Speaker Quinn Waits Half Hour for 911, Hatzolah Arrives in Minutes
Hatzolah stepped up to the plate yesterday when it responded to a desperation call involving the collapse of a female staffer at a morning event in Williamsburg hosted by NYC Council speaker, and Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn.
Quinn dialed Police Commissioner Ray Kelly directly to get an ambulance to respond to the emergency – because a call to 911 failed to bring paramedics for nearly half an hour.
Quinn was attending a morning press conference in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with City Council member Diana Reyna when Yvette Toro, an 18-year-old intern on Reyna’s staff, collapsed on the ground, apparently from the 94-degree heat.
“My staff immediately called 911 to request an ambulance,” Quinn said.
A member of her NYPD security detail, a trained emergency medical technician, provided first aid, while Quinn, Reyna and several reports and TV crews waited for the ambulance.
“After waiting for close to a half hour, I then called Commissioner Kelly,” Quinn said. “I said I need an ambulance. He said ‘Where are you?”
An ambulance did arrive “quickly” but it was from the Hatzolah volunteer service, which had been called by Quinn’s staff.
An outraged Quinn told reporters the wait was “inexcusable” and “outrageous.”
“I don’t know what in God’s name could have taken so long to get an ambulance to help this young woman,” she said. “I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
What went wrong after the initial 911 call, made about 11:50 a.m., was unclear.
Officials familiar with the episode said the 911 call was routed to EMS within a minute. There were no technical glitches, sources said.
But the caller described the stricken woman as awake, sources said. There were 15 other relatively low priority calls like this in the area and no unit could be found to get quickly to the location of the stricken intern, outside PS 132 , sources said.
As Quinn and Reyna applied ice to Toro’s forehead as she lay on the round, more frantic calls were made for help.
“My staff was calling everyone,” Quinn said.
At 12:13 one of the callers alerted 911 that Toro was unconscious. That upgraded the priority and a fire engine was dispatched, sources said. It arrived at the scene at 12:20.
Three minutes later the Hatzolah ambulance and took Toro to Woodhull Medical Center She was treated an quickly released. “Everything looks A-OK!” Quinn later tweeted.
The incident comes amid harsh criticism of the city’s beleaguered emergency response system.
alex
great job Hatzolo what a kidush hashem
how ironic
Diana Reyna Council Member , not particularly friendly to the Jewish Communitty or Hatzolah.
steve
and she hates frum people and is against the bris
b.g.
wow gr8 kidush hashem!
lool
so much for calling rey kelly!
declasse' intelelctual
It should be no surprise, there have been many such incidents when police, emts are needed and they show up the next day!
no thanks or acknowledgemwnt
NOTE THAT SHE GAVE MENTION AT ALL OF HATZALA, NO THANKS FOR COMING SO QUICKLY AFTER BEING CALLED. SHE IS NOT ONLY AGAINST THE BRIS, SHE IS AGAINST EVERYTHING WE STAND FOR
Eli
“Mi KeAmcha Yisroel Goi Echad BaAretz!”
:-)
TZIVIA PEKKAR.
B.H. I did not hear on this video, Christine Quinn, giving any praise at all or a thank you for HATZOLAH, on coming to the rescue, which would have been appropiate. There should have been some acknowledgement.
moishie
quinn in an ingrate! she should be upset at FDNY not even showing up, but at least thank hatzoloh for their immediate response. Shame on her!!!