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WRC-TV in Washington aired a story last night about a 911 call for trouble breathing in Montgomery County, Maryland where the call taker fell asleep. The News4 I-Team story by Tisha Thompson and Rick Yarborough says the dispatcher is a veteran uniformed firefighter who was in the 17th hour of a 24-hour shift on overtime and can be heard snoring on the recording of that 911 call (above).
“The employee was immediately removed from the floor by his supervisor that night and placed on administrative leave with pay pending the inquiry,” Montgomery County Assistant Fire Chief Scott Graham said.
The News4 I-Team found Montgomery County dispatchers work twice as long as other dispatchers in the D.C. area. In Fairfax County, dispatchers work 12.5-hour shifts. In Prince George’s County they work a 12-hour shift. The District has a 10-hour shift.
(IAFF Local 1664 Vice President Jeffrey) Buddle said while a 24-hour shift “may seem like a long shift to someone who’s not used to that schedule, it’s something that’s just normal for a firefighter to work.”
Both he and Graham say this is the first time someone has fallen asleep during a 24-hour shift.
Click here to read the entire story
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Also on STATter911 …
- Early video: Basement fire in Montgomery County, Maryland. – May 5, 2012
- UPDATED – Worker rescued after parking garage collapse at MD’s Westfield Montgomery Mall. Second worker dead. – May 23, 2013
- 911 director, former DCFD dispatcher recalls first day behind microphone. Steve Souder tells about Nation’s Capital burning after MLK’s assasination. – January 16, 2012
- Another view on DC shift change controversy. Brother of slain New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum points to studies saying current 24/72 & Chief Ellerbe’s 12-hour shifts both aren’t safe. – January 7, 2012
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A dispatch center, working 24 hour shifts?! As setintary as dispatching is I’m surprised this is the first time someone’s fallen asleep.
More like the first time someone has fallen asleep on the phone with a caller and the news got a copy of the audio.
Working a 24 hour shift at 9-1-1 is crazy. I used to work for the county call center and did 12 hour shifts. You needed overtime just work another shift on an off day. I can’t see sitting for 24 hours and being alert.
We had people who feel asleep but only one on an actual call. I watched her fall asleep as she reached for the transfer button. Had to take over the call then wake her up. I asked the supervisor to send her home. It was kind of scary to be honest.
Wow! 24 hours for a dispatcher? That’s just begging for a problem.
I don’t see how the guy fell asleep. Isn’t this the dispatching gig with beds?
There certainly needs to be a limit of no more than 16 hours working this type of duty. Example-If you already worked a 12 hour shift, than you can only work a max of 4 hours overtime.
I truly believe that this is the 1st time this ever happened. I would like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge.
this person is gonna get burned because it was a news story and the department needs to save face. Working a 24 hour shift is the ultimate in BS treatment of an employee in dispatch. I have a problem with it because it was a “firefighter” working in a dispatch center because the days of dispatch being a dumping ground are gone, calltaking & dispatch is an actual profession now and the folks who think all they do is sit and talk on the phone or radio need to spend some quality time there and check out how its changed.
putting a firefighter there was a setup for failure in the first place. the job is firefighting not dispatching
To clarify the way that 24 hour shift works. The dispatcher is only engaged in the dispatching/call taking activites for 16 of the 24 hours. They have 2 hours off the floor earlier in the shift (supposed to be time for PT) and then they get a 6 hour sleep period. One person sleeps from 1pm to 7pm. The remainder split the sleep periods with half sleping from 7pm to 1am and the other half sleeping from 1am to 7am. If the call load gets very busy they are pulled from their sleep but that doesn’t happen very often.
please explain further how the entire system works because it sounds like the FF’s are doing the dispatching along with the firefighting
The communications center is a Station assignment. You can be assigned there just like any firehouse. You don’t just transfer there and start taking calls though. They go through all of the training and certifications, EMD, APCO, etc. So there is no difference whether it is a civilian or FF. Truthfully, they tried civilian calltakers and it flopped, terribly.
My department’s dispatch work this same way, the dispatchers are firefighters and work a 24/72 schedule
This story makes me think of defect rates. Just how perfect are emergency personnel supposed to be? Absolute perfect? Publically perfect, but quietly flawed? I think we know the answer…
Four a.m. at a call taker console in a quiet comm center. Be there, nodded that.
How is this a call taker who fell asleep? When it’s the patient in the background that was snoring?
The dispatcher/call taker asked the caller if that was the PATIENT making the snoring noises and she said, “YES.” From listening to the call it sounds like the patient was making the noises from his breathing. Which the question was asked twice about the patient snoring and the caller said, “Yes that is him making that noise.”
The call taker/dispatcher never stopped talking to the caller.
Are you sure this isn’t a fluke?
The snoring seems to be the victim not the dispatcher.
The 24 Hour shift in 911 Center is not right. The Firefighter/Dispatcher may only have to answer 911 calls a specific portion of the shift. As is the Truth be known, a Firefighter working in a Station is different than 911. Why? The entire shift is sleeping without interruption unless a call comes in. In 911 Everyone has to Mentality alert at all times. 911 calls obviously arenot predictable in occurrance or frequency of occurrance. When a Taxpayer Dials 911 they are experiencing the worst day of their Life. Perhaps Trouble Breathing such was this case. It could have easily been a call for “Child Stopped Breathing” Elderly person with any type of EMS Emergency. (BLS or ALS) It could also have been a Fire call and the 911 caller is hysterical screaming their House or place of Residence is on Fire. Possibly the hysterical caller might give information that someone possibly a child or someone with a Disability is Trapped and cannot get out. Bottom Line here, “911 Dispatcher/call takers must always be ready and treat the 911 Taxpayer caller the same way they would want/expect their Family to be Treated. This is unacceptable by any Professional Standards.” The 911 center are the eyes and ears of the County Government.