Emergency tapes show dispatcher dismissed early Tahoe fire calls

[Kadie]

Emergency tapes show dispatcher dismissed early Tahoe fire calls
By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer

Friday, July 13, 2007

(07-13) 19:27 PDT SACRAMENTO, (AP) --

Two dispatchers with the California Highway Patrol initially dismissed 911 calls that came in reporting a fire on the south rim of Lake Tahoe, causing a seven-to-nine minute delay in their response, recordings of the 911 calls that were released Friday show.

On the tape from five calls answered by the CHP Truckee field office, dispatchers tell callers the smoke they are seeing is from a controlled burn in the area. The smoke actually came from a fire that ultimately destroyed 254 homes and burned 3,100 acres of mountain wilderness.

"I'm on the golf course, it's — uh — Lake Tahoe Country Club, and we can see smoke coming off the mountain to the west of us," a man reported, according to a transcript of the first call received by the CHP's Truckee communications center at 2:02 p.m. on June 24.

"Yeah. Yeah, they're doing a — a control burn there," the dispatcher responded.

"Thank you," the unidentified male caller responded. "Sorry to bother you."


more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/13/state/n163021D19.DTL&tsp=1

[zehnkatzen]

1. I wonder...

Would seven to nine minutes had made that much of a difference, considering the conditions?

As dry as It's supposed to have been up there, from what I've read, the only way they could have been on top of that would have been to be there when the fire had started.

That didn't sound like dispatcher error to me, more like the dispatcher not being properly informed.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Sounds like someone making $10/Hr. to me

Another dire emergency?

I'll just add it to the pile for the next shift, it's almost quitting time anyways.

[Spinzonner]

3. Sounds like the dispatcher NOT taking the path of least harm

and more authority that was due him/her.

The potential risks of not dispatching overwhelmed the small costs of an unnecessary dispatch.

[soothsayer]

4. You notice how you never heard that it was a controlled burn that went awry?

(or do you? i've only heard it from the locals, not from the news). Can people sue??