Kansas Woman Died in Apartment Fire; Her Family Blames 911 Dispatch Center’s Mistakes

Published on December 2, 2023

WICHITA, Kan.—The family of a 22-year-old woman who died in an apartment fire in Kansas’ largest city after mistakes by the 911 dispatch center believes the center has “systemic issues,” and the local firefighters union is calling for an independent investigation. Paoly Bedeski’s family in Wichita issued a statement Thursday, The Wichita Eagle reported. It was the family’s first since the fatal fire and it came two days after the city firefighters union held a news conference to detail “significant and devastating” errors by the dispatch center in Sedgwick County, where the city is located. The dispatch center failed to relay the number of Bedeski’s third-floor apartment to firefighters and waited 17 minutes to sound a second alarm to bring more crews to the scene. Bedeski called 911 just before 4 a.m. on Oct. 13 to report her apartment was on fire....