‘Ridiculous,’ Fire Chief Responds to Union Leader

Los Angeles Fire Chief Donald O. Manning defended his department’s efforts to install an emergency medical dispatch system, saying Tuesday that a call for his resignation by a paramedic union leader is “obviously ridiculous.”

“I find the timing to be an amazing coincidence,” Manning said in an interview. “And I find that nobody wanted to resolve the problem. All they wanted to do is create a crisis.”

Manning was referring to two letters that criticized his handling of the dispatch system. One was written by Fred Hurtado, president of the United Paramedics of Los Angeles, to the head of the Los Angeles Fire Commission, and the other to Manning by a Utah consulting firm. Both letters became public Monday.

Hurtado urged fire commissioners to seek Manning’s resignation for allegedly failing to support the city’s new medical dispatch system, which is being developed by Dr. Jeff Clawson, medical director of the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

Additions Cited

“Since being chief, I have added an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) bureau that administers the paramedic system,” Manning said. “I have added 20 paramedic supervisors to supervise delivery. We are currently in the final phase of implementing the Clawson protocols.”

In a telephone interview from Salt Lake City, Clawson denied Manning’s suggestion that he joined with the union to heighten a sense of crisis in Los Angeles.

“Why would we want to create a crisis when our intent is to be in Los Angeles,” Clawson said. “We’re not trying to cut off our noses to spite our faces. I was unaware of what he (Hurtado) was doing until the press notified me.”

Hurtado has often criticized Manning over the city paramedics’ workload. He has charged that elements of the Fire Department dragged their feet on changing the dispatch system, fearing that their mission and status would be diminished.

More Time Needed

Clawson said that he and his consulting firm, Medical Priority Consultants Inc., require more time and the cooperation of the Fire Department to complete the job of adapting his guidelines. The guidelines would permit fire dispatchers to distinguish the seriousness of emergency calls in order to send the proper level of aid.

Yet, Clawson said, when officials of his firm came to town to negotiate a new contract last week, they were met by a fire captain who was not empowered to conduct meaningful discussions. An existing agreement is due to expire soon.

“It was made clear to us that the Fire Department does not intend to have a safe, cost-effective, efficient, and up-to-date MPDS (medical priority dispatch system) there, and you do not appreciate Dr. Clawson’s services,” the firm’s letter declared.

“If we do not hear from you by 5 p.m. MST on July 6th, we must unfortunately begin to disassociate our firm from your ‘system’. . . . Such a flawed, incomplete and non-representative application cannot be endorsed by or associated with Dr. Clawson or MPC,” they wrote.

So far, Clawson said Tuesday, neither he nor his firm has heard from the Fire Department.

“I find this an interesting way to negotiate on his part that he comes down and then just sends a letter and says we don’t want to participate anymore,” Manning said.

Still Wants Help

Despite the strained relations, Manning said he still wants Clawson to assist in installing his guidelines.

Fire Commission President Kenneth Washington would not comment on Clawson’s letter, but fellow commissioner, Ann Reiss Lane, expressed surprise.

“It sounds like an ultimatum,” she said. “I’m very sad. We have a lot of hope that we are developing a system that’s going to be an improvement.”