]

this will absolutly hold in a court of law - as a dispatcher (especially 911) you have a duty to act in that you must provide the care, or transfer them to someone who CAN provide the care... you cant just tell them "sorry go away bye" - this is no different than an emt being on the scene of a heart attack victim, and refusing to help becuase they dont feel like it - its duty to act!

[WAS967 97]

this is no different than an emt being on the scene of a heart attack victim, and refusing to help becuase they dont feel like it - its duty to act!

CAREFUL. Just because you are an EMT who happens on an event doesn't mean you have a duty to act. If I pull up to a car accident and there is a guy all bloodied up and I have no protective gear, I can absolutely refuse to help. I'm A) Not compensated. Ill equipped. C) Have NO duty to act.

I do understand your POB tho. You probably meant if an ON DUTY EMT got to a scene then refused say because the person couldn't pay, or the person was a skell, etc.....then they would have some explaining to do.

[DMA327 12]

In my town the Police are the dispatchers are the police department... Tho some do a good job, others are horrible.

I was just commenting on some dispatchers being a bunch of morons and not sending EMS to calls when they could have and they should have.

[mikeinet 37]

You probably meant if an ON DUTY EMT got to a scene then refused say because the person couldn't pay, or the person was a skell, etc.....then they would have some explaining to do.

yeah, sorry - exactly what I meant ... been a long day

[JBE 328]

In my town the Police are the dispatchers are the police department...  Tho some do a good job, others are horrible.

I was just commenting on some dispatchers being a bunch of morons and not sending EMS to calls when they could have and they should have.

Unfortunately, some just don't get it as well as others.

[x648eng119 2]

And whats also unfortunate, is when people let how their day has been going, and who they are holding grudges against affect how and who they dispatch to a call, if it is dispatched at all. But i don't know ANYBODY that would do that...K-D-P-4-3-8

[JBE 328]

Instead of bashing certain dispatchers for whatever reasons, let's get back to the topic at hand here. This is something that can happen if people aren't properly trained, or have picked up too many bad habits. The prime one being laziness. Bottom line, if it's not in your jurisdiction, take the info and pass it along to that department, even if they know about it. It may take a few minutes, but it also may save someones life. Never presume it's someone elses problem.

I had posted this as a warning to others not to become complacent or lazy when it comes to stuff, it can, and obviously in this case, cost someone their life.

[Firemn2742A 14]

JBE I like the reason for your post. The caller needed HELP. She didnt just call the wrong Pizza shop,, she put the responsiblity in the person she told about the Emergency!!!The dispatcher now holds the key to making sure an ambulance get to the patient even if its in another community.Good Post.