Dispatcher's response under scrutiny in fatal Ocean Isle Beach blaze

Ocean Isle Beach | As the wait continues for word on the cause of the fatal fire in Ocean Isle Beach, county emergency management officials are dealing with controversy over the handling of the first 911 call alerting officials to the deadly blaze Sunday morning.

Tom Rogers, deputy director for Brunswick County Emergency Services, said the 911 dispatcher has received public criticism for the questions she asked the caller, but he said he doesn't think those questions delayed the emergency response.

The dispatcher alerted the Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department 32 seconds after the call began, while she was still speaking with the caller, he said.

The fire at a canal-front residence at 1 Scotland St. killed six students from the University of South Carolina and one from Clemson University and injured another six.

In the first call, which was received 50 seconds after 7 a.m., the dispatcher asks several times for the caller to tell her the exact address of the fire and says she isn't familiar with the area.

When the caller tells the dispatcher that Scotland Street is on Ocean Isle Beach, she responds, "No, wait a minute. I need something better than that. I'm not familiar with the area."

After the caller finds out the address, 1 Scotland St., he tells the dispatcher, who then asks the caller if anyone else there can tell her the address.

The caller says, "They're trapped in the house, lady!"

Rogers wouldn't give out the dispatcher's name, but confirmed she received the first phone call and three or four other phone calls relating to the fire.

"I think there's been a lot of emphasis put on this call," Rogers said, adding that he hasn't heard criticism about the way any of the other calls were handled that morning.

The 911 dispatcher signaled the Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department at 22 seconds after 7:01 a.m., while still on the phone with the caller, according to data from the county's 911 center.

Within two minutes, 19 more phone calls came in. The Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department arrived on the scene 37 seconds after 7:07 a.m.

Rogers said he has not had time to fully analyze the phone call but does not believe the dispatcher did or said anything improper.

"I'm not seeing major issues at this time," he said. "I'm not seeing any delay in dispatch."

Rogers said most people don't understand the process used by 911 dispatchers when they receive phone calls.

"We always try to verify an address," he said. "That's one of the very first things she identified."

Rogers said that although the dispatcher seemed unsure of the location, data in the 911 center's computers was compiled within three seconds of the dispatcher answering the phone call.

At the scene of the fire, meanwhile, a chain-link fence has been erected around the front perimeter of the house to secure the charred ruins.

A sign declaring the structure unsafe is now posted near the home's unscorched ground-level front door, which leads to stairs that went up to two living levels above.

The fence bears a placard for The Warren Group, a consulting firm that provides safety consulting, explosion and fire-cause investigation services to insurance and legal professions, government agencies and industry, according to its Web site.

Laura Murphy, an employee who answered the telephone at corporate headquarters in Irmo, S.C., said Wednesday that the company does not release details of ongoing investigations because of client confidentiality.

Local officials expect to have a summary report on the fatal fire from the State Bureau of Investigation in hand Friday, Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith said.

Smith and Town Administrator Daisy Ivey have met with police and fire personnel for a preliminary review of the emergency response to the fire.

"I think everybody should be commended on the response times and what they did," Smith said.

Shannan Bowen: 755-6307

shannan.bowen@starnewsonline.com