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WASHINGTON —The District of Columbia’s fire chief apologized March 28 for recent failures that led to slow ambulance response times and for failing to maintain accurate information about the readiness of the department’s fleet, but he insisted that the department has the resources it needs to handle major emergencies.
Two D.C. council members said that they were unsatisfied with some of Chief Kenneth Ellerbe’s responses and that they were concerned about his management of the department, given its staff and equipment shortages.
“The department has got to improve,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said. Earlier this month, a D.C. police officer was seriously injured in a hit-and-run and had to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance from neighboring Prince George’s County, Md., because no city ambulances were available. Two days later, a man suffering a stroke had to be taken to a hospital on a fire truck because the nearest ambulance was nine miles away.
Full story: D.C. Fire Chief Apologizes for Ambulance Failures