What you should know
- Washington DC’s emergency call system has been plagued by computer line problems and staff shortages over the past year.
- The computer system for dispatching firefighters and paramedics had at least seven outages in 2024. Six of the outages were unplanned.
- One of these outages, which resulted in the death of a five-month-old baby, is currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The police investigation is looking into whether the system was deliberately taken offline.
- The emergency dispatch center is suffering from a staff shortage. Officials are offering an $800 bonus to employees who show up for all shifts each month.
A series of unplanned computer outages, severe staff shortages and a criminal investigation are putting a strain on the district’s emergency call center, a center that residents and visitors rely on for help in an emergency.
The computer system used to dispatch police, firefighters and paramedics has failed at least seven times this year. An outage on August 2 is currently being investigated by police to determine whether human error or a malicious act brought the system down. The outage coincided with the death of a five-month-old child.
The child’s parents called 911 but said they were initially unable to make contact by phone. Officials said phone calls were not affected by the outage.
The News4 I-Team has been requesting comments and interviews with Heather McGaffin, director of the district’s Office of Unified Communications, for months. McGaffin is speaking to the media for the first time Monday, along with MDP Chief Pamela Smith and other DC public safety officials.
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