ST. CROIX, VI – Following media reports published territorially over the weekend, Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) Director launched an internal investigation into calls received in the 9-1-1 Emergency Call Centers.
It has been determined that the 9-1-1 Call Centers were fully operational and there were no outages or failures. It was further determined that incoming calls were recorded and dispatched on Wednesday, August 29, 2018, between the hours of 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
The calls placed by Mr. Sprauve were not received or recorded in the 9-1-1 Emergency Call Centers. To further VITEMA’s investigation, contact was made with the telephone service provider; we were informed that they too are conducting internal investigations into this matter.
VITEMA’s 9-1-1 Emergency Communication Centers located on St. Croix and St. Thomas currently operate 24- hours per day, providing critical First Responder assistance to the United States Virgin Islands. The Agency utilizes an automatic call transfer system to route 9-1-1 calls between islands seamlessly when there are outages, or spikes in incoming calls.
“I personally would like to extend condolences and prayers to the family and loved ones of Mr. Liston Sprauve; our First Responder community has lost a beacon,” said the VITEMA Director. “VITEMA’s mission is to save lives and protect property. Our personnel within the 9-1-1 Call Centers are dedicated, committed and will continue to provide critical support during emergencies, when our residents and visitors need them most.”