WASHINGTON — D.C. Fire and EMS transported a 5-month-old infant having an asthma attack to a hospital in fire engine because there were no ambulances nearby or available. The infant made it to the hospital in critical condition, but did not survive.
Engine 30, Truck 17 paramedics arrived at the scene within four minutes of the 911 call, reported NBC Washington.
A police spokesman told the Washington Post the child was unconscious and apneic when the fire engine arrived.
Because the nearest D.C. Fire and EMS ambulance was 7 miles away and no ambulance was available from neighboring Prince George’s County, the paramedics are reported to have begun transporting the infant aboard the fire engine. During transport and within 15 minutes of the original 911 call, a D.C. Fire and EMS ambulance met the paramedics rushing the infant to the hospital and completed transport of the boy in the ambulance.
The D.C. fire department is investigating its response to the emergency. “FEMS is reviewing the call to ensure the highest quality service was delivered,” D.C. Fire and EMS said in a statement.