Washington, D.C
‘Our nation’s capital should be able to do better than this’: DC lawmakers on city’s 911 outages – WTOP News
There’s been growing frustration with 911 outages at D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications, the agency that handles emergency calls in the city. Now, several D.C. lawmakers have called the response to a string of outages unacceptable.
There’s been growing frustration with 911 outages at D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications, the agency that handles emergency calls in the city.
In the same week OUC director Heather McGaffin announced $800 bonuses for OUC staffers who show up for every shift in August, several D.C. lawmakers have called the response to a string of outages unacceptable.
“The District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, should be able to do better than this,” D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau told WTOP on Friday.
“There are very hardworking people at the 911 call center. Their jobs are incredibly difficult,” she added. But she called the outages “a perfect storm of government incompetence.”
The creation of a pilot program to offer the $800 bonuses underscores an issue that Nadeau said deserves more attention.
“I don’t think we pay them enough,” she said of call takers and dispatchers. “I don’t know that we are supporting them enough. I hope the bonuses help. But at the end of the day, this is not a new problem.”
In a statement sent to WTOP, Council member Brooke Pinto, chair of the Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, wrote she is “exploring additional options for the upcoming fall legislative session to ensure we are appropriately compensating our first responders for their essential work.”
Pinto also said she would look into “legislative interventions” to improve 911 service and “greater transparency and reporting when errors do occur.”
Last year, Nadeau introduced a bill to return 911 calls to D.C. Fire and EMS, “so that we know the people who are answering the phones are medically trained and can get the people that need to be there to respond.”
Nadeau said there is a lack of urgency to address what she called a long-standing issue. When asked if the D.C. Council could be seen as playing a role in that lack of urgency, Nadeau said, “I think that’s a fair question. I feel a great sense of urgency and I really do hope that my bill gets a hearing so that we can have this conversation.”
On Tuesday, Anna Noakes, OUC public information officer, wrote in a statement to WTOP, “We have a busy, demanding system that requires that we regularly evaluate staffing levels to ensure we can always answer the call in a timely fashion while also being mindful of the well-being of our dedicated staff.”
Referring to the most recent outages on Aug. 2 and Aug. 9, David Hoagland, president of the union that represents D.C.’s firefighters, wrote in a statement, “IAFF Local 36 is steadfast in its commitment to collaborating with city leaders to implement sustainable reforms that will strengthen our 911 system.”
Regarding the Aug. 9 outage, Hoagland’s statement said, “Despite the obstacles thrown at us during the system breakdown, I’m proud of all of the firefighters on duty and our members working in the fire operation center who demonstrated exceptional professionalism.”
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Washington, D.C
Confirmed measles case traveled on Amtrak Northeast Regional train from NYC to DC: health officials
WASHINGTON (WPVI) — The DC Department of Health is working to identify people who may have been exposed to measles, including people who traveled on an Amtrak Northeast Regional train from New York to the capital last week.
Health officials were notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who visited multiple locations in Washington DC while contagious.
Officials have also notified Amtrak of the case, as the person traveled on Amtrak Train 175 from New York to Washington Union Station on Wednesday, March 19. That train has several stops along the way, including in Philadelphia.
Here’s what you should know about the rising measles cases
Amtrak said they are reaching out directly to customers who were on this train to notify them of possible exposure.
Potential exposure sites associated with this case of measles include:
- Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound: March 19 between 7:30 pm – 1:30 am
- Amtrak Concourse, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002: March 19 between 11:00 pm – 1:30 am
- MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009: March 22 between 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages and usually start seven to 14 days after being exposed. Most people having a fever of greater than 101 degrees, a runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. Then, three to five days after symptoms start, a rash can appear.
People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appears, according to health officials.
If you were among those possibly exposed to this case of measles and are not immune should contact their health care provider or DC Health.
5 things to know about measles
Anyone without the measles vaccine should watch for symptoms for 21 days following the last exposure date. If you notice symptoms, you should immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others, and contact your healthcare provide right away before going to the provider’s office or emergency room.
Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should also contact their provider.
Officials said that if you have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine, health officials say. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection. However, infants younger than 12 months of age are too young to be vaccinated and are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to someone with measles.
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Washington, D.C
DC man says armed suspects tried to steal his car with daughter, granddaughter inside
WASHINGTON – A D.C. grandfather tells FOX 5 he’s still feeling shocked and upset after two men armed with a gun tried to carjack him in the Chevy Chase neighborhood Monday night.
Malcolm Jordan, 51, says he was at a Marshall’s in the 5300 block of Wisconsin Avenue around 7 p.m. when a dark-colored Dodge Hellcat pulled up next to his Audi SUV, where his 7-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old daughter were seated.
He says one of the suspects got out of the Hellcat and confronted Jordan while the other remained in the car, pointing a gun at him.
The man then jumped into Jordan’s car and attempted to steal it using a USB device, but according to Jordan, it didn’t work. The suspect got out of Jordan’s car and the two men drove off in the Hellcat, leaving the grandfather and young girls shaken.
“t’s an inconvenience because I had my daughter and granddaughter with me. It gives them nightmares. I don’t want them to have to go through that as well,” Jordan said.
D.C. police are urging anyone with information to contact them.
The Source: Metropolitan Police Department, FOX 5 reporting
The D.C. Department of Health confirmed a case of measles in the District on Tuesday morning.
The person who was diagnosed traveled through several places in D.C. while contagious, including an Amtrak train.
Health officials warn about potential exposure at these locations and times:
- Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound on March 19, 7:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
- Amtrak Concourse, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 on March 19, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
- MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 on March 22, 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
What the D.C. Department of Health says about possible exposure
In a press release, health officials are asking residents to contact the health department immediately to report any suspected cases and arrange for public health testing.
“If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles.
Anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should watch for symptoms until 21 days following the date of their last exposure.
If you notice the symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others.
Contact your healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the health department to help protect other patients and staff.“
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