The Nassau County 911 service is taking heat for delays in answering emergency calls.

Mineola Village Mayor Jack Martins says the county has no excuse after it took an operator 52 seconds to answer a call about an elderly woman collapsing on February 8. The woman was attending a Winthrop University Hospital wellness program for seniors, and officials say by sheer luck doctors were present in the room. Officials say they kept the situation under control until an ambulance arrived 13 minutes later.

County officials say about 2,200 calls are handled by 10 to 15 operators on a daily basis, and usually they have enough personnel to manage the workload. However, they say that on a busy day emergency callers have to wait their turn.