Bedridden Woman Put on Hold by 911, Dies in Fire



A bedridden woman surrounded by flames was put on hold when she calls 911. It's a situation investigators in Bucks County are taking a very close look at. Could 53-year-old Brenda Orr have been saved? WFMZ's Bo Koltnow has the story.
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Imagine waking up with your bed on fire, calling 911 and waiting almost a minute before your call is answered. These Doylestown Police and Fire records show that is what happened to Brenda Orr. She was later found dead inside her home, the coroner says due to smoke inhalation. Now county officials are looking for answers. 7 rings, 10 agonizing seconds before Brenda Orr's frantic January 29th 911 call was finally answered. >> 911 can you hold one second please? I can't it's an emergency, 911 emergency. 340 Doyle. Bed on Fire. >>Reporter: While her room became an inferno, Orr, who is disabled waited another 35 seconds before she was taken off hold. >> Thanks for holding. 911. What's your emergency? (inaudible) Hello? The bed is on fire. 340 Doyle. >> Brent: Is it protocol to place person on hold ? It's not protocol to place 911 calls on hold. >> What township or borough are you in? 340 Doyle. What township or borough are in you in? What Borough? Doylestown. >> Brent: Were there mistakes made? Protocal was not followed yes >> Are you still in the house. Yes. Well do you want to get out of the house? I'm disabled. The bed is fully inflamed. >> Reporter: More than 2 minutes before fire crews were dispatched to Orr's home which is now a memorial at 340 Doyle Street in Doylestown. >> Brent: We're looking into that, what doing in the room, why call took so long to be answered. >> Reporter State Procedure states that 911 calls must be answered within 10 seconds 90% of the time. Wiggins says there is no set time frame from a call is answered to when a dispatch call should be sent. >>Brent: Because every call is different. Could be fire, police, EMS. Too many unknowns to go into for the dispatch. >>Reporter: Doylestown Fire Marshal David Cell, was one of the first to enter the home, but had to retreat due to heat and smoke. He agrees that 911 dispatchers should operate without a clock. >>David: They could feel rushed put in the wrong location, with wrong equipment, wrong emergency responders to go. >>Reporter: Delaying time even further. No one can say for sure if more time would have saved Brenda Orr, but they also can't say it wouldn't. The Bucks County D.A. did not rule this incident a criminal act. The 911 center says corrective action has been taken. And say if protocol needs to be changed because of this it will be. The final report which will be reviewed by the county is expected to be handed in with the next 2 weeks.
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