By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Arguably one of the most unfortunate events occurring in the city this year was the death of 53-year-old Maria Carvalho, a dialysis patient who bled to death while waiting for an ambulance to arrive at her Gooding Street home.

Christopher Jeffrey and Sean Mooney were the two Fire Department dispatchers who handled several 911 calls on Carvalho’s behalf that night. The pair were fired not long after.
However, an investigation by the state attorney general’s office later concluded that there was no criminal negligence involved.
In the latest development, Mayor James Doyle said he recently learned through one of the dispatcher’s attorneys that the Board of Health has cleared Mooney and Jeffrey of any conduct violations, thus allowing them both to retain their active emergency medical technician licenses.
Bruce McIntyre, chief legal counsel for the Department of Health, confirmed that the DOH had concluded its investigation into the matter, determining that Mooney and Jeffrey “did not violate the standards of professional conduct.”
He said the DOH had based its conclusions on reviews of the tapes of the 911 calls as well as interviews with various individuals involved in the Carvalho matter.
While saying that this determination effectively closes the investigation of the dispatchers, McIntyre would not comment as to whether the DOH was looking into any other aspect of the case involving the city’s fire department or training procedures. “I don’t comment on things that might be pending,” McIntyre said.
Doyle, however, said he has heard rumors that the DOH, after letting the dispatchers off the hook, is now looking at whether the city is at fault.
“That doesn’t fly,” the mayor said. He expressed his displeasure at the way the DOH has handled the case from the beginning, saying representatives “came storming in the door, demanding information,” but maintains that the city has cooperated by giving the DOH all of the information that has been requested.
Doyle said the communication was accompanied by some suggested recommendations from an attorney and the firefighters union related to the two fired dispatchers, both of whom have indicated they want their jobs back.
He said he and his administration will be meeting with the parties involved sometime after the new year to discuss the matter, which could range from the city reassessing its position on the firings to a number other possibilities.
In assessing the Carvalho case overall, said he categorized it as “the perfect storm,” in the way that a series of unfortunate events contributed to the delayed response.
He listed the language barrier, confusion on the part of a neighbor, the fact that both dispatchers were rookies, and that one took over for another briefly on one of the calls, as all being factors that merit consideration.
Fire Lt. Robert Neill, president of the Pawtucket firefighter’s0 union, confirmed that Mooney and Jeffrey had been cleared by the DOH and that various recommendations had been made to the mayor’s administration regarding their future job status. He said, however, that it would be premature to comment on the specifics at this time.