Thread by @STATter911

(1) NEW: A @dcfireems battalion chief spotted this fire yesterday & called it in via the radio. But he had a very difficult time getting @OUC_DC to dispatch the call. It took more than 3 minutes. Very similar to the tragic 708 Kennedy St NW. First, your history lesson. (more)

(2) Watch: It took 4 mins to dispatch @dcfireems to a @DCPoliceDept officer desperately calling for help for 2 people trapped in the burning Kennedy St home in 2019. One of numerous excuses by @OUC_DC's Karima Holmes was that getting such calls by radio was extremely rare. (more)

(3) It was absurd then & is now for anyone to accept that a major city 911 center has more difficulty handling a report of a fire coming in by radio than by a 911 call. So, let's dissect what went wrong yesterday to better understand why @OUC_DC still can't get this right. (more)

(4) Listen: At 2:12 p.m. the special operations battalion chief reported, via radio, a house fire at 902 Longfellow St NW (FYI, just 3 blks from 708 Kennedy St NW). The chief, when asked, verified the address a second time. (more)

(5) Listen: About 45 seconds later the dispatcher asked the chief to verify the address a third time. (more)

(6) Listen: Almost 90 seconds after he first called in, the chief was told by the dispatcher that the computer aided dispatch (CAD) system didn't accept 902 Longfellow St NW & asked him to repeat the address a 4th time. This time he just said "Longfellow & 9th St." (more)

(7) Let's pause in our listening to fathom that somehow @OUC_DC computer system won't accept the address 902 Longfellow St. NW. Very strange. Google Maps takes you right to it & even gives you a picture of the house. Wonder what that's about. (more)

(8) Listen: A little more than 2 minutes after he first picked up the radio the chief was told the call was finally in the computer and would be dispatched. (more)

(9) Listen: And at more than 3 minutes after this began @dcfireems was finally dispatched to the house fire at 902 Longfellow St NW. Thankfully, this time there weren't two people trapped in the burning home waiting for firefighters to be sent. Two people who died. (more)

(10) The overall problem isn't what happened yesterday. It's that @MayorBowser didn't seriously probe 911's role in the 2019 deaths of Yafet Solomon & Fitsum Kebede. No outside investigation then or with the 9 deaths we've learned of since where there were 911 mistakes. (more)

(11) @MayorBowser has constantly defended DC 911 & its leadership. She seems very happy with the status quo & has indicated that despite being forced to withdraw her nomination, a departure date for Karima Holmes is fluid. (more)

(12) History lesson 2: When just one man -- David Rosenbaum -- died in 2006 there were urgent calls to reform EMS & a task force formed. 11 people have died since 2019 where DC 911 screwed up, yet no @PostOpinions editorials & no leaders urgently demanding reform. #FixDC911 NOW!!