On hold
Dear Readers,
I know I probably shouldn’t start this letter with a question but here it goes. Have you ever tried to get through to 911 in an emergency only to be put on hold? The other day I was walking into my real estate office on Hampton and heard a woman yelling across the street to a man walking into the Bank of America office. I saw the man turn around, look back and proceed into the bank. As I continued towards the office, the woman continued to yell for help and I saw a man fall to the pavement at the entrance into the bank’s parking lot. I immediately ran across the street to assist the man. Those of you who know me may remember I use to be an emergency room nurse so my instincts kicked right back in as I crossed the street.
By the time I got there, at least one man and four other women had stopped to try and get him out of the street. I asked one of the women to call 911. As we struggled to get him out of the street (we could not move him) two other people tried to keep traffic out of the lane we were in which was no small feat. You cannot imagine how fast people drive by when you are standing in the street!
I asked the woman who had called 911 if they had answered and she replied that she was on hold. I think it took her five minutes to reach someone. I stood over the man with an umbrella to shield him from the sun as he was completely intoxicated and had passed out. After about 10 minutes and no sight of EMS, four of us attempted to call 911 and each of us were put on hold. This continued for at least another five to seven minutes, and finally we heard the emergency sirens!
Keep in mind this event took place around 3:00 or 3:30 in the afternoon. So, here are my questions (to which I have no answers): Why are you put on hold when you call 911? Do shift changes cause a delay in the EMS response time?
If so, why don’t they have staggered shift changes?
After EMS arrived, I went into the office only to be called about an ambulance that was asking if we still needed them. Apparently, city EMS called for backup which arrived 20 minutes after the first unit came, and they had never been called by dispatch to inform them that they were not needed!
I would love some commentary from our readers about their experience with the St. Louis EMS system whether that is as a user of the system or an employee. I think this is a good one to discuss….it could be a matter of life or death!
Till next issue,
Pam Schneider
