Address issue on street in S. Connellsville impacting 911 response times

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SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. – The Fayette County 911 director told Channel 11 Monday that he's aware of an issue regarding the address of two homes on a South Connellsville street that has impacted emergency crews' response time.

Mary Garrity, who lives at 800 Dushane Ave., said it took emergency vehicles more than a half hour to find her home when she called for help Christmas Eve because her husband couldn’t breathe.

“I was walking in the door and he was gasping for breath,” she said. “They couldn't find us. I did CPR for 30 some minutes.”

Her 60-year-old husband had suffered a heart attack and ultimately died.

“I heard the ambulance go up past my house. I ran to the door, pat my porch. They kept on going,” said Garrity. “We need to have 911 addresses that are adequate, so they can find us.”

Council president Guy Napolillo, who is Fayette County's 911 director, told Channel 11 that first responders did not know how to get to the Garrity home that night.

Napolillo said the issue, which only impacts two homes on the gravel road, wasn’t brought to anyone’s attention until a couple months ago.

However, Garrity said the borough has known about the issue since the first time she called 911 for her husband several years ago and crews couldn’t find her home.

“We told the authorities. They said they would look it. Obviously, they didn't. Then Christmas Eve my husband died,” she said.

Napolillo told Channel 11's news partners at TribLIVE that the borough is working to try to develop a more logical numbering system for the residents along Dushane Avenue. He added houses in what should be the 200 block begin in the 300s.

Napolillo told TribLIVE that residents along the road must agree to have their house numbers changed.

WPXI