After Kyle Plush's death, 911 center to hire more staff

Kyle Plush's pleas to 911 for help didn't save his life, but city officials are vowing to do everything they can to make sure the 911 center has all the resources it needs going forward.

Nearly two weeks after Kyle died trapped in the back of his van, city officials gathered at the center Monday to show the media and council members how it works and unveil changes.

"There will be additional resources to get moving on the urgency of this issue," Mayor John Cranley said.

 Among the changes:

• The city will move immediately to hire 11 additional staff, including technology experts, supervisors and trainers. After that, there is approval to hire more than the certified complement to account for attrition due to stress, which is typical in all 911 centers.
• Additional city technology – like information from automatic license plate readers attached to police cruisers – will be integrated into the system.
• Quality-of-life issues for the dispatchers will be addressed, like new chairs and a refreshed breakroom.

Some new details about the day Kyle died also came to light during Monday's visit to the Emergency Communications Center:

• The 911 center was fully staffed on April 10.
• The quality of calls has been "different" since the city changed to a new provider in December, said Jenny King, a computer systems analyst. She said recordings released to the media are more clear than what call takers actually hear.

City Council will discuss recommended changes to the 911 system at a special committee meeting at 3:45 Tuesday afternoon.

Kyle died April 10 after becoming trapped in his Honda Odyssey outside Seven Hills School after school ended for the day. The 16-year-old Anderson Township boy twice called 911, but help never arrived.

He suffocated, trapped under a seat.

Supervisors in the 911 center found that mistakes were made, reports show. Cincinnati City Council held a five-hour hearing April 17, during which years of problems at the 911 center were outlined. One the biggest problems: chronic staffing issues.

"We're always striving for perfection even though sometimes we fall short," said Capt. Jim Gramke, who is in charge of the 911 center. "They're giving me what I need in the short term and we're working on what we need long term."

There have also been questions about the police response to the 911 calls.

More coverage: 

Mayor Cranley and City Council say they're surprised by 911 problems. They shouldn't be.

'A recipe for disaster:' Warnings about Cincinnati's 911 system before Kyle Plush's death

Here's how seat flipped in Honda Odyssey like that used by Seven Hills teen