TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to provide to the City Council a status report on the implementation of the Rapid Medic Deployment staffing model, report on the current status of the Fire Department's FY 14 budget, and consider providing further direction to the City Manager regarding the implementation of the RMD model, including whether to delay implementation until a full discussion can be had as part of the FY 15 budget process.
DISCUSSION
In a memo to the City Council dated May 22, 2014, City Manager Pat West reported that the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Commission gave final approval for the City of Long Beach to proceed with the Rapid Medic Deployment (RMD) model, and that implementation is expected to begin after the Fourth of July.
RMD is an alternative staffing model in which all rescue ambulances will be staffed by one firefighter/paramedic and one ambulance operator/emergency medical technician (EMT), rather than the current staffing model of two paramedics on each Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance, and two EMTs staffing the Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances. Long Beach would become the first agency in Los Angeles County to implement this staffing model. This change in staffing would result in 21 fewer firefighter positions, or 7 fewer firefighters on duty at any given time.
This model was first proposed for Long Beach as part of the adoption process for the FY 13 budget as a measure to save $1.8 million. Despite RMD not yet being implemented, the City's Budget Manager reported to the City Council at the April 15, 2014 Council meeting that all departments are projected to finish the fiscal year within their budgets.
Since there is no indication that the RMD implementation is necessary for the Fire Department to meet their FY 14 budget, we request that the City Council receive a report on the status of implementing RMD and the current state of the Fire Department's budget, so the Council can determine whethe...
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