Four employees at D.C.'s 911 call center have been disciplined for their roles in the death of an elderly man outside a firehouse in January.
Medric Cecil Mills, 77, collapsed and later died after suffering a heart attack at the Brentwood Shopping Center directly across the street from D.C. Fire Department Engine 26 in northeast Washington.
An investigation into the incident found that a 911 dispatcher mistakenly sent a first ambulance to an address in northwest D.C., which slowed rescuers' response time.
The lead dispatcher at the time has been suspended for 10 days, according to records obtained by News4. The call taker was suspended for three days, and two radio operators were suspended for three days.
All suspensions were without pay.
The botched address was not the only problem that day. An official report found that, despite repeated desperate attempts by family members to summon help from the fire station, no one there responded.
"If we have people working for a fire department that's not accountable for a human's life, they're just getting a paycheck to get a paycheck," a friend of the Mills family told News4.
U.S. & World
The fire lieutenant who was in charge that day was granted retirement earlier this year, before a trial board could recommend a punishment.
Three firefighters who were in the station -- George Martin Jr., David Dennis and Garret Murphy -- are awaiting a disciplinary trial board, which starts next week.
The names of the call center employees are not being made public.
