Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Response Hatzalah topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University Heights urges residents to call 911 after delays tied to Hatzalah Cleveland
Summary
At the April 21 University Heights City Council meeting, the mayor said city leaders and three neighboring mayors sent a letter to Hatzalah Cleveland’s medical director after the volunteer group’s actions were linked to delayed emergency responses in at least 30 incidents; the council urged residents to call 911 first.
The mayor of University Heights told the City Council on April 21 that city officials have asked residents to call 911 in medical emergencies after what they say were repeated delays in emergency response when callers contacted Hatzalah Cleveland first. "When seconds count, delays in medical treatment caused by delays in calling 911 are not acceptable," the mayor said.
The mayor said University Heights joined Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and South Euclid in sending a written letter to Dr. Rafi Israili, whom the mayor identified as Hatzalah Cleveland’s medical director, after the volunteer group declined a request to meet about a proposed memorandum of understanding. The mayor said the cities offered to negotiate an MOU to coordinate responses but that Hatzalah Cleveland declined to meet as a group and has not responded to the proposed MOU.
City officials said the University Heights Fire Department logged at least 30 incidents in which crews arrived later than they would have if 911 had been called first; officials described typical delays as five to 20 minutes and said some calls experienced delays of up to 30 minutes. The mayor said the cities rely on mutual aid agreements and the 911 system to initiate the full emergency response system and that callers may contact Hatzalah Cleveland after calling 911 if they wish.
The mayor said the four cities had offered Hatzalah Cleveland the opportunity to meet on March 11 with mayors, fire chiefs, police chiefs and law directors or their representatives to discuss a cooperative approach and an MOU; Hatzalah Cleveland declined. The mayor said the cities would take additional actions as necessary to protect public safety.
University Heights officials emphasized that the recommendation to call 911 is limited to initiating emergency services quickly; the mayor said residents may ask 911 dispatchers to also contact Hatzalah Cleveland if they want that group alerted.
