PITTSBURGH — The city intends to fire one emergency worker and suspend three others over their involvement in the death of a man who waited 30 hours for an ambulance during a powerful snowstorm last month, its public safety director said Tuesday.

The four are accused of violating a city emergency services policy to take necessary action. One of them also faces a neglect of duty violation; another faces an unbecoming conduct violation.

Radio transmissions between emergency workers in which a paramedic said they were not operating a "cab service" showed a lack of compassion, said Michael Huss, the city's public safety director.

Curtis Mitchell, 50, and his girlfriend, Sharon Edge, began calling 911 early Feb. 6 because Mitchell was having severe abdominal pain. He had a history of pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, and had hospitalized nine days in late January.

Their calls came as heavy snow was falling — so heavy it would all but bring the city to a standstill. Nearly 30 hours later — and 10 calls from the couple to 911, four 911 calls to them and at least a dozen calls between 911 and paramedics — Mitchell died at his home. Autopsy results in Mitchell's death are pending, awaiting toxicology test results.

Recordings show Mitchell or Edge canceled several calls when told the ambulance couldn't make it to his home because of the snow.

Paramedics could have called for other resources, such as a four-wheel drive or help from the fire department, Huss said.

"People will argue, 'Well, the call was canceled every time.' And the way I see it is very simple: We created that cancel. Our lack of effort created the cancel," Huss said. "We failed. We failed as a service and a department."