Public Hearing Friday Over D.C. Ambulance Response Times

Issue at center of D.C. Council public hearing, Friday at 11:30 a.m.

CORRECTION/UPDATE: D.C. Fire & EMS told NBC Washington the about an EMS redeployment plan for the District of Columbia, not about ambulance response times as previously reported. 

News 4 will provide more information when it's available.


The D.C. Council is hosting a public hearing Friday about a redeployment plan for D.C. Fire & EMS.
The hearing kicks off at 11:30 a.m. You can also watch it live online here.

During a hearing in March, D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe testified that only 58 of the District's 111 ambulances were currently in service. Ellerbe added that the District only has 245 paramedics, well short of its target of 300.

Council members will now debate a new plan designed to increase ambulance deployment during peak hours of service.

So far this year, there have been several complaints about ambulance response times in the city. The family of Durand Ford Sr. says he died waiting for a D.C. ambulance. Eventually, one had to be sent from Prince George's County.

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