Pa. County Council Confronts Questions about 9-1-1 Dispatch Delays, Policies

Jan. 07--WILKES-BARRE -- Already confronted with questions about dispatching in the wake of two recent errors in life-or-death cases, Luzerne County officials on Tuesday found themselves explaining why a churchgoer who stopped breathing in West Wyoming last month had to wait about 20 minutes for an ambulance.

Call center Executive Director Fred Rosencrans laid out the reasons for the delay, explaining that the local municipality dictates which medics get dispatched. But the woman who raised the case, Hanover Township resident Tammy Tomchak, wasn't satisfied.

"Even if this is the way it works, it isn't working," Tomchak said. "In medicine we have a saying, time is tissue ... 20 minutes really is not acceptable."

The issue arose at Tuesday night's council meeting because Councilwoman Kathy Dobash is proposing council launch a first-ever investigation into the center's policies and practices in place during two calls that involved errors and ended in death.

A Mocanaqua woman was killed in a fire in May after dispatchers mistakenly sent firefighters to a fictitious address about 15 miles away from the blaze. On Thanksgiving, a Kingston man died of a heart attack after medics were incorrectly dispatched to a Wilkes-Barre address.

County officials have characterized the mistakes as the result of human error, but Dobash says she's not so sure.

"I think it's more than human error," Dobash said.

In the case raised Tuesday, Tomchak said she was attending Mass with her mother Dec. 20 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church at 363 W. Eighth St., West Wyoming.

After the homily, a woman stopped breathing and had to wait about 20 minutes before the first ambulance arrived on scene from Exeter, she said. It was soon joined by two others, with all medics claiming to have been dispatched only a minute earlier, she said.

Fortunately, the woman regained consciousness before help arrived, but Tomchak questioned the lengthy delay and why three units eventually arrived moments apart.

"I have grave concerns about this emergency situation," Tomchak said.

Rosencrans said the call center operates to the best of its ability and follows policies with which he doesn't personally agree. Under state law, local municipalities dictate which medics they want to respond to calls in their boundaries, regardless of which unit is closest at the time, he said.

"They were dispatched within one minute," Rosencrans said. "The 911 delay was not caused by 911."

According to county Manager Robert Lawton, the call came in at 4:22 p.m. and Swoyersville was dispatched the next minute because a West Wyoming unit was not in service.

The Swoyersville unit did not respond to three pages that were each three minutes apart, creating a nine-minute delay to start, Lawton said.

Finally at 4:33 p.m., a unit in Exeter responded to a page and was en route less than two minutes later, he said. The unit arrived on scene at 4:45 p.m. and was soon followed by the two others.

"The resources are there," Lawton said. "We're not using them the best way because we're not allowed to."

Speaking from the lectern, Rosencrans sought to assure the public that 911 staff work diligently to provide the best possible services. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency recently found the center in full compliance, Rosencrans said, noting that the center's average call answer time is four seconds and that the vast majority of calls are answered in under 10 seconds.

Rosencrans said he only heard Tomchak's complaint two days earlier and that the center's page on the county website is equipped to initiate citizen complaints.

"I think we are being cast in a very dark light, and that is not the case," Rosencrans said.

Tomchak said it was not her intention to cast blame. But she did call for an investigation into the center's operations to improve services for county residents.

"The life we may be saving might actually be our own," Tomchak said.

Many council members appeared open to some sort of probe, although they diverged on whether it would be a full-blown investigation or a fact-finding inquiry. Dobash said an investigation could help uncover information that could help improve services at a center that appears to be troubled by "delays, confusion."

Councilman Jim Bobeck called the suggestion "fantastic" but said it needs some tweaking. He proposed creating an ad hoc committee to look into the issue and collect feedback from the public and Lawton's administration, then to come back with recommendations.

Councilman Harry Haas, who is proposing an amendment to Dobash's plan that would authorize local fire and safety personnel to hold an inquiry to get input and improve 911 procedures, agreed that council should not become "judge and jury" for wrongdoing.

"I think we all want 911 to be the best it can be," Haas said. "We want to maximize safety."

Council Vice Chairman Edd Brominski, who alleged another recent dispatching error where responders were sent to Bear Creek rather than Hazleton, said he thinks council should begin looking at who is hired at the center and the pay they receive. The starting salary at the center is about $12.50 per hour for a demanding job that requires concentration, he said, acknowledging the county's dire financial situation.

"We have to seriously consider looking at the salaries and wages of those people that are working on the floor," Brominski said.

Council will vote on a possible investigation in two weeks.

Later, during public comment, 911 dispatcher Robert Bomboy said cuts to the center have been severe over the years, leaving the staff overworked and directors walking away in frustration. Overtime and a lack of senior staff members are taking a toll, he said.

"If something isn't done quickly, we might go past the point of no return," Bomboy said.

In other business, Councilman Rick Morelli resigned as chairman of the body, saying he wants to be free to focus on his priorities in the coming year. Council members voted 6-5 to appoint Linda McClosky Houck as chairwoman of council. Brominski remains vice chairman.

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin

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