SAN ANTONIO-- There's a battle brewing between the San Antonio Firefighters Association and the city over the recently implemented emergency dispatch system. Union officials say the system isn't working and has sent firefighters to opposite sides of town for emergency calls. They believe this is posing a risk to citizens.
San Antonio Firefighters Association President Christopher Steele said, "They're trying to determine who are the nearest crews for the emergency call and it's not picking up the nearest person.”
City fire officials disagree and say the numbers prove the system is effective and improving response times.
Vance Meade, Assistant Chief of Information Services said, “It has been working overall very well for us. Our travel times have gone down. We are able to locate the units better than before.”
The union is asking the city council to get an outside group to do an analysis on the system.