D.C. man says father died awaiting ambulance
Wednesday - 1/16/2013, 8:48am ET
WASHINGTON - A Washington man says his father died while he was waiting more than 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive -- on the same night that dozens of city firefighters called out sick.
Durand Ford tells WRC-TV that his father went into cardiac arrest in the early morning of New Year's Day, and his family called 911 around 1 a.m. WRC reports that at 1:47 a.m., D.C. Fire and EMS asked Prince George's County for assistance, and an ambulance was sent from Oxon Hill, Md. _ seven miles away.
Around 90 District of Columbia firefighters called out sick on New Year's Eve. The firefighters' union has denied there was a coordinated sick-out.
D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells has criticized firefighters and the union for putting public safety at risk.
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Information from: WRC-TV, http://nbcwashington.com
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