It took 14 minutes and four 911 dispatches to different locations to hone-in on an injured pedestrian, lying in the middle of a highway running through the nation’s capital.
Located behind the Kennedy Center — the I-66 Potomac Freeway, located between the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and 27th St. NW — is a stretch of highway that thousands of commuters use daily, but few know the name.
“It’s a confusing area, to say the least,” said safety advocate Dave Statter, of Statter911. The former reporter has been a longtime observer, and frequent critic of District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications, which operates DC 911.
“The public, when they’re in that area, often don’t know where they are,” said Statter. “That’s why it’s so important that 911 know the road systems intimately, particularly the interstate highways, so they can help the public.”
“We don’t have good signage in the highway system in the District of Columbia,” said Statter. “The Southwest-Southeast Freeway, I-95, DC 295, and what happened yesterday.”
In an area with overpasses, tunnels, surface streets, dispatchers sent crews to New Hampshire Avenue, Rock Creek Parkway, Virginia Avenue, and eventually the correct location.
We received our first call at 3:22 PM. Through routine questioning, we deduced the correct location was I-66/Potomac Freeway between the E St Expressway and 27th St NW by 3:25 PM. Knowing the geography and ways these roads are mid-ID’ed helps to pinpoint incidents quicker.
— Dave Dildine (@DildineWTOP) March 2, 2021
“We can’t expect every 911 call taker to know every road in the District, but the interstate highways are where frequent calls occur, and you need to know every exit, you need to know the landmarks,” said Statter. “It’s part of the training you should go through, before you answer calls for 911.”
The man was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
WTOP asked the Office of Unified Communications to comment, Tuesday morning, and will update the story when one is provided.
