Injured and ailing people wait as dispatch problems slow LAFD

[SCPD]

Los Angeles, CA - When the machine swallowed her hand, slicing off one finger and mangling the rest, Tania Wafer's co-workers tried frantically to stop the bleeding as a supervisor dialed 911.

Read more: L.A. Times

 

[GrumpyGuard]

This should never happen. Why don't they have a manual back up system. Sometimes I think we rely on technology to much in dispatching. If they know that they are having problems LAFD should have a back up system in place. Dispatch should have called the station when the engine and paramedics did not come up on the radio in a timely fashion.

 

[Quickcall]

Nothing wrong with just a simple Quick-Call system and a Minitor pager. (Yes I realize this is not practical for every agency)

 

[radioman2001]

Sometimes forward technology doesn't solve all the perceived problems, they are more prone to failure and if not connected to a backup can cause more problems and lengthen the time for response. The old adage of KISS has never been more apparent and is what needed in this case. Politically I guess there will be a change come election time as these events will resurface to haunt the present administration, as it should, or maybe not after all it is CA.