DC 911 Faces Challenges Properly Sending Ambulances After Tech 'Meltdown'

report of an apartment building fire, there appeared to have been delays of about five minutes each. This all occurred around 2 p.m. EST. A 911 dispatcher was told by ambulance staff, five minutes after the apparent dispatch of rescue personnel, that "we have not been dispatched. It doesn’t say anything." The ambulance employee suggested to the 911 center operator that "you can resend it, and then we can be on our way." That then occurred. In the response to the fire report, an ambulance sent there said it was instead on a different call and couldn't go to the new scene. There have been technological problems at the city's 911 center after a possible tech or equipment upgrade or update (see our Oct. 30 report here). "8 days after the disastrous upgrade & 1 week after the great meltdown DC 911 still can't keep track of what ambulances are available," tweeted local emergency communications expert Dave Statter. "This is delaying 911 help. Many @dcfireems units are still having tablet issues." We observed similar as well. Washington, D.C.'s Office of Unified Communications, which runs the 911 center, didn't comment last week or Tuesday. For more information on any technical or equipment issues occurring in recent days at OUC, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday. Local police continue to say they are unaffected by any issues. Representatives for D.C. Fire and EMS, city council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Charles Allen (D), and interim Deputy Mayor-Public Safety and Justice Roger Mitchell didn't comment Tuesday.