Committee Report on Emergency Medical Services Clarification Amendment Act of 2026 

Today, the District of Columbia has the best opportunity to improve its disastrous 911 center than at any other time during the 12 years of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s leadership. The only role Mayor Bowser has in creating this pivotal moment is her decision not to run for reelection.

Two things are converging that finally bring some hope for DC911. The first is that improving 911 is an issue Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George ran on. Unlike the current mayor, Lewis George has long recognized the agency’s problems, has spoken with knowledge about its needs, and has committed to making the necessary changes. She was elected a week ago and takes over in January.

The second thing is more immediate. Today, the DC Council votes on a bill that could help start a path toward 911 reform. If approved, it would give the Medical Director of the DC Fire & EMS Department final say on all EMS aspects of the Office of Unified Communications. This would put much-needed quality assurance and supervision over EMS call-taking and dispatching where it belongs.

Lewis George, as a council member, is one of the co-sponsors of the bill. She joins Brooke Pinto and Anita Bonds. While at times I’ve been a critic, this time I give great credit to Committee chair Pinto and staff for doing the heavy lifting. They continually sought input from many of the people who spoke passionately about the bill at a March hearing, including former DC Fire & EMS Medical Director Dr. Robert P. Holman, former DC Fire & EMS Chief of Staff Amy Mauro, IAFF Local 36 President David Hoagland, and even me.

It’s probably no surprise to regular readers that OUC Director Heather McGaffin and the Bowser administration oppose this bill. They’ve long opposed any suggestion that OUC is falling short or can’t handle the job.

Here’s the most baffling part of all. One of the truly great achievements during the three terms of the Bowser administration is the transformation of EMS in the nation’s capital. I’ve watched this system closely over the decades and remember when it was an agency constantly in crisis – a far cry from what it is today. The change is remarkable.

Mayor Bowser should take pride in this work and in the leadership of the fire chiefs, medical directors, paramedics, firefighters, and EMTs who have completely reshaped pre-hospital care in the District of Columbia.

It’s this commitment to saving lives that makes Bowser’s blind support of DC911’s daily malpractice so baffling. EMS can’t be all it can be without a well-run and effective 911 center. That’s a fact known by EMS and 911 professionals. Dr. Holman – an architect of the EMS transformation – told the DC Council during the hearing about the current bill, “EMS in the District of Columbia can never be its best without a highly functioning 911 center.”

Here’s hoping the DC Council sees today’s vote as an opportunity to further improve EMS and finally begin to stop the bleeding at DC911.