By Tony Plohetski
The Austin American-Statesman
Copyright 2007
All Rights Reserved
AUSTIN — Austin Fire Chief J.J. Adame on Friday issued a written reprimand to a 911 dispatcher for not sending firefighters to a call about smoke at a popular barbecue restaurant that was destroyed by fire.
Adame also placed dispatcher Eric Mackey on a performance improvement plan for at least 60 days.
Supervisor Lt. James Glenn, who Adame said did not immediately tell department leaders about the incident, also received a written reprimand, Adame said. Mackey and Glenn declined to comment Friday.
Fire officials have said that Mackey received a call at 1:45 a.m. Jan. 18 about smoke at Bert’s Bar-B-Q near the University of Texas and asked the caller a couple of questions about the color and odor of the smoke.
Mackey told the caller that the smoke probably was from the restaurant’s barbecue pit and that the owners may “cook their brisket at night,” according to an audiotape recording of the conversation.
He did not send firefighters.
About 45 minutes later, other callers began calling 911 about heavy smoke pouring from the building.
Investigators later determined that an electrical malfunction started the fire that engulfed the building. The restaurant was a total loss.
Adame said he reprimanded Mackey, who will perform administrative duties in the department’s communications division while he is on the improvement plan, because “he understood that he made a mistake in his decision. He realized that.”
Adame said an investigation showed Mackey told Glenn he had not sent crews to investigate the first 911 call, but that Glenn did not tell higher-ranking supervisors before he got off duty that day.
The written reprimands were the first Adame has issued this year; last year, the department issued fewer than five, officials said.
Bert’s co-owner Gary Johnson also declined to comment other than to say, “We just think it is a bad situation that would have been made worse had he (Mackey) been fired.”
Adame said Friday that the department is also renewing efforts to prevent future incidents.
The department previously has not had written protocols for dispatchers and gave them discretion about whether to send fire engines when they get reports about smoke or strange odors, officials have said.
Adame said communications supervisors will review at least 10 calls to 911 each week to make sure dispatchers are properly asking callers questions about their emergencies. Dispatchers also will be monitored each quarter, he said.
Adame also has required that dispatchers take courses from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch during the next year.
“We feel confident that the procedures that we are putting in place will further strengthen their responsibility,” he said. “The citizens of this city need to know they are very professional and they go about their job every day doing the best job that they can.”