Resident describes 26-minute wait for emergency help; city says dispatch programming fixed and long-term station plan remains

Alicia Martin, a Seven Hills resident, told the city’s Police & Fire committee on Jan. 14 that it took 26 minutes before emergency personnel reached her home after she called 911 for an infant who had stopped breathing.

Martin said she placed the call on Feb. 2 at 10:07 p.m. and that the first officer from Independence arrived about 13 minutes after the breathing stopped and paramedics arrived 13 minutes after that. "I waited 26 minutes before someone got there and help arrived," she told the committee. "Thankfully, I was able to bring my daughter back myself." She said dispatch repeatedly put her on hold and that the first officer arrived without lights or siren, walking up the driveway.

The account prompted city leaders and the fire chief to describe a pair of operational fixes they said were implemented after the incident and to reiterate that a second fire station on the city's north end remains a longer-term goal.

Mayor (unnamed) said the situation exposed two gaps. First, he said, a computer error caused the city’s second ambulance to appear to be available when it already had responded to a structure fire. Second, mutual‑aid rules required a neighboring station to request approval to leave its zone, adding about two minutes and 14 seconds to the response. "Our chief has already changed the programming on that," the mayor said. He said the run‑card changes will direct north‑end backup responses to Cuyahoga Heights and south‑end backups to Valley View without needing zone‑departure approval.

Chief Mecklenburg, the city’s fire chief, said the dispatch errors were corrected the week after the call and that the changes were tested during a busy Friday when the department handled about 15 ambulance calls. "The run card on the north end and the run card on the south end were both tested, and they both worked fine," he said. He characterized the delay Martin experienced as "unacceptable" and said the fixes were made after meeting with the regional dispatch center and other chiefs.

Council members who spoke at the committee meeting echoed support for pursuing a second station on the north end. Councilman Martin said he supported the administration's efforts and described a model that has worked in other communities: a standalone paramedic house staffed around the clock to reduce response times. Councilman Costanza and Councilwoman Morrill said they also supported moves to add capacity; Morrill said she was "very grateful" Martin was able to perform CPR and that the city has "great emergency services."

The mayor and the fire chief said an intermediate goal would be siting a north‑end station when development and revenue allow; the mayor tied timing to a private Rockside property development that would provide revenue and said the city controls about 3 of the 50 acres in that area. Chief Mecklenburg also noted a staffing cost challenge, saying adding a single 24/7 firefighter position was roughly a $1,000,000 commitment in perpetual costs.

No ordinance, purchase, hiring decision or funding appropriation was approved during the committee discussion. Officials said the two immediate technical fixes had been implemented and that they would continue pursuing longer‑term options for a second station and increased staffing.

The committee moved to adjourn following the discussion; the motion to adjourn was seconded by Councilman Constanza and approved by roll call (Constanza, yes; Martin, yes; Elliot, yes).