NJ Fire Dispatchers Fired For Sleeping On The Job

[Guest]

http://www.nj.com/newslogs/starledger/inde...edgerupdate/arc

hives/2006_06.html#153758

Fire Dispatchers Fired For Sleeping On The Job

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 

Two Woodbridge, New Jersey Fire District dispatchers were fired after falling

asleep on the job and missing a call for medical aid, officials said today.

The two dispatchers were found by a Woodbridge police officer asleep in

their chairs in front of their monitor, said Dennis Henry, fire

commissioner for Fords Fire District Number 7.

"I can see one person having a problem, but that's why we have two

dispatchers working there together," Henry said. "With two dispatchers

there it's unacceptable."

Woodbridge police received a distress call at 3:46 a.m. May 19 for a

man needing medical help, police Lt. Thomas Gennarelli said.

The police dispatcher sent a computer message to the fire district

dispatchers at Station 7, the Fords fire headquarters. According to

procedures, station dispatchers are supposed to then notify the

appropriate rescue squad.

But when the police dispatcher called Station 7 to make sure the fire

dispatchers received the computer message, there was no answer. The

police dispatcher called repeatedly, but got no answer, Gennarelli said.

That's when a Woodbridge police officer was sent to Station 7 and found

the two dispatchers. They had started their eight-hour shift at 11 p.m.

Ten minutes after the first distress call, the police dispatcher called

Perth Amboy police to send a rescue squad to respond to the call on

Cory Street in Fords section of Woodbridge, Gennarelli said.

Officers who responded shortly after the call for help was received

found a resident who was dead, Gennarelli said, explaining an elderly woman at

the home told police her 52-year-old son had become ill the previous night,

and had laid down on the floor about 11 p.m.

Officials said even if emergency responders arrived sooner, they could

not have helped the man.

"Both dispatchers were relieved of their duty immediately," Henry said,

adding a police investigation was completed. "It wouldn't have helped

this person but the potential of something like that...they just needed to

no longer work here."

Contributed by Amisha Padnani, Tom Haydon and Suleman Din

[Guest]

Dispatchers get all this bad press when they screw up (and deservingly so)

But how come they are so important to emergecncy services and the victims outcome when they screw up, yet when they do a good job, they never have parity to a Police Officer Firefighter or Paramedic, and are often ignored by those in the field unless they screw up?

[ny10570 745]

Once in a while you'll hear about a dispatcher recieving accolades. The problem is people are generally rewarded for going above and beyond the call of duty. Unless dispatchers are going start leaving their desks to handle calls they rarely have such an opportunity. It sucks, thats the way it is.

[BIGRED1 71]

ok so let me see the guys both fell asleep in there chairs? why didn't they talk to one another and say hey i need some coffee. i know that wrking late sucks but they were about haf way through their shifts. it would seem more realistic that they pass out at the very end of a crazy shift where your pooped. but it seems like they both just kinda passed out. i know that 60 Control has a kinda dark room and i guess that could contribute to being tired (of course i don;t think anyone has ever fell asleep there).

[spin_the_wheel 460]

On Long Island Dept.s that dispatch themselves have 1 person working.....some places have whats called a deadman, it's a buzzer that goes off every hour....the dispatcher on duty has to push the button to recycle it....if he does not......the phone starts to ring....then a loud alarm in the office sounds...then the tones are transmitted over the radios and in some places the audibles sound......at this point the dept. is responding to qtrs. and the chiefs and/or commisioners calling the office and responding to the office. Also if someone is asleep in between the hour...and the alarm phone rings, if it is not picked up in 6 rings or so, the same series of events happens also the alarm line rolls over to the county dispatch center which will then take the alarm and tone out the call. This has happened before.

[WAS967 97]

I love hearing people b**** and moan at work about how bad the dispatchers are yet have no REAL idea how it works on the other side of the radio/console. I have a lot of patience for diapatchers because I know what it's like (having worked both sides of things). A recent storm put 60 control to the test and they performed awesomely and well above what I'm sure a lot of people expected. Next time you call your dispatch center for times or information, don't be afraid to say thanks.

[JBE 328]

We do get the short end of the stick when it comes to a lot of things, and yes, you only hear about us when we screw up. This is why I play music on my night tours(at a level that will not interfere with/or distract from the operation) and put away a LOT of caffeine. Sorry, but if you can't hack working at night, switch to days.

Commo, I feel your pain. National Dispatchers week recently passed, and there was nothing done to honor any dispatchers in my job. But then again, this is what happens when you have management with an average of 35 years in the job and think handling numerous major incidents at once is no big deal.

I said it before, in my making life easier thread, you want to see what it's like on our side of the radio?? Come on over and see for yourselves.

Edited June 23, 2006 by JBE

[Guest WCDES636]

Dispatchers sleeping???? Say it aint so!!!! Actually for those two guys to not answer the phones, they were dead, not sleeping.

[RWC130 594]

OK, let's ALL be honest here.

We have all squeezed in a nap on a night tour no matter what job you have. Dispatchers, Paramedics, EMT's, Police Officers, Security, Etc.

It is very unfortunate as to what happened but I think this is someone just blowing the whole thing out of the water.

Yes, they were sleeping NOT good but lose your job?

People suffer witnessed CARDIAC ARREST in an ER full of Doctors, Nurses and

Advanced Life Support equipment and die.

C'mon!

[res6cue 67]

Sure, everyone squeezes in a nap here and there, but when it's time to go to work, you had better get your a** up. Clearly these two didn't. I honestly cannot understand how two guys miss repeated phone calls. Did they turn the ringers off or something? Even the commissioner was quoted as saying he "can understand if one of them has a problem", leading me to believe there would've been no issue had they napped in shifts and covered each other's backs. They didn't do that though. Now they have to deal with the consequences.

As far as the cardiac arrest comment, c'mon now. Apples to oranges. When it's your time to go, it doesn't matter where it happens or who's around. The key difference here is that all the doctors and nurses aren't SLEEPING while patients are dying.

[Guest WCDES636]

RWC130

I must say that not everyone squeezes in a nap on the night shift. Some people sleep properly for the shifts that they may be working. In the emergency services, if you are not 100% ready to preform your job, there is a chance you would do more harm than good.

That said.... these guys were not napping, they were in a sound sleep. Repeated calls. If that happened to me, I would expect to be fired. Sorry someone lost thier jobs, but they dropped the ball. It could have been a true emergency, not a DOA.

Rob,

If it were a member of your family that was ill, and the guys didn't do thier job, you would call for thier heads on a stick.

My very first EMT instructor once told me to treat each patient like they were members of my family. To this day I still believe in that. I brought that idea with me to my current job.

[PC414 0]

Well said, WCDES636, at least from my perspective.

PC414

[calhobs 110]

Dispatchers sleeping???? Say it aint so!!!! Actually for those two guys to not answer the phones, they were dead, not sleeping.

←

Lets blow this thing out of the water, I have dispatched too. Two dispatchers sleeping come on, we kniow those phones are loud in the center at least loud enough to wake you up. I think the two were drunk and passed out, that is your cover up now. they are just reporting that they were sleeping.

Edited June 25, 2006 by calhobs

[IzzyEng4 427]

As a current 11p to 8a shift dispatcher, working 5 on and 3 off, it is tough on the body to work those hours. Thankfully there is me and a trooper at the desk and we cover each other. If one of us nods off the other helps keep us stay awake. It tough, the only time you get any good sleep working this shift is really your days off or when you are on vacation.

You have a duty to be vigilant. But there have been times in my career, working for a different agency at that time, my partner when flat out cold! It is one thing to nod back a just chill, but being sound asleep isn't good. I didn't notice at the time (my fault on that one) but the next thing I know, my partner wakes up suddenly and starts throwing tones over the radio saying there was a fire at "such and such" a location!!!! HELLO!!!! Needless to say this person, who was senior to me had a nice little vacation w/o pay.

I've been guilty of nodding off when it got quiet but man, it is not good to do so.

[CAM502 6]

Geez...if your gonna sleep at least turn on the loud bells. Sleeping through an alarm is just BS.

Edited June 25, 2006 by CAM502