What happens when you call 911 in Milwaukee? How are calls prioritized?
"I can't breathe. I can't breathe."
That's what Jolene Waldref told 911 operators from a bus stop where dispatchers initially classified her call with lower prioritization.
Emergency medical technicians with the private Curtis Ambulance service did not get out of their truck to look for Waldref, who later died as she waited for help in subzero temperatures near the bus stop.
How does a call from a woman at a bus stop in subzero temperatures not classify as high priority? Here’s what we know about what happens when you call 911 in Milwaukee:
RELATED: Video, 911 call in Milwaukee bus stop death raise more questions about what happened
What happens when you call 911?
Once the city receives a 911 call, a dispatcher answers. That person determines if police response is needed or if the call should be directed to the fire department. Police respond to calls about a crime or public safety. The fire department responds to calls about fires or medical emergencies.
Dispatchers then ask callers for more information about the emergency, including address, phone number, nature of emergency and details about symptoms or injuries.
How does dispatch categorize calls?
In Milwaukee, most 911 calls for non-life threatening incidents are answered by two private ambulance companies, Curtis Ambulance and Bell Ambulance, which the Milwaukee Fire Department to allocate its limited resources to more serious calls.
Each Wisconsin municipality prioritizes 911 calls differently depending on resources. In Milwaukee, dispatchers classify calls as low or high priority depending on symptoms described in the 911 call. Heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds and stabbings all immediately qualify as high priority calls, said Wisconsin EMS Association Executive Director Alan DeYoung.
But it can be really difficult for dispatchers to classify a case based on the 911 call, said DeYoung. "Not being able to breathe, what level is it being restricted? Is there something else going on that they think they're out of breath? Could that be an anaphylaxis? It's so hard to tell."
More than a week after news that Waldref had called 911 before her death, Milwaukee's Department of Emergency Communications hadn't answered questions about why calls are classified low or high priority.
Why didn't Curtis Ambulance workers get out of the vehicle?
Under the city's contract with Curtis Ambulance, EMTs aren't required to exit their truck to search for callers. First responders are required to respond to 90% of calls in under 9 minutes, and 99% of calls in under 13 minutes. For non-emergency responses, Curtis is required to respond to 90% of calls in under 15 minutes.
Curtis Ambulance arrived at North 76th and West Congress about 4 minutes after Waldref initially placed her call.
Does cold weather factor into how emergency calls are prioritized?
In extreme cold, the a city deputy fire chief may dispatch a Curtis transport unit with an engine company or ladder company when the patient is exposed to the elements. This did not occur in response to Waldref's call.
How many emergency units does the Milwaukee Fire Department have?
The Milwaukee Fire Department has 12 mobile emergency units that respond to medical incidents across the city. In the event of a shortage, the city uses private ambulances with EMTs to transport patients with less serious injuries.
How many calls do private ambulance services respond to in Milwaukee?
Since 2020, two private ambulance companies, Meda-Care and Paratech, which was acquired by Midwest Medical Transport, left their contracts, at the time leaving the city's northwest side without coverage. Only two private companies, Curtis and Bell, remain to respond to 911 calls that the Milwaukee Fire Department cannot handle.
In 2023, the two companies answered about 2,000 calls per month each, according to a service provider report obtained by the Journal Sentinel.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee 911 calls: How city dispatch prioritizes calls, uses EMS
