Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Service (EMS) recently announced it is supporting the American Heart Association and its important mission to increase survival from cardiac arrest by promoting National CPR and AED Awareness Week June 1-7.”We are asking all members within our community to join us in our efforts to make Sun Prairie a heart-safe community,” remarked Sun Prairie EMS Chief Brian Goff.Sun Prairie area residents can assist in making the community heart-safe by undertaking these heart-safe steps:Learn Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) — In Sun Prairie, bystanders witness cardiac arrest events almost one-third of the time, and those persons have the best opportunity to help save a life.Even children as young as 9 years old can learn to perform CPR. If you have never had a CPR class, or if it has been awhile since you learned CPR, classes and refreshers are available from many different entities in Sun Prairie and around Dane County.Know where to find an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) — When in public spaces such as grocery stores, gyms, shopping malls, etc., be on the lookout for where an AED is located.Private citizens and business owners alike might also purchase AEDs for their home or business. Business owners may consider installing an AED in a prominent and publicly accessible place, and then announcing their device to Sun Prairie EMS and on Pulse Point.Participate in Pulse Point — PulsePoint is a mobile phone application that is connected to the Dane County Public Safety Communications Center. It uses GPS technology to alerts CPR-trained individuals about cardiac arrest events in public areas within close proximity, and can even tell you where the closest AED is located.Please join Sun Prairie EMS in making the community heart-safe; if you have questions, contact Sun Prairie EMS by email at EMS@cityofsunprairie.com or by phone at 608-837-3604.

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ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden is discussing problems with the 911 dispatch service after a witness to a triple shooting failed to get an answer after calling repeatedly.

There was an explanation for what happened in this case, Hayden said. The chief admitted issues with 911 but said improvements have already begun.

“We just couldn’t get through. We sat on hold,” the witness said.

FOX 2 is protecting the person’s identity as a witness to a violent crime. The witness is a St. Louis area native but now living in Chicago.

St. Louis City budget to reduce policing and increase counseling

The witness and his girlfriend were on Jefferson near Pestalozzi in south St. Louis two Friday nights ago, he said. They were driving home from a friend’s barbecue in the Benton Park neighborhood. A white Cadillac Escalade U-turned and pulled up next to him and shots fired from the other side of that vehicle, he said.

Two men and a woman were shot near the Chunky Boy Bar and Grill, according to police. The victims suffered serious injuries but survived.

“(The suspects) just started firing off shots. It sounded like four or five. So we ducked our heads,” the witness said.

The first call to 911 went unanswered for five to 10 minutes he said. They tried calling the police non-emergency number and waited another five to 10 minutes before giving up.

After crossing into Illinois, they tried again.

“We just dialed 911 again, got through, told them what happened. They transferred us back to St. Louis (911). We sat on hold for another 10-15 minutes,” he said.

No one ever picked up.

St. Louis City upgrades system to help with 911 calls

“What I want the public to know is that officers were there (at the shooting scene) within in two to four minutes,” Hayden said. “That is certainly well within industry standards on priority one calls.”

Sixteen people called simultaneously to report the shootings, he said. Still, the chief acknowledged shortfalls in 911 service.

Hayden said people should stay on the line until their call is answered. Hanging up and trying again only extends the wait because your place is lost in the system.

Twenty-three of the department’s 97 (nearly 25%) of 911 dispatch positions are vacant.

Improvements are underway, Hayden said.

Newly-installed computer software now allows the system to quickly differentiate “priority” calls; 15 of the vacancies would soon be filled; Interim Public Safety Director (and former police chief) Dan Isom is also enlisting the help of fire department dispatchers, Hayden said.

“They’re going to be filling in some of those gaps until we get caught up. I’m very optimistic that some of the concerns about 911 will dissipating over the next several weeks,” he said.

New Illinois 911 system to include text messaging and videos

The witness to that triple shooting was glad to hear it but two things stuck with him: three days passed before he reached police as a witness to a violent crime. Also on his mind, what if he or his girlfriend had been shot?

“Would the other one just keep trying to call and trying to stop the bleeding?” he said. “St. Louis is home for me. I eventually want to move back. (This) does make it feel like the city isn’t the best place to go to.”

Police are reviewing surveillance footage in the search for suspects but have made no arrests as of Wednesday.

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