ANDERSON COUNTY, Ky. — A 911 call about a choking 4-year-old has sparked a jurisdiction dispute between Anderson County fire departments after a nearby firefighter crossed a district line to save the child.
On Oct. 31, an Anderson County Fire District firefighter who was just 0.7 miles away self-dispatched to a home for a child who was choking on a lollipop. The child has since fully recovered, LEX 18 reported.
The response stirred controversy because the call originated within Lawrenceburg’s city fire jurisdiction, even though the home was less than a mile from a county fire station.
Hours after the call, Lawrenceburg Fire Chief Bill Curtsinger emailed Anderson County Fire Chief Brad Durr, directing the county department to refrain from responding inside city limits.
“He’s like, ‘I’m right here, I’m a minute away,’ so that’s why he made the decision and did the right thing, and that’s to go help a kid,” Anderson County Deputy Chief Jimmy Robinson said. “So the next thing, my chief is getting an email from the city chief telling him, respectfully, to stay out of his jurisdiction.”
Robinson said this is the latest in a series of city–county boundary disputes, but his crews will keep responding to life-threatening calls, show up and help if needed, and clear the scene if not.
The dispute escalated at Monday’s city council meeting, where Robinson criticized the strained coordination between agencies. Both departments are set to meet on Nov. 13 to resolve the jurisdictional issues.
Does your department have a boundary/response dispute with another FD? Would you self-dispatch to a call because you are closer than the assigned company?
EMS1 readers respond
“It’s called mutual aid in Utah. I guess I had assumed everywhere had it, because it makes life saving — which is the point — more efficient for the patients. Our agencies use it. Often. And thank each other for the help. Turf wars are for gangs, not EMS.”
“The city chief should be ashamed of himself. I would be completely embarrassed to say anything other than ‘Thanks — nice job’ if a life was saved. What’s important, Chief?”
