From the Houston Chronicle: Houston Fire Department officials estimate that vehicles sent by dispatchers in nearly 2,000 emergency medical calls since August didn't have sufficient equipment or personnel, requiring them to upgrade the call by sending an ambulance equipped for advanced life support treatment.

The disclosure about the calls comes on the heels of Fire Chief Terry Garrison recently revising his dispatch policy by allowing firefighters on an emergency run to request an advanced ambulance before reaching the scene.

Garrison changed Houston's long-standing dispatch policy Aug. 1, requiring fire engines, ladder trucks and basic ambulance crews sent on low-priority emergency calls to reach the scene to assess a patient before calling for an ambulance with advanced life support.

The new policy came under criticism after the Oct. 21 death of 4-year-old Rebecca Woodruff, who was accidentally run over in the driveway of her Kingwood home by her mother who called 911 and pleaded for an ambulance. A fire truck arrived first and an ambulance arrived soon after, prompting criticism by the family and a City Council member. Read the entire article here.