Emergency Dispatcher Not The First To Be Fired Over 4-Minute Delay

An emergency dispatcher in Licking County, Ohio, is battling to get his job back after being fired in December over a four-minute delay in alerting firefighters to a burning home. Matt Wheeler did send firefighters to the home where a man was trapped inside, but apparently not fast enough for his employer, reports TV station WBNS in central Ohio.

It's stressful being on either side of a 911 call. Emergency dispatchers can't afford a five-minute daydream. A careless keystroke or a mental blip can end a person's life. While that didn't happen in this case, Wheeler already had three suspensions and two reprimands over his five-year career, so Licking County officials decided to fire him. His union, The Communications Workers of America, has filed a grievance on his behalf.