My mother, Chanie, slipped down the stairs, seized, and ultimately passed away as I held on the phone with 911 awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. I called police at 12:27a.m. However, I did not receive an ambulance to my home until 12:44a.m. although we reside less than 5 minutes from a firehouse. During my research into why it took so long to get a unit to my home, I discovered that there are only 24 ambulances in Baltimore City serving the city’s 621,342 citizens. These 24 ambulances and fire engines respond to more than 270,000 emergencies annually. This is unacceptable in a city that is inundated with over 200 murders per year and I have no doubt that there are other families that have suffered similar losses but may not be aware, as I would not have been aware, if I did not request an investigation.

I ask that we as citizens demand that the city increases the number of ambulance units and fire engines that service the city to reduce the size of the area each unit must cover during a shift to allow for the maximum benefit to the citizens in a given area.