PHOENIX — Phoenix Fire Department officials say they want to find and fix issues after multiple people told ABC15 they felt like they were denied ambulance service.
ABC15 Investigators exposed the citizens' concerns beginning last summer. They said they called 911 for a medical emergency, but when firefighter-paramedics arrived, first responders would try to convince the patients to either not go to a hospital or get a ride from someone else.
Related: When to ask for an ambulance to the emergency room
Last week, ABC15 aired a Ring doorbell video from a south Phoenix woman who had COVID-19 and was experiencing shortness of breath in 2021. The video showed firefighters asking whether the woman's son could drive her to the hospital, explaining how people could spend money in better ways than paying for an ambulance, and even claiming the hospitals were shutting down.
After seeing the doorbell camera video on TV, an assistant Phoenix fire chief told ABC15 that the department would launch an investigation into that incident.
Phoenix Fire Department policy mandates that firefighter-paramedics transport anyone who requests an ambulance and do not deny the service to anyone.
Did an EMS provider refuse to take you or a loved one to the hospital in an ambulance? Email Melissa at Melissa.Blasius@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6362, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.
