An initial review through the county’s Quality Assurance Officer has determined Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols were properly followed
The tragic events surrounding the loss of an infant on October 24 have raised concerns regarding emergency response in St. Mary’s County. As the matter continues to be investigated, some preliminary findings have been determined.
St. Mary’s County utilizes multiple systems to alert first responders of a call for service. This provides for redundancy, ensuring that volunteers are alerted to a call for service. All fire and EMS stations are equipped with Radio Base Stations; Emergency Response vehicles equipped with mobile and portable radios for crews which provide access to the county radio system. Volunteer departments provide pagers for their members which allow them to receive an alert over the Paging Radio System directly from the 9-1-1 computer-aided dispatch. St. Mary’s County does not manage the Active 911 smartphone application. Individual departments manage their own subscription services with Active 911.
An initial review through the county’s Quality Assurance Officer has determined Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols were properly followed. Advanced Life Support, Bay District Volunteer Fire Department and a St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s deputy were on scene with CPR being performed, within seven minutes of the call being dispatched. The Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad (Station 39) arrived on scene 13 minutes after the call being dispatched.
“These accusations were taken seriously and an investigation was conducted by my office in conjunction with the Department of Human Resources,” said County Administrator Bridgett.
“As a result of allegations by personnel concerning the Emergency Communications Center, an HR investigation was conducted,” said Catherine Pratson, Human Resources Director. “The investigation found no basis to determine that the allegations are credible and no evidence was found to suggest that the allegations have any merit.”
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County approved a Whistleblower policy as part of the Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual. The policy offers staff members the opportunity to anonymously submit concerns through an employee hotline.
In addition, the email went on to state that there is a management policy not to tell the volunteers that the radios are down.
We could not find any written documentation to support the claim, however, the County expects the policy to be followed when there are issues with the radio system – broadcast the outage/issue information to all users of system, which includes volunteers. The County Fire and Rescue Chiefs should be notified.
“The public trust is first and foremost,” said Commissioner Mike Hewitt (2nd District). “To that end I pledge to ensure citizens continue to have confidence in the service provided by our volunteer first responders and emergency services.”
Employees of the Emergency Communications Center will have the chance to share their opinions through a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) being conducted by the County Administrator on Thursday, November 2.
“We have heard the concerns from the volunteers and are continuing to work the issue,” said Commissioner President Randy Guy. “We appreciate their service to the county and our citizens and believe the SWOT analysis will provide the answers which will allow us to make the appropriate changes.”
“St Mary’s County’s first responders are the backbone and lifeline of our community. We trust you, we hear you and we believe you,” said Commissioner John O’Connor (3rd District). “Immediate steps are being taken to correct the issues at hand. We thank you for continuing to allow us to work for you, which is our responsibility as your elected public officials.”
“Public Safety has always been one of my primary focuses,” said Commissioner Todd Morgan (4th District). “I enjoy a strong and productive working relationship with our fire and rescue volunteers throughout the county. Together, we will work through this situation, learn a lot, and be better for it.”
