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Staffing fell below minimum at DC’s 911 center the night an off-duty firefighter was shot and couldn’t reach a dispatcher for help, according to OUC data.
WASHINGTON — Questions are swirling about staffing issues at the DC Office of Unified Communications (OUC), after an off-duty firefighter who was shot, struggled to get through to 911.
On the night of Sep 20, off-duty firefighter Gary Dziekan, also known as Zeek, was shot and called 911 around 10:10 p.m. But instead of reaching a dispatcher, he was met with an automated message.
“It’s an automated system, just repeating, you know, ‘we’ll get you when we get you,’” Dziekan said.
Unable to get through, he had a neighbor contact his firehouse directly.
“It was Zeek, and he said, ‘It’s Zeek, I’ve been shot. I’m at 8th and C Northeast. I’m bleeding and I need help.’ I just said, ‘We’re on our way,” said one of the DC firefighters who took the call.
According to dispatch logs shared by OUC, OUC did not receive its first 911 call about the incident until 10:11 p.m.
Dispatch sent help at 10:12 p.m. Engine 18 reported they were already en route, having received the direct call from Zeek.
Police were dispatched at 10:13 p.m., and fire and EMS crews arrived four minutes later, at 10:17.
A spokesperson for OUC told WUSA9 that only 16 call takers were on the floor that night, one short of its stated minimum of 17 on the night shift. Six of those were working overtime, they also shared.
Public safety advocate Dave Statter said while no 911 center can plan for every emergency surge, meeting staffing targets is critical.
“If you’re not meeting your minimum staffing, there are more calls that aren’t going to be answered promptly, and that’s exactly what happened when Zeek got shot and tried to call DC 911,” Statter said.
OUC reported that 86.3% of calls were answered within 15 seconds on the night of the shooting, a slight drop from the previous day, which saw 89.1% of calls answered within 15 seconds.
Officials attributed delays to a spike of more than 20 calls within a 10-minute window related to the shooting.
Statter also raised concerns that the six call takers working overtime may have left at 10 p.m. due to regulations prohibiting mandatory overtime, potentially leaving even fewer staff just minutes before Zeek’s call.
“The way I understand it is that at 10 p.m. the six people who had been held over from day work were allowed to go home,” Statter said.
OUC data shows that 29 of the 67 shifts did not meet their staffing target in August. While 14 of 66 shifts didn’t meet target staffing goals in July, and 14 of 65 in June.
One possible solution, Statter said, is restoring fire and EMS supervisors to the dispatch floor.
“Where you had civilian dispatchers that worked for fire and EMS supervised by fire and EMS sworn firefighters and officers, and they know their job,” Statter said.
“You really can’t fix things until you know exactly what’s going on, and that comes from transparency,” he added.
Union leaders expressed ongoing frustration about long-standing staffing issues.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Dave Hoagland, head of the D.C. Firefighters Association. “It’s kind of like a broken record.”
OUC has said it is actively hiring and training new personnel.
Requests for comment have been made to OUC and members of the DC Council.
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