An explanation, please.

Byline: The Register-Guard

More often than not, all it takes is a simple, candid explanation to clear the air. Yet often - far too often in the city of Eugene - a reluctance to provide explanations creates unnecessary problems and confusion.

On Aug. 19, a fast-moving fire destroyed a two-story Harlow Road area home as frustrated neighbors watched and waited eight minutes for fire crews to respond. When the first engine finally arrived, too late to save the home from destruction, it turned out to have been dispatched from downtown Eugene, 3.5 miles and eight minutes away. A Spring- field station is located just 1.4 miles and four minutes away from the burning house.

Four minutes can make a world of difference. A rule of thumb is that fires can double in size every min- ute. Even a single minute's delay can be critical.

Thankfully, no lives were lost in the Harlow area fire, though neighbors were fearful someone might have been still inside (thankfully, no one risked going inside to find out). The back of the house was destroyed, as were most of the owner's possessions.

It's obvious that the dispatcher who took this call made a monster mistake. Fire officials say a computer program recommended that an engine be dispatched from the nearby Springfield Gateway Station on Game Farm Road South, near Harlow Road. The engine was available, and mutual-aid responses are routine between the cities. Yet the dispatcher for some reason ignored the computer's direction.

Eugene officials admit that a mistake was made and say 911 center supervisors have taken steps to prevent a recurrence. This admission is a positive first step, but officials have refused to take an essential second by publicly explaining why the mistake was made and what specific steps have been taken to ensure it will not happen again.

"It's an anomaly," explains Eugene Deputy Fire Chief Randy Groves. Well, "anomaly" is a description - and not a very good one at that. It's not an explanation. It's also not a sufficient assurance that Harlow area homes will not be vul- nerable to similar screw-ups in the future.

Officials justify their silence on grounds that it's a confidential personnel matter. They're partly right. The dispatcher's name and any discipline he or she might have received are valid personnel matters that the city would be unwise to release. But a detailed explanation of how the mistake was made - and of how officials are making certain it won't happen again - are not personnel matters.

Here's what city officials should do: If 911 center officials haven't done so already, they should complete a detailed report on the incident and on every remedial step that's been taken. Then they should take a thick black pen and cross out the name of the dispatcher and any specific disciplinary actions that were taken. Then they should make the report public - and there, presto, the city will have provided its residents with the explanation they want and deserve.

Eugene officials have used the "confidential personnel matters" dodge in the past to avoid releasing potentially embarrassing information to the public. They should have learned by now that the failure to provide adequate explanations utterly fails the accountability test. It also creates an information void that often is filled with rumor and spec- ulation.

In the case of the Harlow Road fire, some have speculated that the mistake stemmed from an earlier dispute involving mutual responses by Eugene and Springfield emergency medical crews. By all accounts, that's incorrect - the ambulance boundary dispute has been resolved. But Eugene officials have opened the door to such speculation by failing to provide an adequate explanation of the bungled dispatch.

Clearly, a dispatcher fumbled the ball. Such mistakes happen, and no one is interested in seeing a city employee publicly crucified for what probably amounts to simple human error. But City Manager Dennis Taylor and the City Council should make certain that city residents understand exactly what happened in the 911 center on the afternoon of Aug. 19 - and why they should be confident that it won't happen again.