D.C. Fire and EMS is taking action after billing the family of a man who died while waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance New Year’s Day.
Durand Ford Jr. said he and his family called 911 in the early hours of Jan. 1 because his father, 71-year-old Durand Ford Sr., had trouble breathing.
According to records, the 911 call was made at 1:25 a.m. A D.C. fire truck arrived only nine minutes later, but an ambulance was unavailable. According to Prince George’s County Fire & EMS records, D.C. Fire did not call Prince George’s County for assistance until 1:47 a.m. One minute later, the county dispatched an ambulance from Oxon Hill to go to Ford’s home in southeast Washington.
The ambulance from Prince George’s arrived at 1:58 a.m., but by then, Ford Sr. had died.
His son told News4 he was disturbed when he received a bill for almost $800.
D.C. Fire and EMS is suspending all outgoing bills until they are reviewed.
