Md. furlough plan reversed after man's death

Three days after a medic unit was out of service down the street from a cardiac arrest call, the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department has again changed its furlough policy. A revised directive issued today by Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. clearly states, "There will be no Medic Unit that will be placed out of service as a result of furloughs".

On Monday evening, STATter 911 first told you about a cardiac arrest call that occurred in Largo, MD earlier in the day. Medic 846 is stationed a little more than a mile from the home of 74-year-old Lawrence Waller. When Waller's wife, Tennie, called 911 because her husband was having trouble breathing, Medic 846 was unavailable due to the crew being on eight-hours of furlough leave without pay.