Hearing officer recommends termination of Emergency Medical Technician who made a false report after responding to a 911 call
NYC Fire Department v Prosper, OATH Index #192/11
OATH Administrative Law Judge John Spooner found that an emergency medical technician failed to follow protocol and made false reports when he responded to a 911 call from an elderly man who reported difficulty breathing.
The EMT and his partner arrived at the patient's apartment and argued with the patient about which hospital to go to. The patient, however, refused treatment and the EMTs returned to the ambulance.
Rather than calling a supervisor for help, as required, the EMTs reported “10-90” or unfounded, to the dispatcher.
Believing that there had been no contact with the patient, the dispatcher sent firefighters to gain entry to the apartment. In the meantime, the patient came downstairs and told the EMTs that he was taking a bus to the hospital. The EMT gave firefighters no information about the patient and they entered the empty apartment by breaking the door lock
The decision is posted on the Internet at:
http://archive.citylaw.org/oath/10_Cases/10-2885.pdf