Interesting. A case very similar to this is in the book "Emergency Response and Emergency Management Law" by William C. Nicholson. The name of the case is "American National Bank & Trust Company vs. City of Chicago". Essentially, a woman was in an apartment that the paramedics had access to, but never tried to the door or to locate the patient, except to knock on the suspected apartment.

I agree that if 3 ambulances failed to do something, it is systemic. Will wait for more details, and the probably law suit.

Wow. Just wow.

We had a call once in ultra-icy conditions, a trauma victim off in a field. It was so hard to get to him - slipping, falling, undrivable conditions at the scene and 500 yards to the victim from the last place you could drive - and I could not keep up with the medics who got to him well before me. Sadly, he was already dead, but I know our medics can and do commandeer anything that could move to get to a call. Urban situations are quite different though - a lot of "frequent flyers" and junk calls. I don't defend the failure, I do know it's possible to just get jaded to every perceived "emergency" that's nothing more than a fart attack.

In defense of the Paramedics. Like Martin - How many calls are for pure BS? Granted, that wasn't the case here, but it could have been. However...

I don't see why the PMs couldn't have gotten off their dead a**es and on their dying feet and walked to the patient. If they were like local PMs I have seen - 5'0, 300lbs plus, then there is a systemic problem.

Sorry guys, I gotta side with the people who want to see these guys fry.

"To be sure, Mitchell's ordeal unfolded as the storm dumped nearly two feet of snow on Pittsburgh; the 911 system was swamped with more than twice as many calls as usual and overall emergency response was hampered."

Why did the number of calls to 911 double? Were there really double the number of emergencies as there normally are? Does the crime rate skyrocket during a snowstorm? Or were most of these calls what Martin refers to as 'fart attacks'. The people who abuse and overload the system bear some responsibility. Not only do the non-emergency calls clog the system and slow response time, but they add to paramedics' reluctance to bust a gut to respond to what past experience has taught them is probably a non-emergency.

Many 911 systems include tracking previous calls (number and nature) to a particular residence, as well as any pertinent information regarding alerted medical conditions i.e. LVAD-left ventricular assist device or safety related issues i.e. domestic disturbances. This information (depending upon local protocol) may be included in the station printout providing responders some information on possible concerns/issues for that address. The responder should use the information as a “heads up” nothing more, nothing less.

Deciding that this incident of abdominal pain is just like the previous 10 calls to the address is asking for trouble. Assuming the “frequent flyer” is just requesting an ambulance so they can get to the hospital for a fix or “free” medical care is going to get you in trouble, if not this call, the next. As noted, it is easy to become jaded and discount the potential real emergency of the frequent flyer, but you really need to rule out a true emergency before assuming it is the same old thing with a particular patient.

Pete

Slips, falls on icy sidewalks, vehicle collisions or even people going out without a hat and stroking/arresting.

An inch of snow in an area that doesn't normally get it can cause havoc - even in areas like this it can double call outs.