Two D.C. emergency medical technician firefighters were reassigned for failing to diagnose a gunshot wound to a patient they had treated and transported to a hospital Saturday night, D.C. Fire and Emergency Services officials said.
Timothy Wilson, an agency spokesman, confirmed that two employees were reassigned to duties away from patient care following a preliminary investigation into an incident this weekend.
The reassignments were reported initially by Fox 5.
In the incident on Saturday night, multiple fire department units responded to the 200 block of L Street SW for the report of a shooting at about 10 p.m., authorities said. Two EMT firefighters located one person with a gunshot wound and transported that patient. However, they also found and examined a second patient whom they believed was high on PCP, and took that patient to the hospital. Hospital staff treating the second patient detected at least one gunshot wound.
“Our initial investigation has determined that the patient exam conducted by our personnel was not sufficient. The members have been reassigned for additional training,” Wilson said in a released statement.