A 3-month-old D.C. baby suffering a medical emergency was taken to a local hospital in a fire truck, because the designated ambulance was too far away to transport the child.
The baby was brought to a clinic at Good Hope and Naylor Roads in Southeast early Wednesday morning. When the clinic called 911, a fire truck from Engine 19 arrived within minutes and took the baby to a nearby hospital.
The designated ambulance was across town -- on Wisconsin Avenue NW.
"I'm really disturbed by that. I hope they were out on another call and not another shortage of ambulances, but I'll follow up on that for sure," council member Yvette Alexander said.
Officials with D.C. Fire and EMS said this wasn't because of a shortage, but rather a high number of calls for help.
"I can attest to the number of calls our unit gets. I don't know if it was a matter of them being out on a call because I know the three fire houses in the area," Alexander said.
According to D.C. Fire officials, calls for ambulances have increased this year compared to 2013. By October 2014, D.C. Fire had responded to 1,000 more calls than during the same time last year.
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The current condition of the baby is unknown.
