Rodgers, Latta Press D.C. Mayor on 911 System Issues
House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, are pressing Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and the city’s Office of Unified Communications for a briefing by Nov. 17 on recent 911 system problems,…
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including long hold times and insufficient staffing (see 2310050062). The District of Columbia enacted additional 911 transparency legislation last week despite resistance from Bowser (see 2310270054). “Slow responses, missed calls, and staffing shortages have had tragic consequences and will continue to endanger lives unless remedied,” Latta and Rodgers said in a letter to Bowser released Tuesday. OUC “has a record of grave mistakes that have contributed to the deaths of adults, children, and animals. The OUC sent firefighters to the wrong address for a report of a newborn in cardiac arrest, canceled a call for service about a child unconscious in a hot car, and mischaracterized a handful of emergency calls.” D.C. “recently reached a staggering 200 homicides for this year, further emphasizing the importance of accurate and rapid emergency medical services (EMS) response,” the GOP lawmakers said. Bowser and OUC didn’t comment.