Rejecting the Status Quo

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 09/30/2015 01:29 PM EDT
September 2015 Banner

September 30, 2015 | Volume 1, Issue 34

Dear Washingtonians,

Over the past four years, the District’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) department has experienced a significant increase in annual calls.  Between August 2011 and August 2015, calls increased by nearly 28%.  In September of 2015 alone, we average 500 or more EMS calls every single day.

This increasing call volume, coupled with a lack of investment in training and equipment over the years, has strained EMS response and quality of care.  So we have a plan to change that. 

Under the new leadership of FEMS Chief Gregory Dean, we will implement the following reforms:

  • Overhaul training for emergency medical responders
  • Improve processes
  • And enhance communications, so that the right resources are dispatched on every call

We will achieve this by enabling FEMS to work with third-party providers to respond to lower priority, non-time-sensitive calls. We will also invest $8 million in buying and/or refurbishing our ambulance fleet in the coming year.

Once we have third parties in place, FEMS can better train our providers, improve our current fleet, and improve our dispatch and deployment.  This proven model has worked for cities like Richmond and Seattle, and I am confident it will work for the District of Columbia.  My team has looked at all the options, and this is the best way to improve quality of care right now. 

I am calling on the DC Council to pass this emergency legislation immediately – because our community deserves a world-class emergency response system. As always, I want to thank you for your support. With your help, the District is becoming safer and stronger.

Sincerely,

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Muriel Bowser

Mayor

Shaw Main Streets Opening 


This morning, I attended the opening of six new businesses in the Shaw Main Streets area. They are: Rito Loco, Calabash Tea & Tonic, Petco Unleashed, Piassa Ethiopian, Cher Cher Ethiopian Restaurant, and Shaw Yoga. My goal is to provide our residents with a variety of retail options as well as make sure businesses have the resources they need to succeed in the District.

500 for 500

Recruiting 500 Mentors

On Monday, I joined leaders from Howard University and DC Public Schools to recruit mentors for our Empowering Males of Color 500 for 500: Mentoring Through Literacy program. This initiative is designed to engage 500 volunteers as mentors for 500 male students of color to help them build strong literacy skills, gain confidence, and discover a passion for reading. Having a mentor is one way to ensure these young men will become successful in all of their future endeavors as they begin to make their own pathways to the middle class.  If you’re interested in making a difference in our community and changing a young person’s life, please visit dcps.dc.gov/emoc.  

Taking on Climate Change 

I am pleased to report that the District of Columbia has met all of the planning and reporting requirements of the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials that have banded together to combat climate change.  DC is leading the nation in sustainability and green energy practices, and we are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2032 and 80 percent by 2050.  To learn more about what this announcement means for our city, read the entire announcement here.

#IAmMBSYEP Spotlight: Antonisha Brown, Office Assistant, Family Life Center Foundation

This week’s #IAmMBSYEP Spotlight is Antonisha Brown, a 23-year-old, Ward 7 resident and graduate of McKinley Technology High School.  Antonisha is a recent graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. 

This summer, she interned as an office assistant for the Family Life Center Foundation. When asked how MBSYEP helped her start a career, she replied, 

“SYEP provided me with the opportunity to build up my resume with a new experience and new skills. I was also able to make new connections and lasting impressions, which led me to a full time position.” 

Antonisha is now employed as an office assistant for the Family Life Center Foundation. I am proud MBSYEP was able to assist her in taking this important step on her pathway to the middle class.