Last week our community faced another horror that resulted from mental illness, our response to that tragedy sheds light on whether a decision made by the Mayo administration not to respond to non-fire related EMS calls was wise.
A parent who lived in a Southside housing unit suffered from an apparent mental breakdown. The parent took the life of a young woman about 20 years old and then returned to her own apartment and killed four of her children and finally herself.
It was another incident that showed the importance of treatment facilities for those who are mentally ill. In our community funds for such treatment are limited, although mental illness is one of the underlying factors behind much of the domestic violence we have seen in our communities.
Funding for increased help for the mentally ill has not been a priority in our state, parish or city governments. That needs to change. With proper treatment, it is possible that the tragedy that took six lives could have been avoided.
Something else happened during this incident that has not been reported.
Neighbors report that after the children were shot that there was an unusually long time between the initial call until ambulance services arrived. Nearly every neighbor reports that it took nearly 15 to 20 minutes for the ambulance service to arrive. Some say it was 20 minutes, the precise time varies, but they all complained about how long it took the EMS service to arrive for the children.
Under normal circumstances, a 911 call would mean that ambulances, the police, and the fire department would respond. The fire department has trained EMS employees on every truck and can arrive at any location in the city in less than five minutes.
The fire department is so well trained and efficient that sometimes they have responded to the emergency needs of victims before the ambulance arrives.
Last week the fire department did not respond to the 911 call regarding this shooting. That’s because earlier this year, the Mayo Administration decided that the fire department would no longer respond to 911 calls unless there is an actual fire.
Chief Terry Williams announced at a city council meeting that the department was concerned for the safety of firefighters during the COVID Pandemic. He said officers could be exposed to the highly infectious disease and may spread it to others.
As a result, the city decided that victims of shootings, heart attacks, diabetic episodes, strokes or other non-fire related mishaps would have to wait for the ambulances to arrive. Williams told the council that he had confidence that this service could be handled adequately by the city’s ambulance service.
Last week police officers arrived before the ambulances, but there was little they could do but watch victims lay on the ground. With tears in their eyes, they waited impatiently with neighbors for ambulances.
Two officers became impatient and tried to help one of the victims. They cradled a victim in their arms and ran with her to try to get help. On the way, one officer stumbled and both officers fell; they dropped the victim on the concrete.
They managed to pick her up again and get her to one of five ambulances that finally appeared on the scene.
Their efforts did not save the life of the victim; she died. The officers tried their best, but they were not trained EMS providers. The people in the neighborhood praised them for their sympathy.
Had the fire department responded, they would have arrived at least five minutes after the call and brought with them two or more firefighters who were trained EMS.
The decision against not to respond to non-fire related 911 calls was a very bad call and if continued could result in more deaths. The thought that the fire department receives a 911 call for help and does not respond is horrifying.
It’s a decision that should be revisited.
