Plan to Boost Ambulance Service in ‘Heavy Call’ Areas Deferred by Board

After hearing protests from the firefighters’ and paramedics’ unions, the city Board of Fire Commissioners on Thursday deferred action on a plan to bolster ambulance services in “heavy call” neighborhoods.

The proposal by the Fire Department to add three additional ambulances and two paramedic engine companies on a part-time basis was referred to four subcommittees for further study.

The additional vehicles--ambulances from the reserve fleet of older equipment--would operate 10 hours daily four days a week during the busiest periods in high- call areas of Central and South Los Angeles. The engine companies would include paramedic-trained firefighters serving busy areas of the central San Fernando Valley on the same basis, but paramedic ambulances would back up the firefighters for transportation and treatment.

“It’s just poorly planned and would require fatiguing schedules for paramedics and the public would be worse off,” said Fred Hurtado, president of United Paramedics of Los Angeles, noting that the additional ambulances would be staffed only by paramedics working overtime.

Instead, Hurtado is asking the city to add from two to four additional full-time ambulances in the next fiscal year.

Spokesmen for the United Firefighters of Los Angeles also objected to the part-time basis of the new units.