L.I. Town Plans 911 Changes After Ambulance Error
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (AP / WCBS 880) -- Officials on eastern Long Island will upgrade their 911 system after an ambulance was late arriving at the home of a man who died of a heart attack.
Podcast
WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reports
The ambulance apparently went to one of four addresses listed in the town of East Hampton as 419 Montauk Highway. They are in the hamlets of Montauk, Amagansett, Wainscott and the village of East Hampton.
A dispatcher recently sent an ambulance to the village when the emergency was five miles away in Wainscott. Officials said the dispatcher failed to ask for the nearest cross street, which might have prevented the error.
A 51-year-old former volunteer fire chief later died, though officials contend the mixup was not a factor.
The 911 computer system will be upgraded to automatically show cross streets.
(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
