By Bill Carey
SA国际传媒/FireRescue1
PHOENIX 鈥� A doorbell camera video captured Phoenix firefighters violating several policies as they discouraged a patient from being transported by ambulance to a hospital, a fire department investigation revealed.
Firefighters responded to Haydee Pate鈥檚 house in August 2021. Pate had COVID and was having difficulty breathing, reported.
Pate was outside her home when firefighters arrived. Her son told firefighters that she wanted to go to the hospital.
鈥淒o you want to take her?鈥� the paramedic asked.
Minutes pass as firefighters take Pate鈥檚 vitals but do not call for an ambulance.
鈥淭hat ambulance is $1,500 bucks,鈥� Captain Gerald Ingallina said. 鈥淚 mean, we鈥檒l take her, but if you have $1,500 bucks, I know what I鈥檇 like to do with $1,500 bucks.鈥�
Pate鈥檚 son ended up driving her to the hospital. She was admitted for pneumonia.
A department investigation reported the firefighters violated multiple rules, including failing to follow a memo about refusal of treatment and transport. The fire department responded to the investigation stating it 鈥渋s committed to providing the highest levels of customer service.鈥�
Phoenix has seen an increased number of 911 medical calls and longer ambulance response times in recent years, according to the fire department鈥檚 data.
Fire department data shows the city鈥檚 ambulance transport rate climbed to 48% in 2023 after firefighters were trained on a new state law saying paramedics and EMTs 鈥渕ay not counsel a patient to decline emergency medical services transportation.鈥�
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