WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA9) -- DC Fire and Metropolitan police are investigating the death of a five-month-old boy who died Thursday afternoon after the delay of an ambulance.
According to the police report the father called 911 saying his infant son was choking and had trouble breathing in the 4600 block of Hillside Road in Southeast. Engine 30 responded from a mile away but the station's ambulance was on another call. The closest available ambulance was seven miles away.
The fire and EMS department says there was a paramedic on the fire truck who rendered aid within four minutes of the call. Another ambulance was rerouted and met the fire truck carrying the infant during transport to the hospital nearly 15 minutes later.
It's unclear if having an ambulance closer would have made a difference but the department knows it needs more resources.
"It's been a problem for some time. It's one of the reasons why I called for the head of fire department to step down because not enough attention was given to resources, repairs and replacing. In the new administration there is attention given but it takes some time and money effort is underway don't know," said Mary Cheh, (D) Ward 3 councilmember.
A total of 16 new ambulances are expected to arrive in October.
The baby's aunt says the baby boy was suffering from asthma, living inside the apartment with no air conditioning.
The local fire union says not enough ambulances and ambulances going on a high volume of low priority calls are contributing to the shortage. But it's unclear at this stage in the investigation if having more ambulances would have changed the outcome.
DC Fire and EMS has been under scrutiny since several high profiled deaths including the death of Cecil Mills. No one from a fire station across the street responded when Mills collapsed from a heart attack and died.
Last year a baby died choking on a grape and the closest ambulance was not sent.
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