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Nicholas said the way the AHS outlined the events that led to the ambulance’s 30-minute response unfairly blamed some of it.
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June 08, 2022 • 47 minutes ago • 4 minutes reading • 9 comments Betty Ann (Rusty) Williams, 86, died after being attacked by three dogs in the northwest driveway of Calgary on Sunday. Photo by GoFundMe
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The woman, who called 911 after her elderly neighbor was trampled by three dogs on Sunday, said health officials’ explanation for the ambulance’s delayed response left her feeling guilty.
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Police say 86-year-old Betty Ann Williams – better known as Rusty – was killed after her neighbor’s dogs ran out of their backyard and attacked her while she was tending her garden at her Capitol Hill home around 14 hours.
The three dogs – believed to be a mix of a North American Pit Bull Terrier, a mix of North American Staffordshire and an American Pit Bull – have since been captured by the city.
Alberta’s health services investigated the delayed response. AHS said the 911 call center initially sent the call to police solely on the basis of information provided by the caller. The information provided to EMS by the police shows that the situation is not urgent.
“When we first received the call from the Calgary Police Department, it was classified as what we call a ‘good call’ that is urgent without danger to life,” Alberta Chief Medical Officer Darren Sandbeck said during an unrelated press conference on Wednesday.
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When Calgary police arrived, they immediately notified their dispatcher, who immediately informed our dispatcher that this was a serious, life-threatening situation, at which point we updated our response to a life-threatening response and an ambulance was immediately dispatched for the event and arrived nine minutes later. this sending.
Nicola, the woman who called 911, and her husband Lane, whose last names Postmedia agreed not to publish, said the way the AHS outlined the events unfairly put some of the blame on her.
“After reading this, let me tell you, I was not in a good frame. I felt it was my fault, “she said, adding that she was convinced she had asked paramedics to respond and her husband was shouting” EMC “while she was calling 911.
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You’ll read from what they wrote: “Oh, I didn’t say it was urgent enough.”
Back alley in block 1500 on 21st Avenue NW, where the attack took place. Photo by Darren Makovichuk / Postmedia
Nicola said she called 911 at 2:01 p.m. and the ambulance arrived around 2:35 p.m. She said her initial interaction with 911 ended with the operator telling her to call back “if things change”. City law enforcement officers arrived on the scene minutes later and tried to call an ambulance to respond.
“He tried to talk to EMS on his radio to say, ‘What’s going on?'” She said.
After 15 minutes of trying and failing to contact EMS, Nicola said the law enforcement officer had called the fire department. Firefighters and police arrived at about the same time, and Nicholas said the fire captain called paramedics shortly after he showed up.
Sandbeck said the AHS was aware of reports of a police officer trying to get an ambulance to the scene, but said “we have not yet been able to gather facts about this particular part of the event, but we are still investigating it.”
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Calgary Mayor Joti Gondek said the previous city council opposed the AHS’s move to take the ambulance dispatch system out of the city’s hands and expressed concern about the change, saying the city’s service was “recognized by world-class standards”. . AHS completed the consolidation of dispatch services in January.
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Calling 911 for fatal dog attack, initially treated as life-threatening, says AHS
“We see all sorts of things happening with the waiting time right now,” Gondek said.
“Our Calgary Fire Service partners will tell you that they are usually first on the spot and have to deal with situations that they don’t have to deal with on their own. EMS needs a good look at what is happening. We need to do better for the Calgary. “
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As for any kind of ban on certain breeds of dogs, namely pit bulls, Gondek said that the best thing for Kalgari is to wait until “we understand all the facts” before calling for any legislative action.
Flowers were exposed at the site of a fatal dog attack in northwestern Calgary last Sunday. Photo by Jim Wells / Postmedia
“I can also tell you that when the Calgars were asked about the perpetrators – the legislation specific to the breed of hooligans is as it was formulated in the past – the Calgars had no appetite to do such a thing. “We spent several years reviewing the rules on responsible property for pets,” she said.
“So these are the first days (c) to find out what happened in this situation. . . so let’s wait and see what the facts tell us. “
Nicholas and Lane are looking forward to more information about what happened to their neighbor. They say they will not release this until they receive answers.
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“A number of things are happening here,” Lane said. “It’s easy to lose sight of the important things, namely that Rusty lost his life and we have a problem with reaction time.”
No matter how she played, Nicola said she was glad she and her husband were with Williams in her last moments.
“The only good thing that came out of it was that we were there with Rusty at the end,” she said.
“She had someone who really cared for her with her. If we weren’t here, there would be no one here. She would be alone. “
The Alberta Health Association said it would not comment further on Wednesday, saying “AHS and Alberta Health need to clarify what happened. We don’t have access to the chain of events they have. “
Postmedia has requested a transcript or audio recording of the call to 911 from the city of Calgary, but has not yet received a response.
The police investigation into the case continues. The dog owner may face criminal charges depending on the outcome of the investigation, and the dogs may be euthanized.
– With files from Brody Thomas and Stephanie Babic
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
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