The D.C. fire department confirmed a significant computer communication problem affecting ambulance service. The city's contract with American Medical Response (AMR) began Monday. AMR is supposed to respond to non-life-threatening 911 calls from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
News4's Mark Segraves obtained internal memos from the D.C. Fire and EMS Department that highlight compatibility issues between city units and AMR.
AMR computers and D.C. fire computers do not speak to one another, so patient information cannot be transferred electronically. As a result, D.C. firefighters and EMS personnel must remain on a scene and transfer information by hand on paper forms.
The city is aware of the problem and hopes to have a software update to fix the problem within eight to 10 weeks, a department spokesman told News4.
In the meantime, ambulance crews continue filling out paper reports, and some have told News4 that is slowing down service.