The D.C. Council is considering a proposal that could bring the biggest reform to the agency that oversees the city’s 911 call center in its two-decade existence.
The bill introduced last month by Council member Brooke Pinto — the “Emergency Medical Services Clarification Amendment Act of 2026” — would require the medical director for the Fire and EMS Department to also serve as the medical director for the Office of Unified Communications.
At a Judiciary and Public Safety meeting Wednesday, experts and community safety advocates testified before the Council on the importance of the proposed bill.
While OUC directors have agreed the fire department’s medical director also serves in that capacity with the OUC, “whether his direction is followed frequently depends on the circumstances, convenience or politics, rather than the best interest of EMS patients,” said Amy Mauro, who served as chief of staff to the D.C. fire agency from 2015 to 2023.
“Following the clinical direction of the medical director should never be optional. This legislation will ensure that it no longer is,” she added.
Supporters said the idea could improve patient care by ensuring 911 call takers and EMS officials get the same information and training. But Heather McGaffin, the OUC’s director, said instead of having the Fire and EMS medical director work with both agencies, OUC should have its own.
“We’re competing for resources,” McGaffin said during a public hearing on the proposal. “We’re competing for the time of one medical director. This is important, so we should have somebody who is dedicated.”
Robert Holman, who worked as the medical director for D.C. Fire and EMS from 2016 to 2024, said while the OUC works “cordially” with the fire department, it “blatantly (disregarded) its medical oversight.”
In fiscal 2025, Holman said OUC referred less than 3% of EMS calls to the nurse triage line. But an audit reviewing a two-year period found 22% of EMS calls were eligible to be referred to the line.
“Having a medical director with authority should correct the gross underperformance in this area,” Holman told lawmakers.
McGaffin, meanwhile, said the agency has “gotten those nurse triage numbers up.”
In 2022-23, the OUC opted to use PowerPhone, an emergency call software company.
“The PowerPhone dispatch system … required hundreds of hours of FEMS time to correct it prior to launch in February 2024,” Holman said. “OUC launched PowerPhone without making any of the crucial changes insisted upon by the medical director.”
For one, Holman noted there’s still a dispatch code for basic life support for an unconscious patient, while an unconscious patient will “always” require an advanced life support response.
In a news release announcing the legislation, Pinto said the change would help avoid confusion and delay decisions in the case of emergencies.
Separately, the proposal would require that call takers and dispatchers be certified in emergency medical dispatch within a year of being hired. It’s currently a requirement, the release said, but isn’t codified into law.
“This bill clarifies authority, formalizes best practices and strengthens accountability,” said Robert McClintock, with the International Association of Firefighters. “These are prudent, measured reforms that will improve patient outcomes, support front-line professionals and increase public confidence in the District’s emergency response system.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
