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The Houston Fire Department reprimanded a firefighter for misconduct after an investigation into a delayed 911 response to a case in which a mother and daughter died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The department opened the investigation in July, following reporting from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News, which revealed that first responders initially decided not to enter a Houston family’s home during the massive winter storm that hit Texas in February 2021, a decision that resulted in a couple and their two children being exposed to the lethal gas for an additional three hours.
The fire department has not disclosed details of the investigation. In a letter to the Texas attorney general fighting the release of records to the news organizations, Houston officials wrote that state law prevents the public disclosure of records dealing with misconduct of a firefighter or police officer. But the letter states that the “allegations of misconduct in this investigation were sustained and disciplinary action was taken against the firefighter.”
In an email to the news organizations, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña confirmed that the investigation found evidence of misconduct but declined to elaborate because of a potential appeal from the disciplined firefighter. Peña told the news organizations in August that he was awaiting the results of the investigation but that it appeared a fire captain in the dispatch center “failed to provide the necessary information for the people on scene to make the appropriate decision.”