County Tells LBFD What I Said Two Years Ago -- Rapid Medic Deployment Program Is Unsafe

Thanks to the up to date reporting by my friend, Bill Pearl at www.lbreport.com, I am linking a letter just sent by the County Emergency Medical Services to the Fire Chief ordering the stoppage of the "rapid medic deployment" and the reinstating of the previous model of providing paramedic services.

See link for full letter: http://www.lbreport.com/rmd/rmd.pdf

Okay, so I told you so two years ago when I was on City Council.  I repeatedly stated the program was unsafe. (And being the only health care professional on the council who worked in local ERs and also served briefly as an EMT...I knew what I was talking about.)

No other city in LA County uses the model pushed through by this current Fire Chief and City Manager. From the moment it was installed, firefighters complained that it put patient safety in jeopardy. And guess what. It did.

So let's hope the City doesn't get sued by a patient who claims that response was delayed because someone had the hair-brain idea to change the model of emergency medical services that had served this city and its residents well for many, many years.

Council Should Pass a "Taxless Tuesday" Instead of "Meatless Monday"

Yes folks, it was an interesting and very important discussion this past Tuesday in City Council. 

No, it wasn't about restoring services in the police and fire departments. 

And no, it wasn't about the declining oil revenues and the increasing costs of water facing the City.

It was about supporting a movement to encourage residents to go vegetarian by passing (on a 7-2 vote) a resolution to encourage residents to observe "Meatless Mondays."

"Meatless Mondays" isn't the most original idea to come along since many people already have stopped eating meat, either because they can't afford it or they believe eating less meat is healthier.

Having a City Council weigh in on something as personal as what people eat is strange, considering the many serious issues facing the City.

Drafting the resolution took staff time and so did the Council discussion. It will come back to Council for yet another vote. All this time could be put to better use.

For instance, how about passing a "Taxless Tuesday" resolution that pledges that local government will stop looking for ways every Tuesday to tax residents and instead focus on making City government more efficient and frugal?

The next city budget will arrive in a few months filled with increased fees and perhaps additional cuts to service. And you will hear chatter about increasing the utility user tax to make up for short falls. 

Then ask the Mayor and Council why it can spend a million dollars to obtain a Bloomberg grant that won't generate any additional revenue to the City but added more staff to the city payroll.

Ask Council why City employees (more than 5000) still don't clock in and out of work but are allowed to fill in their own time sheets.

Question why real performance measures are missing from budget documents and why the Council won't put the City Manager on notice that he either reports them or is replaced.

The Council needs to get busy with the real business of local government: fiscal reform and performance management.

Stop the theatrics or as Shakespeare wrote" sound and fury signifying nothing."

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