Dispatcher refuses to send firefighters to rescue dog from icy pond

By EMS1 Staff

DENVER — A dispatcher is under fire for refusing to send firefighters to rescue a dog stuck in an icy pond.

The caller, Jenny Benz, was told by a dispatcher to hang up and call 311 when she reported seeing a dog fall in water at a park, reported KHOU.

“I call 911 and my first response from them was, ‘We don’t handle animal calls,’” Benz said. “And I said, ‘Well, I think fire handles animal calls.’”

After calling 311, Benz said she was told to call a park ranger. She was told since the park ranger would likely not respond, she could leave a voicemail.

“I was scared. I mean, we’re watching all this, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to help this poor animal,” Benz said. “I didn’t want to be watching a dog die while someone decided who the right person to call would be.”

Firefighters responded to the scene, using a raft to rescue the dog. The dog should be OK, according to the report.

Both the Denver police and fire departments said people should call 911 in similar situations. Officials said they intend to follow up with the call center regarding the incident.