City officials are exploring whether EMS workers should be disciplined in the case of a Hazelwood man who died in his home despite repeated calls to 911 during this month's crippling snowstorm.

As part of the probe, Public Safety Director Michael Huss said he is reviewing calls to and from Allegheny County's 911 center during the 30 hours that Curtis Mitchell, 50, and his longtime girlfriend waited for help to arrive.

The couple called 911 10 times starting early Saturday, Feb. 6, but impassable roads, poor communication and a high number of calls meant an ambulance did not arrive until the morning of Feb. 7, after Mr. Mitchell had died.

City leaders apologized and pledged immediate changes on Tuesday, but "that did not by any means conclude any administrative action we're going to take," Mr. Huss said Wednesday. "We have a lot that we need to look at before employee discipline. ... We're going to go where the investigation takes us."

The state Department of Health confirmed it is also investigating at the city's request.

"We want to see where the system failed," said Joseph Schmider, director of the state's EMS bureau. "How did this gentleman not get to the hospital?"

Ambulances were dispatched three times on Feb. 6 to the house in the 5100 block of narrow Chaplain Way, but couldn't get there because of the snow. Communication problems meant that each call was seen as a separate request for help, so dispatchers did not know details from the previous calls that were placed.

The first two calls for ambulances were graded E-2, or less pressing, because Mr. Mitchell told call-takers he was suffering from stomach pains, a symptom deemed not life-threatening. The third call was an E-1, because he was short of breath, and the fourth call was an E-0 -- the highest priority -- because he was no longer breathing.

The city on Wednesday began dispatching firefighters as first responders on medical calls of the two highest severity levels and on calls of the third highest severity that remain unanswered for 30 minutes or more.

By lunchtime Wednesday, firefighters had been to more than 20 E-1 calls, and the plan was meeting its objective "to get someone there quickly," Mr. Huss said.

Paramedics twice asked whether Mr. Mitchell could walk to an intersection, even after he told them he could not because he was in too much pain.

Mr. Huss said they should have walked to Mr. Mitchell's home to retrieve him. "It's that simple," he said.

Anthony Weinmann, president of the paramedics union local, said his colleagues worked long hours without breaks during the snowstorm.

"I believe there was a communication issue on this call," he said. "Our guys are dedicated. That's why they're in this profession."

The cause of Mr. Mitchell's death is pending.

"I don't want anybody to go through what I went though," said Sharon Edge, Mr. Mitchell's girlfriend. "I literally had to sit here and watch him pass away."

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