DENVER -- Denver Health Medical Center is changing the wording on their city contract with the city and county of Denver after a 7News investigation questioned its ambulance response times.

Denver Health's current policy appears to violate the contract it has with the city of Denver. The contract states the clock starts from the time dispatch has an address, call-back number, and probable complaint (meaning the reason for the call).

But Denver Health said it reports response times from when an ambulance is assigned.

Denver Health’s contract said their ambulances respond 85 percent of the time under eight minutes and 59 seconds. But Denver Health paramedics said that is not accurate, since Denver Health uses a different clock start time. They said this allows them to understate their response times.

On Feb. 15, a delayed response time had a Denver mother in panic. Monica Morales awoke to find her 10 month-old daughter, Julia Barnett, not breathing.

"There is no breathing, she is blue," said Morales when she called 911. “I'm scared."

In audio recordings obtained by 7News, a fire fighter can be heard asking where his ambulance is.

"We are doing our best to get someone over there, sir," said the dispatcher.

Another dispatcher is heard calling his captain for advice.

"I've got an arrest going," said the dispatcher. "My closest ambulance, I can't get anybody, is at 64th and Washington and that is going to be Northglenn."

The Denver Fire Department arrived at Morales' apartment in 1:43 a.m. Shortly after, the police arrived.

“I am being asked a million and one questions,” said Morales. “But my baby is still here in the bedroom and paramedics still aren't here,” she said through tears, recalling the event from that day.

“It was the worst feeling in the world, having to wait,” said Morales. “I don't think I could express the pain or the worry or anything.”

Julia died at the hospital.

It took paramedics almost ten minutes to arrive. But according to how Denver Health Medical Center reports their response times, the ambulance made it to the apartment in two minutes and 31 seconds.

"It's deceptive,“ said a paramedic who asked not to be identified. “The public thinks as soon as they call 911 that ambulance is on the way, when in fact that dispatcher could be looking for up to 10 minutes for an ambulance."

"The clock doesn't start until they find a car," said the paramedic. "Sometimes in Denver you'd be better off driving yourself to the hospital. You'd get there a lot faster."

That's what Girgis Israel’s family thought about doing in May when he lay unconscious on the floor in critical condition in diabetic shock.

“It was scary,” said Nadia Israel, Girgis’ wife. “It was so scary and I didn't know what to do.”

“I was really, really upset,” she said. “I work in a medical field and this should not have taken that long at all.”

It took an ambulance almost 14 minutes to arrive at their home.

“If he would of stayed like that for a few more minutes he would have had a stroke, brain damage, or would have been dead,” said Susan Israel, Girgis' daughter.

Girgis survived and is doing well.

No one knows if Julia's outcome would have been different had paramedics responded faster, but these families agree, something has to change.

“I hope that this helps save a life in the future,” said Morales.

Paramedics and fire fighters blame the management for these response times. They said the Emergency Management System is set up for failure with a lack of staffing and inadequate number of ambulances on the street.

Following a series of 7News investigations, the Denver City Council and the city auditor wanted accountability from Denver Health Medical Center, so they launched their own investigations.

Depending upon the outcome, changes could be coming to Denver Health's policy and procedures.