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A Detroit Fire Department EMT is in hot water after refusing to respond to an emergency call, which left a baby dead.

Veteran medic Ann Marie Thomas was only minutes away from the home of an infant in cardiac arrest when she told her supervisor she would not go to the scene because she didn’t want to perform CPR.

According to an investigative report, Thomas “refused to respond to a call for service for a baby not breathing for no reason other than not wanting to perform CPR for an extended period of time.”

The 8-month-old child was revived, but died later, according to EMS1.

Thomas was in her quick response SUV less than a mile away from the scene of the emergency when she got the call ordering her to respond. Although just around the corner from the 8-month-old’s location — 0.9 miles away — Thomas took six minutes to report to the scene. The drive should take two minutes at normal speed, according to WDIV.

The emergency room responder shocked dispatchers after taking three times longer to arrive than expected and then parking her unit a street away.

An EMS supervisor is heard in the dispatch audio ordering Thomas to get to the house, telling her, “You’re going to have to make patient contact.”

According to the investigation report, Thomas, the lead paramedic on Romeo 33, told her boss, “I’m not about to be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR, you know how these families get.”

Dispatch continued to update Thomas and an ambulance, Medic 51, was also dispatched.

911: “Uh, Romeo 33? Updated information that the child is not breathing. The baby was hooked up to an oxygen machine because it was premature. Romeo 33?”

Reports say that even with that information, Thomas and her partner did not move.

911: “Romeo 33, Medic 51, be advised CPR is being performed on your scene. Romeo 33, Medic 51. CPR is being performed by the baby’s mother.”

The child was eventually transported to the hospital by the ambulance. She was revived, but died the next morning.

People are now questioning how the EMT was able to keep her job.

Two internal investigations of the incident were just recently wrapped up Thomas has been punished, but has yet to be fired, according to WDIV.

Executive Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins commented: “EMT Thomas was immediately removed from duty following this incident. She has since filed an appeal. As executive fire commissioner, I have the ability to make the ultimate determination.”

Source: Opposing Views