D.C. Council Poised To Reject Ambulance Redeployment
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The D.C. Council appears poised to reject a proposal by the city's fire department to deploy more ambulances during the daytime and reduce the number on duty during the overnight hours.
Councilmember Tommy Wells has recommended that the council reject the redeployment plan submitted by Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe. Wells chairs the committee that oversees the fire department.
The committee writes in its report that the department hasn't established a baseline for the number of ambulances it needs in order to serve the district's rapidly growing population. The city has 39 ambulances on duty at any given time.
The department has faced questions about its ability to respond to medical emergencies. This spring, an injured police officer had to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance from Prince George's County, Md.
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