WASHINGTON — The D.C. Fire and EMS department said a high volume of calls contributed to last week’s incident when a man suffering from gunshot wound had to wait nearly 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
Fox5DC.com reported the man was shot multiple times. Police officers and firefighters were on scene in minutes, but no ambulances arrived to transport the victim.
A spokesperson for the department put out a statement in response to questions about the amount of time it took for an ambulance to arrive.
“At the time this incident was dispatched, the closest available transport unit was nearly eight miles away. Paramedics arrived on scene within four minutes of the call being received and began treating the patient immediately. A closer transport unit became available and arrived on scene within 20 minutes of the call being received. Based on the patient’s condition, the decision was made to use an airlift to quickly get them to the hospital.”
Video of the incident shows firefighters giving the man chest compressions and then carrying him down the street to a helicopter a block away.
In a Facebook post, a cousin of the victim said he is now in intensive care.
The incident renewed concern about D.C. Fire and EMS’ ability to respond to calls in a timely manner.
“These occurrences will be mitigated when private ambulances are placed into service on March 28,” the spokesperson said. “These supplemental units will improve our ability to have transport units in nearby locations when a critical emergency occurs.”