A delayed response to a Feb. 1 house fire has ignited controversy in Des Plaines, where the director of the emergency communications center is calling for the dismissal of a dispatcher.
The Des Plaines/Park Ridge Emergency Communications Center Director Sherrille Ornberg is seeking the dismissal of dispatcher Debra Vallas, citing alleged inaction and confusion. The case was discussed Monday night by the Des Plaines Civil Service Commission. Vallas has been suspended without pay for 30 days.
The residents, an elderly couple and their son, were not injured as a result of the blaze at the single-family house on the 800 block Merrill Avenue in Park Ridge. But damage to the roof and attic was more extensive because of the 10-minute delay, the complaint alleges.
The normal response time to a fire is two to three minutes, city officials said. A fire’s intensity can double every minute, according to a member of the Park Ridge Fire Department.
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