Mayor de Blasio not shutting down city’s 911 system

Joe Marino/New York Daily News Mayor de Blasio is not shutting down the city’s troubled 911 system despite increased criticism. Pictured are Anne Roest, left, from the city’s Department of Information Technology along with NYPD Chief of Communications, Richard Napolitano, right, testifying before the New York City Council’s Committee on Public Safety on the City’s beleaguered 911 Unified Call System on Friday.

Mayor de Blasio, despite increased criticism from elected officials and union leaders, won’t hang up for good on the city’s problematic 911 system.

The process of handling emergency calls will remain unchanged through the summer as city officials re-examine the Unified Call Taker project, the mayor said Friday.

“The more we see, the more we want to dig deeper,” de Blasio said.

FDNY unions and City Council member Elizabeth Crowley ripped the flawed system and demanded immediate changes — including the automatic dispatch of an ambulance to 911 calls.

The current ambulance response time of more than nine minutes is “unacceptable,” she said.

Joe Marino/New York Daily News FDNY unions and City Council member Elizabeth Crowley ripped the flawed system and demanded immediate changes — including the automatic dispatch of an ambulance to 911 calls.

“I believe the protocol as to responding to a fire emergency should change,” Crowley said.

Earlier this month, the mayor called a halt to the city’s failed overhaul attempt on its troubled 911 system. The project, slated for completion in 2008, is also nearly $ 1 billion over budget.

While some cheered de Blasio for those actions, he was urged Friday to do even more.

clestch@nydailynews.com

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