# Father's death is blamed on 911 flaws



## MariaCatEMT (Apr 12, 2006)

Death blamed on 911 flaws

*Father's death is blamed on 911 flaws

Fire Department defibrillator did not reach scene in Kenner 

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
By Mary Swerczek
Kenner bureau 

David Letellier Sr. died of a heart attack recently, but his daughter believes it wasn't just her father's heart that failed him. She thinks the Kenner 911 system is also to blame.  

Letellier collapsed in the yard of his Kenner home, less than a block from a Kenner fire station and its portable defibrillator. Police arrived immediately and an ambulance also was dispatched. But the Fire Department was not called. 

"My dad's dead because the Kenner 911 system failed him," said Marie Scavo, a nurse, who pleaded recently with the Kenner City Council for help. "Something happened that's terribly wrong here." 

Around 2:30 p.m. on March 4, Scavo's mother saw her husband, a retired Jefferson Parish fire captain, collapse. She called 911 immediately. The emergency operator alerted the Police Department and, in turn, East Jefferson General Hospital Emergency Medical Services. 

"I can only tell you that we didn't get a call," said Fire Chief Mike Zito. "We did not get that call." 
*

Read more here...


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 12, 2006)

The wasn't for an ambulance, and it wasn't cardiac? What?

It was for a person collapsed... That could be anything, you can't diagnose from a dispatch panel. 

If all of the fire apparatus in the six fire houses carry AED's, then why don't the police cars?

Even the local cops here carry AED's.


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## podmedic@mac.com (Apr 12, 2006)

*tragedies*



			
				TTLWHKR said:
			
		

> The wasn't for an ambulance, and it wasn't cardiac? What?
> 
> It was for a person collapsed... That could be anything, you can't diagnose from a dispatch panel.
> 
> ...


:sad: Every time someone dies, people look for a reason.

People die all the time within minutes of lifesaving care.  It happens on the operating table, in the ER, in the back of our units, and within blocks of a fire truck equipped with an AED.

The 911 system cannot always get the call right.  I recently responded on a call for a sick subject.  Additional from dispatch gave us general weakness per the caller.  It was a full arrest! :glare: 

The husband was standing there saying, "She just didn't have any strength when I got up this AM."

I feel bad for the people and maybe some changes will be made to enhance some responses but there is no way to stop these kind of sad coincidences from happening.


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 12, 2006)

TTLWHKR said:
			
		

> The wasn't for an ambulance, and it wasn't cardiac? What?
> 
> .


 


The call was for an Ambulance, and it wasn't cardiac?

That's what I meant.




> :sad: Every time someone dies, people look for a reason.
> 
> People die all the time within minutes of lifesaving care.


 

Oh, really? You don't say. The point is.. Selective dispatching. I'm against selective dispatching.


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## podmedic@mac.com (Apr 12, 2006)

> Oh, really? You don't say. The point is.. Selective dispatching. I'm against selective dispatching.



I think most of us are, but resource management issues mean that we all have to deal with it.

How many calls do you think it will take before the hose draggers complain that we're wasting their time dispatching them for medical assist calls.  In my area, they run the county emergency services and we have to put up with whatever they are willing to give us with regards to EMS dispatching.  Too much info relayed on the air interferes with their fire scene management on a crowded radio system.  We can't even get them to relay hospital diversion status on dispatch, we have to remember to specifically ask about it or we don't find out until we're already En Route!:wacko:


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 12, 2006)

The hose draggers?

Another Anti-Fire Service person?


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## Jon (Apr 14, 2006)

it is a shame...

Around here, the PD all have AED's - what is embarrising is at the Squad, we are short 1 AED and have 1 truck without one now... but the PD have 1 in every car!


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## Firechic (Apr 14, 2006)

> The hose draggers?
> 
> Another Anti-Fire Service person?



That jumped off the screen for me too........


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## Ridryder911 (Apr 15, 2006)

Displaced anger & grieving, although, there needs to be something changed. My F.D (full time  >55 a shift stafffed) & has paramedic squads that 1'st respond only between 0700 & 2300... then they turn into pumpkins, and only will respond if needed & requested by EMS (3'rd party agency). The reason.. the union contract, that they will be disturbed at nightime, only if it is a REAL emergency. 

Now, some Batillon Chiefs will immediately dispatch to MVC's etc. but, there are some that will not. Ironically, F.D. makes only 1/4 of the number of calls that EMS makes... must be nice.. oh, yeah they have nap time during the day as well....

We have a good realtionship with them except in this area....

R/r 911


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## MMiz (Apr 15, 2006)

Where I grew up, in a middle class neighborhood, one PD unit of two would carry an AED.  In the city over, which is about three square miles, it's the same deal.  In the city my ambulance service got a contract with, they had *no* AED units with PD.

As an EMT, it is my belief that *every PD unit* should be mandated to carry an AED.

As a teacher, it is my belief that every child should receive a quality education.

I'm not sure either of those are realities right now.

All of our ALS and Paramedic First Responder units carry LifePak 12s.  All of our BLS units used to carry LifePak 500s, but there has been a supply shortage and currently we're a few short.

I can tell you that *every single AED we have has been used in the field*.  In general, our BLS units are only dispatched for "BLS" calls.

We're the only private ambulance service in the county that carries AEDs on BLS units. :unsure:


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## podmedic@mac.com (Apr 15, 2006)

*Mea Culpa*



			
				Firechic said:
			
		

> That jumped off the screen for me too........



:sad:  OK, sorry.  In a poorly thought out attempt at humor, I used hose draggers.

I was basing my point on the fact that in my system, despite fire and EMS units running from the same companies, there is little interest in responding to calls out of the individual's area of expertise.

Apologies to all.


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## JJR512 (Apr 15, 2006)

MMiz said:
			
		

> As an EMT, it is my belief that *every PD unit* should be mandated to carry an AED.
> 
> As a teacher, it is my belief that every child should receive a quality education.
> 
> I'm not sure either of those are realities right now.


Unfortunately you are right, these aren't realities, and they won't ever be until politicians stop being shortsighted. Much of the money that's being spent on putting as many cops on the street as possible, and building more and more prisons, would be better spent on improving our education system. It's been my belief for a long time, based on working in the court system and observing the apparent intelligence levels of people who commit crimes, that the best way to reduce crime would be to greatly improve our education system. But this is a long-term deal, and politicians are only interested in the short-term, they're only interested in how to get themselves reelected or elected to a higher office. And putting more police on the streets to capture the existing criminals, and building more prisons to house them, is a good short-term way to get some statistics these politicians can use at the next election. Improving the education system, and reducing the likelihood of someone from turning to crime in the future, only provides a benefit that won't be seen for years, far too long for politicians to be interested in that kind of plan. The other effect of this is that if police departments didn't have to spend all their money on more cars and more officers, they could better afford to put AEDs in the cars, which is the other point you mentioned.

But that's just my 2¢.


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 15, 2006)

sigh..............


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## JJR512 (Apr 16, 2006)

TTLWHKR said:
			
		

> sigh..............


Why bother replying to a thread if you don't have anything to say?


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 16, 2006)

JJR512 said:
			
		

> Why bother replying to a thread if you don't have anything to say?


 
I did have something to say, I said "Sigh............"


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## Firechic (Apr 16, 2006)

I say that every day!!!   :blink:


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 16, 2006)

Say what..?


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## MedicPrincess (Apr 17, 2006)

JJR512 said:
			
		

> Why bother replying to a thread if you don't have anything to say?


 
_ringaling....ringaling....ringaling...._


HEY POT!!!!  Get the phone.....its the kettle calling.....






PS....since this is the BESTEST EVER site IN THE WORLD!!! and there is SOOOOO much fun/info/knowledge to be had here....you may have missed the PM button.....

PSS....how do you think he got over 3000 posts???  Really???  Have you not seen the posts around here that are 1 or 2 smilie faces???


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## JJR512 (Apr 17, 2006)

1: I'm confused about that pot/kettle comment, because where I come from, "the pot calling the kettle black" is an expression that means the first person is complaining about something the second person is doing, while all along the first person has been doing the same thing. So my confusion arises from the fact that I can't remember ever posting a message here that didn't actually say something.

2. Thanks for the information on the PM button. I've been operating my own vBulletin message board for six years through 187 thousand messages, and I've programmed new features for vB, some of which are now part of the stock program, but I never noticed the PM system before. Either that, or I might just not have considered sending a reply (with no private information in it) to a public message by PM.

3. I can't say that I've noticed the posts that are only one or two smilies. I'm guessing there probably aren't very many or any. What's your point? I have over 15,000 posts on my own board, several other members have just as many, I have probably the same amount spread over several other message boards, from the past seven years or so. (Yes, I had a lot of free time, but that's another story.) I didn't say TTLWHKR _never_ has anything to say; I've read nearly every message he's posted since I joined here, and have found the vast majority of them to be well worth reading. As I have enjoyed reading your own posts, EMTPrincess (especially, lately, the ones where you're describing how much your current job; the joy you express while describing the scenery is practically contagious).

I only expressed my opinion that "sigh.............." doesn't really say anthing at all. I didn't suppose TTLWHKR was just randomly posting the fact that he was slightly tired, so I figured there was a deeper meaning there, probably in response to what I had posted in the immediately preceding message. I had hoped to draw out whatever it was about what I said that specifically elicited that response from TTLWHKR, in case it was something that could have become a meaningful and enlightening dialogue. Perhaps he disagrees with some or all of my expressed opinions; I'd like to hear about it, and if he has something actually intelligent to say, perhaps he might change my mind about something I said...or, perhaps I might change _his_ mind about something. Perhaps he misinterpreted something I said, or perhaps I didn't explain part of my opinion clearly enough. Perhaps something I said was factually incorrect. It could have been any of these things, or something else entirely; my point is, "sigh.............." doesn't explain to me how he feels or what he thinks about what I said, but clearly he does feel or thing _something_, unless he truely was just randomly sighing. I just was curious to know what exactly he feels or thinks about what I said because I'm always interested in learning something new, understanding other peoples' points of view, and having my own horizons expanded.


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 18, 2006)

Dear god... all I did was sigh. Do we really need to debate it? -_-


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## ffemt8978 (Apr 18, 2006)

TTLWHKR said:
			
		

> Dear god... all I did was sigh. Do we really need to debate it? -_-



NO, you don't.


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## JJR512 (Apr 19, 2006)

TTLWHKR said:
			
		

> Dear god... all I did was sigh. Do we really need to debate it? -_-





			
				ffemt8978 said:
			
		

> NO, you don't.


Agreed... But it should go without saying. Nobody can make you do something you don't want to do. All I could do is say what I'd like, which I already did (that I'd like to hear what it was you were sighing about), but if you want to keep it to yourself, that's your choice.


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## MariaCatEMT (Apr 19, 2006)

*That went well, don't ya think? *


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 20, 2006)

Bout as well as drinking a cup full of tacks and honey!


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## Imagine (May 2, 2006)

It really disturbs me that the ambulance wasn't equipped with an AED. Even if the police don't have them, the ambulance shoudl, undoubtebly. We run off town grants and donations, and we've managed to purchase an AED. Its absurd to stick them on firetrucks since generally they won't be responding to a cardiac call, so why waste the time getting them there?


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