HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Another Broward County resident claims to have dialed 911 and received no answer when they made the call just less than one week ago.
It was Saturday, Dec. 17 when Mary Raynor was helping an 87-year-old friend out of her SUV and that friend began having a stroke.
Raynor dialed 911 and it continuously rang with no one ever picking up.
She has now filed a formal complaint with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
“I even looked at my phone to make sure I was calling 911, in a panic or whatever. You wanna make sure you are calling the right 911, and I was,” Raynor told Local 10 News Investigative Reporter Jeff Weinsier.
Raynor said she looked down because no one was answering.
Here is the call log from her cell on Dec.17:
5:14 p.m.
5:17 p.m.
5:19 p.m.
This is all while she was watching her 87-year-old friend Daniel having a stroke before her eyes.
“I called 911 three times, let it ring 30 to 40 times each time, and no one answered,” said Raynor. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Raynor was inside Carriage Hills on Stirling Road when she yelled to Daniel’s stepdaughter to call an acquaintance she knows at Hollywood Fire Rescue, hoping to get paramedics to come that way.
Luckily, she had the connection and that worked, but most people don’t have the same luck.
Paramedics showed up 20 minutes later and transported him to the hospital.
“I did get a call from BSO and BSO wanted to know if I needed police to respond for an emergency. I said no, I don’t need them now,” Raynor replied.
“One unanswered call is not acceptable, it is just not,” said Broward County Mayor Lamar Fisher.
The good news is Local 10 News is doing a thorough and immediate investigation of what went on, including the technology piece, as well as the call center piece.
Regional communications 911 dispatch has been in the spotlight following a Sun Sentinel investigation that includes staffing issues and unanswered calls revealed 90 vacant positions.
The sheriff runs it, the county funds it, the finger pointing has been non-stop and caught in the middle are us residents.
“I was calling for help and they failed me. Nobody picked up the phone,” says Delroy Burgess.
Last month, Miami Gardens Police Sergeant Delroy Burgess told Local 10 News he too dialed 911 from his Hollywood home, twice, when his 65-year-old wife was having trouble breathing and no one answered. Rocklyn Burgess died.
“It is unacceptable Jeff, and it has to be solved,” Fisher told Local 10 News. “We funded the sheriff’s office the $11.4 million to fill the call center seats so we need to decipher what additionally is needed.
“How many more people call every day that don’t get an answer? That’s really the question,” said Raynor
The Sun Sentinel reported Friday that things between the sheriff and county could be heating up.
The sheriff may not sign an extension to run the call center unless the county corrects what he calls “technological deficiencies.”
The mayor says new equipment is expected in February.
Discussion on the current 911 system and operations will be discussed again at the next commission meeting on January 24th.
As far as Raynor’s complaint, BSO says it’s under review by internal affairs.
Reed is still recovering from his stroke.