Dispatcher gets a 2nd chance

PROVO — Fifteen months after the death of Scott Aston, one of the two dispatchers who made mistakes when Aston called 911 is off probation and has been promoted.

The woman did not speak with Aston when he called 911 from his Provo apartment, but she downplayed the seriousness of his condition when she dispatched emergency crews.

The reserve dispatcher who took the call, a male, was fired after a review showed that he made more than a half-dozen errors, including failure to follow a policy that would have cleared up confusion about Aston's address.

Paramedics couldn't find Aston's location, and he died on Oct. 1, 2004. His body was found four days later. Neither the cause nor time of death could be determined at autopsy.

Aston's call could not be traced because it was placed from a cell phone. Provo Mayor Lewis Billings announced earlier this week the city expects by April to have new equipment in the dispatch center that will trace cell calls to within 300 meters.

The female dispatcher told paramedics, "30-year-old male is on the phone, conscious and breathing. He is complaining he can't breathe. He seems to be breathing fine on the phone. He's also advising that he's dying and that he's home alone."

She was suspended without pay for one week for violating a policy against speculation during a call.

Aston's family called for her to be fired. Aston's sister, Carol Davis, said Friday that while the promotion bothers her, she is glad someone is getting a second chance.

"I don't like it, but it doesn't make sense to hold a grudge," Davis said. "And I don't know if we hadn't gone through what we did that Provo would have made all the changes it has."

Provo spokeswoman Raylene Ireland said the female dispatcher was promoted to senior dispatcher on Jan. 15 and given a 5 percent pay raise based on her performance while on corrective action, or probation.

"The city made the decision to keep that young woman and give her an opportunity to redeem herself," Ireland said. "She acknowledged she made a serious mistake and she applied herself to overcoming those issues and demonstrated over a 15-month period a consistently high level of responsibility to her duties as a dispatcher."

Ireland said the woman will have no supervisory authority.