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02-06-2007, 01:03 PM
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A Baby Not Breathing, and a Recording on the 911 Line
A San Antonio family that called 911 for an infant who had stopped breathing reached a recording at the city's emergency medical dispatch center and waited about four minutes for a dispatcher to answer, according to WOAI News 4 San Antonio, which reported on the call, and the industry publication Dispatch Magazine On-Line, which highlighted it. A family member dialed 911 in early 2007 after the baby stopped breathing, according to the account of the logged call. The call was picked up quickly at the police department. The call-taker there transferred it to the city's EMS communications center, which handles medical emergencies, but instead of a live dispatcher the caller got a recording. The police call-taker stayed on the line while the medical center's line went unanswered. "Don't hang up sir," the dispatcher told the caller, according to the reporting. About four minutes passed before an EMS dispatcher answered, the account said. A spokesperson for the agency said that response did not meet its standards. The coverage centered on the length of the wait and on callers reaching a recording when the medical dispatch center was busy. The condition of the infant was not disclosed in the available reporting.
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