Forward Township raises county 911 concerns

By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
The Forward Township supervisors are pleased with the service provided by SouthEast Regional Emergency Services, but questions are being raised regarding how emergency calls are being handled by Allegheny County’s emergency dispatch service.
The supervisors discussed the situation during Monday’s monthly meeting. Supervisor Ron Skrinjorich said it took 17 minutes for 911 to dispatch an ambulance for his father because it was not considered a life-threatening situation.
“My father’s condition wasn’t life threatening, but it was very painful and they never asked that,” Skrinjorich said.
Resident Amy Kline said she had a situation with 911 telling her they couldn’t dispatch a crew to an accident scene without a 911 address, but the area where the accident occurred was along a long stretch of road without houses, so there were no street numbers to be provided.
Supervisor Dave Magiske said they will meet with Allegheny County 911 officials to try to improve service in the township. Magiske praised the service provided by the ambulance personnel given the size and terrain of the township. He said the response time for serious and life-threatening calls was less than nine minutes.

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