911 calls under review in Montgomery County

Emergency crews were delayed in arriving on scene in two separate incidents

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – The Montgomery County Emergency Communication District is looking into two separate incidents on Wednesday, where emergency crews were delayed in arriving on scene.

"These incidents are under review. I have not been able to determine yet if the calls went to the proper places in a timely manner, but these two incidents
don't appear to be related," said Chip Van Steenberg, Executive Director, MCECD.

The delays happened on opposite sides of Montgomery County. In one incident, a man who recognized a robbery suspect he had seen on the news and was in fear of being robbed himself, called 911 from his cell phone in the city of Montgomery.

"I was told they were en route and 20 minutes later got a return phone call saying there was officer at the house and there was no officer at my house," said the man, who asked not to be identified.

That 911 caller said he later learned officers were dispatched to the wrong house in the wrong city, specifically Conroe.

Also on Wednesday, a father and son in New Caney were burned in a flash fire at their auto repair business. A family member claimed it took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive after the initial 911 call via land line.

By that time, one of victims had been transported by private car to an area hospital because the family decided they could not wait any longer.

It is not yet clear where the calls where routed both before and after they were handled by MCECD, Van Steenberg said.