WASHINGTON — The first firefighter to be told that Cecil Mills had collapsed across the street from a station in Northeast was a 19-year-old cadet who had never been told what to do if someone walked into the station in person looking for assistance, according to a new report.
A public report released by the D.C. Fire Department earlier this week gave some information on why no firefighters came to Mills’ aid when he collapsed and later died. But the internal report, obtained by Fox 5, reveals a series of breakdowns in the response.
Remy Jones, 19, said in the report that he wanted to run across the street to help Mills, but thought he would get in trouble for leaving the station, according to Fox 5. Also, Jones didn’t ring the station’s alarm bells to signify an emergency because he said he thought that the station’s alarm bells could only be rung at night.
The Washington Post reports that Jones’ supervisors at the training academy reported that he had a poor attitude and was disrespectful.
At the same time, the lieutenant said in her original statement that she left the firehouse to investigate what was going on, but in the internal report she admits she didn’t, according to Fox 5.
There is still no answer as to why the computerized dispatch system didn’t send a truck from the station in Northeast to help Mills. An ambulance dispatched from another station went to the wrong quadrant of the city. It took 22 minutes for an ambulance to reach Mills. He died at a hospital.
Edward Smith, the president of the D.C. Fire Fighters Association, is calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
“Any omissions between the internal report and the final report further damages that confidence for both the the family and the citizens we serve. We need answers to these disturbing questions,” Smith said in a statement, according to Fox 5.
Watch the Fox 5 report below:
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