November 23, 1996

Dispatcher blameless in fatal aid run

       Johnson County emergency medical personnel, summoned because a man was having a fatal heart attack, were delayed by overriding emergency radio calls from Hamilton County early this month.  But a dispatcher for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department has been absolved of blame in overriding the calls.  The death emphasizes a continuing problem of overlapping radio frequencies between the two counties.  The incident occurred on the evening of Nov. 4.  Edwin Zech, a 56 year old student, collapsed at Sevenish Martial Arts America, 1140 N. Ind 135 in Johnson County.

         Randy Sevenish, owner of the martial arts studio, said he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Zech.  Sevenish, a former officer of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and now an attorney, said he is convinced that the dispatching problem had no bearing on his student’s death.  A 911 call did go out to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, which in turn dispatched the White River Township Volunteer Fire Department.  When firefighters arrived at the martial arts school, they realized Zech had gone into a full cardiac arrest, and tried to call for an additional unit.

         Sheriff’s Department representatives from both counties agree that when the call went out, the Hamilton County dispatcher was handling his own radio traffic on the same frequency, which prevented the firefighters’ call from reaching the Johnson County dispatcher.  “You could hear Johnson County key up (to the township department) and say, ‘Repeat, you’re covered by another agency,” “said Tim Garner, director of communications for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department.  Garner said at that point it was apparent the Hamilton County dispatcher “keyed the carrier open,” which, in radio language, means he activated the microphone for a transmission, but there was none.  “Then, you hear Johnson County dispatch say, ‘Hamilton County, please stand by,’” Garner said, which in radio parlance means get off the radio.

         Garner said the tape of the transmissions reveals the Hamilton County dispatcher kept his microphone open for no more that three seconds.  Garner said Sheriff Joe Cook reviewed the radio transmission tape and cleared the dispatcher, who was not named.  Garner said the situation developed because the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department radio frequency (154.010) is the same used by seven volunteer fire departments in Johnson County.

         John Asher, communications director for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, said he also reviewed the tape of the incident.  “I don’t see how it could be intentional because the Hamilton County dispatcher was not hearing White River Township.  He was trying to answer someone in Hamilton County.”  He said transmissions on the overlapping frequency have occurred for some time, and the Johnson County Fire Chief’s Association is investigating a new system, estimated to cost $4.5 million, that will resolve the problem.  (Reprinted with permission from the Indianapolis Star)

  

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