Foddrill Six Minutes

SIX MINUTES TO LIVE OR DIE – An Open Letter

San Antonio TX Firefighter’s Union President Steele declared on Sept 11, 2013 that the average response time in San Antonio TX is seven minutes forty-three seconds….almost eight minutes….. in a KSAT report “ Six Minutes to Live or Die ”.  On November 14, 2012 KSAT aired a report “KSAT Defenders investigation: 911 answering delays plague Bexar County” describing how at times 911 calls are not answered for up to ten minutes. A Mayo Clinic study shows that only a six minute window exists to save a life.

If first responders have only six minutes to save a life how does the fact that 911 calls are not even answered within ten minutes and the average response time is almost eight minutes not prove that citizens are dying due the failures of our public safety systems in San Antonio/Bexar County Texas?




The 911 failures, busy signals and delays are nothing new. A summary of news reports and internal documents shows that public safety systems have been failing in Bexar County/San Antonio TX for years.

A 2004 SA Current article describes how calls to 911 were met with a busy signal. A 2005 Crime Control and Prevention District meeting reveals that 23.6 % of 911 calls never get to a call-taker. A 2006 Express News article cites an internal City audit declaring that SAFD and SAPD ranked 1 and 2 on a scale of 1-5 scoring at the bottom of the system gauging the effectiveness and reliability of the 911 center.  Media reports of E911/public safety system failures continued through 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 , 2012 and 2013.

No article exists detailing how in 2005/2006 the theft and misuse of tens of millions of dollars set aside by law for 911- telecommunications support was reported to the Office of Municipal Integrity, SAPD, the FBI, the Texas Rangers and City "leaders" as the scandal impacting the safety of citizens and first responders has been kept hidden. County Manager David Smith, County Dispatch Manager Robert Adelman, Union Presidents Steele/Helle and others provide interviews to KSAT and other media organizations lamenting about the failures BUT no one is willing to discuss the ongoing RICO-like criminal conspiracy to hide the theft/misuse of  tens of millions of dollars set aside for E911/telecommunications support. The media must take responsibility for their part in the “news blackout” as well.

Efforts to gain assistance from local public safety unions have been rebuffed for years. Citizens received no reply to a recent certified letter mailed to all three unions . Local Police, Fire and Sheriff Deputy unions have been asked why for the past several years union leaders made very open complaints concerning public safety system failures BUT then refused to expose the core problems- public/police corruption and the massive theft/misuse of public/grant funds set aside by law to support 911 and telecommunications. Union officials have evidence proving that City IT Director Hugh Miller conspired with others to conceal the criminal activity and that Miller helped present false testimony to the Courts in an effort to defraud our judicial system and keep the crimes hidden. Union officials are aware that Miller was put in control of all public safety IT projects and budgets when former Asst. Police Department Director Gaffigan was demoted / allowed to resign for hiding the failures from Council/citizens. A man who lied to Council was replaced with a man who participated in a “fraud upon our Courts” and who allowed false statements to be presented to federal investigators – hl-10-0465 - to hide the theft/misuse of public/grant funds set aside for telecommunications/E911 support.  Do citizens and first responders have any hope of getting a true statement concerning the public safety system failures?  We think not.

On July 1, 2009 City Attorney Michael Bernard and Police Chief William McManus issued an illegal, unconstitutional criminal trespass warning barring entry into City Hall and public City Council meetings in an effort to keep the criminal activity hidden. On August 31, 2012 a second criminal trespass warning was issued when another law-abiding citizen asked too many questions.  On March 27, 2013 United States District Judge Rodriguez lifted the illegal, unconstitutional bans imposed to silence whistleblowers but the cover-up continues.

How many lives must be lost before somebody stands up and takes action to protect our first responders and citizens  who have been kept in the dark for so many years believing the lies told by our City “leaders” ?




The wrong side of the tracks - The land hasn't forgotten the train wreck, and neither have residents of southern Bexar County, who, at a July 17 town hall meeting recounted the confusion, panic, and information snafus that ensued after the early morning derailment on June 28………. And to officials' surprise, other residents said they called 911 on the morning of the derailment, only to get a busy signal.

By Lisa Sorg           7/22/2004       SA Current







Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting –    (CCPD) -    08/03/2005

Presiding Officer Robert Marbut called the twelfth posted meeting of the Temporary Board of the City’s Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) to order at 1300 hours at 215 South San Saba, Room 106B with the following six members being present: Robert Marbut, Richard Bocanegra, Father Jimmy Drennan, Col. Ray Hamilton (USAF retired), Col. Ethel Nelson (USAFNC Retired), and Art Trevino. Joe Webb was absent.
Art Trevino read the CCPD Mission Statement….Presiding Officer Marbut proceeded with Agenda Item II, a presentation by SAPD Assistant Chief Tyrone Powers on the SAPD Communications and 911 call intake system.

Powers said there had been problems for 17 years with having an adequate number of call intake clerks

 Communications Unit Lt. Michael King said the SAPD drop rate was 23.6%, compared to a national average drop rate of 8% and an average for large police departments of 4.5%.






Review of the 9-1-1 Communications Center - April 27, 2006 -Patricia Major CPA, CIA, CTP, CGFM, Mark Swann CPA, CIA, CISA, Frank Cortez CIA, CISA, CISSP

The City of San Antonio (COSA) is at risk from hazards that could threaten public health, public safety,
private property and government assets. A reliable communications system is essential to obtain
information on emergencies and to direct and control COSA resources responding to those situations. In
almost every case, the 9-1-1 Communications Center will be a citizen’s first point of contact when faced
with an emergency or crisis situation. The Center provides that vital link between citizen and public safety
agencies that depend on a dedicated staff to quickly, accurately and efficiently relay and maintain vital
emergency response information.


Lack of accountability for dispatching operations
• Lack of formal policies and procedures for Fire/EMS personnel
• Inconsistent use of civilians, sworn and uniform personnel
• Compensation inequity between civilian and sworn/uniform employees
• Insufficient training for Fire/EMS Dispatchers
• Lack of comprehensive performance management metrics for Police and Fire
Departments
• High call abandon rate for incoming 9-1-1 emergency calls

In addition, during the course of performing this audit, concerns about whether the entire 9-1-1 system
was operated efficiently and effectively arose. Therefore, it is recommended that an audit of the Bexar
Metro 9-1-1 Network District be performed to ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory, and
financial management of the 9-1-1 program.

SAPD is rated 2 on a scale of 1-5. SAFD is rated 1 – the lowest rating stating - “Controls are either non-existent,
or are primarily reactionary after a “surprise” within the company” “There are no metrics or monitoring of performance.”


A common performance metric is the abandon call rate. This is defined as the percentage of calls
abandoned relative to the total calls received. An abandoned call is one received by the Center but
dropped by the caller before reaching a Call-taker or information source. In 2004, the City of San Antonio
had about 1.1 million 9-1-1 emergency calls of which approximately 20 percent were abandoned (Source:
COSA Police Center Management Monthly Reports). The level of abandoned calls appeared to increase
substantially in 2004 over prior years, as illustrated in Appendix A-3. (another report pegs the rate at 23.6%
 compared to Austin’s 5 % and Dallas’s 7.9 % drop rate.



NOTE: Former CIO Michael Armstrong and City IT Director Hugh Miller signed the audit on or about April 26, 2006 with full knowledge that they were helping hide three decades of theft and fraud involving tens of millions of dollars set aside by law, budgets, and grants to support E911 and telecommunications systems. They were aware that funding needed to repair the failing 911 system was denied by IT manager Diana Gonzalez on February 2, 2006 as criminals inside the IT Department and the City  had drained all the money and had “cooked the books” to hide the crimes.

http://sanantonio.gov/cityauditor/reports/FY2006/AU05-017.PDF




Audit predicts dire consequences if San Antonio's 9-1-1 system fails –
The city is working to correct a problem in its 9-1-1 communications center that would force police, fire and emergency medical service call-takers and dispatchers to coordinate emergency calls with pen and paper in the event of a computer breakdown.
A computer system's lack of redundancy was identified in an internal audit that also criticized the center's organizational structure. The audit, one of the last completed by former City Auditor Pat Major, recommended a more streamlined operation in which civilians replace uniformed police, fire and EMS dispatchers, saving $3.6 million.
Major's audit also found that of 1.1 million 9-1-1 calls, 20 percent were abandoned — a much higher rate than either Houston or Austin.

An abandoned, or dropped, call is picked up by the system but the caller hangs up before it is answered. Police management said it is evaluating how to reduce the rate and will address staff levels in the next budget.
"If you asked me to design a poorer structure, I'd draw this one for you," Councilman Kevin Wolff said of the existing operation. "I've spent my career in organizational structures and design. This one isn't functional."
The audit found the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) network is not adequately backed up by a system that would allow it to recover from a failure in a relatively short period of time.
If the system failed, the audit states, staff would operate manually, taking more time and possibly resulting in unanswered emergency calls.
"The 911 process is vulnerable to failure due to the malfunction or destruction of the CAD application, mainframe system and/or network," the audit said. "Essentially, call-takers and dispatchers would dispatch emergency calls using paper and the radio system."
By LAURA E. JESSE - San Antonio Express-News (Texas)   May 17, 2006
http://www.ems1.com/ems-products/computer-aided-dispatch-CAD/articles/104699-Audit-predicts-dire-consequences-if-San-Antonios-9-1-1-system-fails/


Family's 911 Nightmare: Put on Hold

WOAI     Friday 2nd February, 2007

It's supposed to be your lifeline in case of an emergency, but what if 911 operators were not there when you needed them most? A San Antonio family says their son almost died because 911 failed.

Link unavailable


Fire response times a cause for alarm - In San Antonio, there were nearly 7,320 structure fires from January 2000 through November 2006. Of those incidents, firefighters mobilized and drove to the fires within five minutes in 4,340 incidents.  That amounts to nearly 60 percent, short of the 90 percent gold standard set by the national fire association.  The city's database is missing part of the process. The time spent by residents waiting on hold after dialing 911 isn't captured in the data. And the time spent telling the 911 operator a fire's location isn't reflected in city records, either.
John Tedesco, Karisa King and Kelly Guckian -- Express-News Thursday, March 15, 2007

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Fire-response-times-a-cause-for-alarm-871314.php#ixzz2BIK6UU3j



The Year of Police Disgrace - By Dave Mass – SA Current -  Due to a dearth of paper to chase— a combination of neglectful documentation and mass paper-shredding — we may never know how incompetent police officials were in their seven-year effort to digitize crime records. What we do know is that the useless Direct Report Entry system cost between $874,000 and $904,000 and resulted in the resignation of Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Powers, project manager Mark Kozielski, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Page, and Power’s wife, Captain Sonya Powers. Tyrone Powers said we can expect more resignations in 2007.


http://www2.sacurrent.com/special/story.asp?id=63797


9‐1‐1 System Overloaded: Can It Happen Again? - As fires raged across Bexar County on New Year’s Day, many people calling 9‐1‐1  got a busy signal. Why? The emergency system was overwhelmed.

Reported by: Leila Walsh -  Last Update: 1/08/2008  4:44 pm


High-tech dispatch on the air
After three years of preparation, a $19.1 million regional computer-aided dispatch system is now fully-operational after San Antonio Police Department's portion went on-line early Sunday morning.
By Eva Ruth Moravec  Published 4:56 p.m., Monday, September 13, 2010

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/High-tech-dispatch-on-the-air-656915.php#ixzz2BHxvcwuf


Dispatch problem delays emergency response - Hitzfelder said the Fire Department's average response time is just 4 minutes. That's far less than the 19 minutes it took firefighters to arrive at the burning East side home on Day Road……Members of the San Antonio Firefighters Association told us this isn't the first time this kind of error has happened. They said the problems began in the summer when the department switched over to a new dispatch system.
Published: 12/06/2010  WOAI
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Dispatch-problem-delays-emergency-response/mtwzD7tOxUiEvk0yQVtPhg.cspx

SAFD re-evaluating dispatch system after crew sent to wrong address
Published: 12/08/2010 7:35 pm
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/SAFD-re-evaluating-dispatch-system-after-crew/dydT6mIS8EC1xFR6-TbVwQ.cspx


Police having problems going paperless -The Department says they are working to fix the bugs, and it should not be long until it's perfected.
Published: 2/28/2011 4:22 pm
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Police-having-problems-going-paperless/7TAmWsbIqEW1wR8iPMCsIA.cspx


Parking Garage Collapse: 911 callers put on hold
Reported by: Mireya Villarreal     Published: 3/09/2011 5:44 pm
http://www.woai.com/content/troubleshooters/story/Parking-Garage-Collapse-911-callers-put-on-hold/uj_n9BEY9kODx55VNyipTw.cspx


Bexar sheriff's communication office flooded
Some 911 calls lost during Wednesday storms.
By Guillermo X. Garcia  ggarcia@express-news.net  Updated 12:56 a.m., Friday, June 24, 2011


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Bexar-sheriff-s-communication-office-knocked-out-1437949.php#ixzz2BHxVtUi0

Computer emergency dispatch network praised
Tuesday's system crash being investigated by city's information technology specialists.
By Michelle Mondo mmondo@express-news.net Updated 12:05 a.m., Thursday, August 11, 2011


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Computer-emergency-dispatch-network-praised-1844691.php#ixzz2BHxAxe4g


Computer dispatch system restored after planned outage - The $20 million system, implemented last year, crashed Tuesday for three hours, forcing 911 call-takers for the San Antonio police and fire departments, Bexar County and Schertz to write down information and hand it to dispatchers. The same method was used during the maintenance outage Friday. By Hollie L. O'Connor     August 12, 2011

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Computer-dispatch-system-restored-after-planned-1908839.php#ixzz2BIxHkbQQ




Gas leak forces evacuation of police headquarters -Radio communication was down for 30 to 45 minutes, during which officers were told not to make any arrests and to stay where they were.

Published: 12/23/2011 8:00 am

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Gas-leak-forces-evacuation-of-police-headquarters/UjpaDxwCqkWKgtCmZG1eDg.cspx



SAPD is seeing computer glitches
Cops on the streets cite woes galore, but the chief disagrees.
By Michelle Mondo, mmondo@express-news.net Updated 11:57 p.m., Saturday, December 31, 2011

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/SAPD-is-seeing-computer-glitches-2435403.php#ixzz2BHwgUrJw




911 error caused slow police response to woman’s sexual assault and murder

Reported by: Jacqueline Ortiz   Published: 1/18/2012  6:21 am


http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/911-error-caused-slow-police-response-to-woman-s/ofgngaAzCUi2YWXhPD2T9A.cspx



Problems of SAPD computer upgrade linger
By Michelle Mondo  Updated 4:20 p.m., Monday, June 25, 2012

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Problems-of-SAPD-computer-upgrade-linger-3659522.php#ixzz2BI24scmp


Boss of SAPD's tech upgrade out- By Eva Ruth Moravec Monday, July 2, 2012

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Boss-of-tech-upgrade-out-3674981.php#ixzz2BI2Gv72s


SA Fire Department, firefighters spar over radio malfunction

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s firefighters union is calling for an outside investigation of the San Antonio Fire Department’s $19 million computer automated dispatch system.  But the union’s complained about this system for years and wants the city council and the mayor to make some major changes.

Reported by: Emily Baucum    Published: 10/31/2012  5:24 pm


 http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/SA-Fire-Department-firefighters-spar-over-radio/OcQGPMcUl06-1jDz8NkdjA.cspx



Former leader of SAPD tech upgrade resigns-  Since the tech upgrade's first phase was installed in 2010, police officers have voiced numerous complaints: Laptops freeze up, wireless connections regularly fail, searching suspects' criminal history can take hours, to name a few.  But Gaffigan repeatedly touted its success……Hugh Miller, head of ITSD, is now responsible for overseeing SAPD's computer-aided dispatch, automated field reporting and records management systems and addressing police officers' myriad issues with them.
By Michelle Mondo    July 20, 2012

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Former-boss-of-tech-upgrade-resigns-3724205.php#ixzz2BIWlriBs


Computer glitch leaves police unable to talk with dispatchers-Sunday afternoon the problem with the radios lasted about 20 minutes, but similar difficulties with communication occurred twice between Aug. 3 and Aug. 12, according to city officials. During the time the channels were down, dispatchers weren't able to hear the officers, which was a problem if they needed help or wanted to pass on information about suspects or victims……“The radio system has rarely had any issues, and we have never had an issue of this type,” Miller said……“Anytime officers in the field are not able to use this tool, it could become a safety concern to officers and citizens alike,” McManus said. “This is why we are working diligently ... to find a long-term solution."

By Michelle Mondo - , Monday, August 13, 2012

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Computer-glitch-leaves-police-unable-to-talk-with-3785709.php#ixzz2BIW6PPgc


SAPD dispatch radios go down after 'rare' computer failure –KENS5- 8/14/2012

 A computer failure over the weekend left SAPD officers unable to use their dispatch radios. "Any time officers in the field are not able to use this tool, it could become a safety concern to officers and citizens alike," said Chief McManus.

http://news.msn.com/us/video?videoid=72dc0a28-2803-4678-9354-86d8e2bcc210&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod&ap=true

Firefighters union battles city on emergency dispatch system - Union officials say the system isn't working and has sent firefighters to opposite sides of town for emergency calls. They believe this is posing a risk to citizens. …..The union is asking the city council to get an outside group to do an analysis on the system.

Reported by: Jozannah Quintanilla   Published: 9/13 /2012

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Firefighters-union-battles-city-on-emergency/dU3vUWXeb0m0d8xHQEm4aA.cspx

Fire scare clears county building - The first floor, which was briefly evacuated, houses computer servers for the county.  “Right now, we're not going to go into the servers — these huge, giant, expensive servers — and start tearing them apart to try to find if there was anything wrong,” Giusti said. “It's going to cause a heck of a lot more damage monetarily to the system.”

By Ana Ley  Published   Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Express News

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Fire-scare-clears-county-building-3873912.php#ixzz2BISbKM7d

'Heads need to roll': S.A. firefighters demand resolve after dispatch system crash - "We need this straightened up or some heads need to roll," Steele said. Steele said he wants the mayor and the city to investigate the issue. He said they will hopefully see that the city desperately needs a new dispatch system.
by Karen Grace / KENS 5     October 31, 2012

http://www.kens5.com/news/SA-firefighters-demand-resolve-after-dispatch-system-crash-176666171.html



SA Fire Department, firefighters spar over radio malfunction    -  SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s firefighters union is calling for an outside investigation of the San Antonio Fire Department’s $19 million computer automated dispatch system. He ( Steele) says fire crews couldn’t talk to each other so they didn’t know if other crews had arrived to emergencies, how big those emergencies were, and in one case, where it even was. But the union’s complained about this system for years and wants the city council and the mayor to make some major changes.

Reported by: Emily Baucum   Published: 10/31/2012


http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/SA-Fire-Department-firefighters-spar-over-radio/OcQGPMcUl06-1jDz8NkdjA.cspx


KSAT Defenders investigation: 911 answering delays plague Bexar County - Dispatch manager: Not enough staff to handle call volume
 Matt Rivers, Video Journalist, mrivers@ksat.com

SAN ANTONIO - Major delays in answering 911 calls at the Bexar County Public Safety Communications Center -- where the county's 911 dispatchers are located -- are forcing 911 callers to wait for up to 10 minutes before getting an operator on the line……To meet NENA standards, agencies must answer 90 percent of all 911 calls within 10 seconds. In October, Bexar County only managed to do that approximately 53 percent of the time.

http://www.ksat.com/news/defenders/KSAT-Defenders-investigation-911-answering-delays-plague-Bexar-County/-/478436/17410324/-/wwm4pgz/-/index.html




KSAT- Sept 11, 2013 -   SAFD Union President cites an average 7 minute 43 second response time and the need for more resources. The average response time in SA is almost 2 minutes outside of the 6 minute response time required to save a life.

http://www.ksat.com/news/San-Antonio-Firefighters-Association-pushes-for-more-resources/-/478452/21891266/-/9v30y5/-/index.html



SAPD dispatchers behaving badly
 November 5 2013, 04:17 PM CST -  Jaie Avila – WOAI -  SAN ANTONIO - When you call 911 your life is in the hands of police dispatchers.  Most of the time they handle calls for help with compassion and professionalism.  However a four-month-long Trouble Shooters investigation uncovered a dubious pattern of misconduct involving some local dispatchers……We found cases of San Antonio police dispatchers falling asleep on the job, fooling around while on duty, and failing to show up for work, but still getting paid with your tax dollars….. Another dispatcher took a photo of two other dispatchers posing in a sexually explicit manner with a Popsicle while on duty in the dispatch center. The photo was then texted to others with the caption "work sucks!"

One of the people who was supposed to be supervising dispatchers was himself being investigated for misconduct.  Communications Supervisor Jason Gentry was accused of theft of time.  According to investigative documents, Gentry was accused of leaving early or not showing up to work at all.  Gentry was on administrative leave for more than two months, so taxpayers paid his salary while Gentry had most of the summer off. Gentry denies the allegation and is now back at work even though investigators substantiated the allegations against him.  Chief McManus said Gentry was going to be fired, but McManus decided on the lesser punishment.  "We reviewed his file. He really didn't have anything in his file. So, I reconsidered the termination recommendation," McManus said. Gentry had to reimburse the city for days he didn't show up to work, he received a two week unpaid suspension and is no longer a supervisor.

It's a job so critical any error or inattention can delay the help someone desperately needs.

The News 4 Trouble Shooters began looking into misconduct following the murder of Elizabeth Bermea in 2012. Her screams pierced the darkness on a January night as the 45-year-old mother fought for her life against an attacker who sexually assaulted and beat her to death on San Antonio's west side……Bermea's family has struggled to accept both her violent death, as well as the revelation that a 911 call, from someone who heard her screams, might have saved her life.


http://news4sanantonio.com/news/features/trouble-shooters/stories/sapd-dispatchers-behaving-badly-121.shtml



Most Texas wireless 911 calls lack location info

November 07, 2013 14:18 CST - AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- An advocacy group says two-thirds of all wireless 911 calls in Texas don't provide enough location information for the caller, violating federal requirements….Find Me 911 Coalition reported Thursday that recent Federal Communications Commission data shows the rate of Texas wireless emergency callers with detailed location information has fallen by about half since 2011….Statewide data released by the FCC shows that 403,571, or 67 percent, of the 601,106 wireless 911 calls in June didn't provide full location information.
http://www.foxsanantonio.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.tx/21fb18ee-www.foxsanantonio.com.shtml





reference:  The best test of an emergency medical system is how many"saveable" victims of sudden cardiac arrest it actually saves. These patients must be reached and shocked with a defibrillator within six minutes, or they almost always die.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/ems-main.htm