Snafu in 911 system probed

A community activist said he was trying to get to the bottom of an apparent foul-up in the 911 emergency system that may have cost a 33-year-old Elmont man his life in a Dec. 20 fire.

Several residents who called 911 to report the blaze, at 1559 Madison St., said they were put on hold and met with a recorded message, which left them not only angry, but feeling that the system let them down.

By the time firefighters arrived, they found the victim, later identified as Douglas Kloock, dead in the bathroom of his home. An investigation revealed that the fire, which was deemed accidental, started in the kitchen and was apparently sparked by a microwave oven, officials said.

Residents said they called 911 several times when the fire erupted at around 6 p.m. but could not get through, forcing two neighbors to break down the door of the burning house in an effort to rescue Kloock themselves. They were kept at bay by the intense heat.

Pat Nicolosi, a longtime civic activist who ran unsuccessfully for an Assembly seat in November, has been seeking answers to problems with 911. Nicolosi said he was told by an Elmont fire commissioner that the county’s 911 system has only five operators taking calls, shortchanging a population of 1.38 million.

“That’s totally understaffed for a population that large,” said Nicolosi, who is a member of the Civilian Police Academy.

He said he has contacted County Executive Edward Mangano and Legislator John Ciotti (R-Elmont) in an attempt to augment the staff of 911 operators. “There are nights when nothing is happening and five operators are adequate,” Nicolosi said. “Other nights it’s not adequate. We hope nothing happens, but we can’t play games with people’s lives.”

He explained that the 911 system has been caught in the budget crunch, as has the police force patrolling the streets in recent years. He added that this was not the first time he has heard about problems with 911.

Nicolosi said that a couple of years ago, residents told him about a problem they were having getting through to the system. He addressed it with Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey, he said, and was assured “all was well.”