Photo by Eric Purcell

A debate over ambulance staffing levels in the District’s Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services is being reinvigorated following an incident earlier this week in which a Metropolitan Police Department officer was struck by a car and had to wait for an ambulance from a neighboring jurisdiction as no D.C. ambulances were available.

The officer, who is expected to survive, was injured Tuesday about 6:30 p.m. near A and 46th streets SE. The Washington Post reports that while a paramedic arrived on a city fire engine eight minutes after the incident, but it was ultimately a Prince George’s County ambulance that ferried the officer to a hospital when no city ambulances were able to respond. The Prince George’s ambulance arrived at least 15 minutes after the MPD officer was struck.

Now, the heads of the unions representing both police officers and firefighters are incensed, the Post reports:

“It’s unacceptable, especially when one of our brothers in blue is injured,” said Edward Smith, president of the D.C. firefighters Local 36.

Kristopher Baumann, the president of the D.C. police union, said that it was “inexcusable that a D.C. ambulance was not available,” and he demanded that the fire chief, Kenneth B. Ellerbe, be held accountable.

Members of the firefighters’ union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36, have been agitated with D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe for quite some time over what they say are too many department positions remaining unfilled, especially for emergency medical technicians. Last month, Smith told DCist that the department currently has over 200 vacancies.