Navy Yard rampage update: TV station questions DC paramedic staffing. Efforts of U.S. Park Police crew highlighted.
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Previous coverage of Navy Yard shootings
More on US Park Police crew from JEMS.com
There are some follow-up stories in the local press that focus on emergency operations during Monday’s shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard. The story above from WUSA9.com is about the work of the United States Park Police Eagle helicopter crew that handled both EMS and law enforcement roles. You can read more from reporter Kristin Fisher here.
Below, reporter Ken Molestina questions the readiness of the DC Fire & EMS Department. Specifically Molestina looks at the staffing on Monday and the downgrading of nine ALS units to BLS due to a paramedic shortage. Here is what Molestina discovered:
The DC firefighters Union tells WUSA 9 that a total of 9 emergency response units were downgraded from advanced life support status to basic life support during the Navy Yard shooting.
In others words there was no paramedic on board those units. That means the personnel on board could only provide minimal emergency care on the scene.
Medic units 7,8, 27, 30, 19, 24, 31 were all downgraded. Paramedic engines 20, 31were also downgraded and didn’t have a paramedic on board.
It’s unclear how many of those units responded to the scene of the massacre. DC Fire & EMS didn’t return any of WUSA 9’s phone calls or e-mails.
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