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Doylestown police released a statement acknowledging that the Bucks County 911 Center's system malfunctioned as a quadriplegic died inside a burning home while calling for help. View Images As Brenda Orr's Doyle Street home burned at the end of January, she waited, unable to escape, as the phone rang seven times before a 911 operator answered it.
When he finally did answer, he put her on hold, causing up to a minute delay.
Doylestown Chief James Donnelly released a statement outlining the series of events that took place on Jan. 29:
Orr calls 911 operators and the phone rings seven times before it's answered (911 calls are supposed to be answered within four rings). After a dispatcher answers, Orr is placed on hold. Despite the dispatcher's orders to hold, Orr starts saying she has an emergency and provides her address. Fifty-five seconds into the call, a second dispatcher gets on the phone with Orr and takes the call, causing another near 30-second delay.Listen:911 Tape
Donnelly said after listening to the tape, it is not clear when the police and fire agencies were dispatched, but said it appears they were dispatched sometime after the first minute. He said rescuers were delayed at least 41 seconds by the initial operator.
Donnelly said the initial operator did not handle the call properly.
Sergeant Scott Brobst released the following statement:
"While this almost one-minute delay may not have changed the outcome of this incident, we will never know if a rescue of Brenda Orr could have been effected if there was not a delay.
"In 40 seconds a fireman or police officer probably could have searched and exited the entire home. Could this have been enough time to make a difference? This issue needs to be addressed and resolved with the Bucks County 911 Center."
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