Paoly Bedski calls 911 as their room fills with smoke and she went unresponsive after 47 seconds. The International Association of Firefighters Local 135, or IAFF was notified, but the fact that there was a women stuck in the apartment was not apart of the notification. The call went out as an “Apartment Fire” instead of “Apartment Fire with Person Trapped,” so the EMS crew was not sent out when they should have been. There were multiple other calls with people calling for help, but the IAFF was not notified that people were trapped when the fire department arrived at the site of the fire. Firefighters find Bedski in their bathtub, unconscious and not breathing, 26 minutes after the initial call was made.
In emergency situations like this one, it is crucial to have constant communication within the work force. Without it, fatalities and disasters are much more likely to happen. While the Wichita Fire department did the best they could, they unfortunately did not save Bedski, the victim of this tragic event. It is pivotal for emergency workers to create a sense of trust within the civilians, so they have confidence that they can and will be rescued if an emergency were to occur.
