DETROIT — An EMT who refused to respond to a call for an infant in cardiac arrest has been fired after two internal investigations.
Detroit Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins said EMT Ann Marie Thomas is no longer employed with the Detroit Fire Department, ClickOnDetroit.com reports.
“Today, we conducted an appeals hearing, which Ms. Thomas requested,” Jenkins said in a statement. “After reviewing all of the facts of this incident, I have determined that the appropriate course of action is to terminate Ms. Thomas’ employment with the Detroit Fire Department effective immediately.”
Thomas was less than a mile away from the home of an infa 8-month-old in cardiac arrest. She took six minutes to reach the scene, then parked her unit on a street corner away from the incident. In the internal investigation report, Thomas said, “I’m not about to be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR; you know how these families get.”
Dispatch continued to update Thomas, saying the infant was born premature and was hooked up to an oxygen machine, and that the mother performed CPR on scene. The infant was revived and transported to a hospital, but later died.