NEW ORLEANS — The interim director of Orleans Parish’s 911 call center and system said his group is ready to continue its duties in the wake of the resignation of the prior executive director, Tyrell Morris, last week.
Karl Fasold said that he wasn’t seeking this position but that he has nearly two decades of experience in the office, helping run it through several hurricanes.
Fasold said he doesn’t think the center has any major issues despite some investigative reports on WWL-TV that have detailed problems with some urgent calls.
“I don’t believe we’ve lost the public confidence,” he said. “They’re still calling us on 911 and I realize that there is no alternative. Tyrell Morris is a human being like everyone else. It appears he made some poor personal choices. That doesn’t affect anyone here.”
Fasold said the 911 call center has met the national standard for answering response times in recent months. He said the standard is to have 90 percent or more of calls answered within 15 seconds or less.
Fasold said that there are staffing issues but that they are unique to New Orleans.
“There’s a national staffing crisis in 911,” he said. “Sometimes we have to call people in on overtime.”
Among the problems detailed by David Hammer in a series of investigative reports include:
This year alone:
-- A driver of a Corvette died after 911 dispatched a horrific pre-dawn crash as a simple power pole fire.
-- A 15-year-old died from a gunshot wound after a 911 operator transposed numbers and sent first responders to an address miles away.
-- Another serious-injury wreck was reported by 911 dispatchers as a minor crash.
-- A fire at the Esplanade at City Park apartments was never dispatched by 911. Entergy crews had to respond and put out the fire themselves.
-- A shooting victim who didn’t speak English called 911 and said he had been shot, but an interpreter used by the agency falsely said the caller was faking it.
Fasold said that he expects that if there are problems, they will fix them.