PORTLAND, Ore. --
A glitch in Portland's 9-1-1 system threatened the life of a woman in Troutdale after a call for backup went unanswered.
On May 19, Gresham firefighters responded to a medical emergency call where the woman was having extreme trouble breathing. They called for another life support engine to respond, but nothing happened. The crew eventually called back but by the time help arrived, 20 minutes had passed since the original call.
"It's a huge concern," said Jason McGowan, battalion chief with Gresham fire."It's a huge concern to not get help when you call for it. The good news is on this situation, our first crew did a great job and as I understand it, the patient was released from the hospital a day or two later."
Fox 12's news partner, The Portland Tribune, reports in the first month of operation for the new 9-1-1 system, 436 complaints were reported to the Bureau of Emergency Communication by the users of the system.
The Tribune reports more than 130 of those complaints have been fixed, but some users said the fixes were not apparent and they are pushing for more swift progress.
Another update on the troubleshooting process will be available next month when a board of those who use the system will gather for their next meeting.
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