By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

January 29, 2015 -- Capt. James Altman, who heads the union representing Santa Monica firefighters, had harsh words for Chief Scott Ferguson at the Tuesday night Council meeting about the hiring of six rescue ambulance paramedics for a pilot program. 

This plan could eventually lead to a permanent policy of sending two-person ambulances (the six positions would cover two-person ambulances for each eight-hour shift) rather than four-person trucks for some emergency situations.

The City Council unanimously approved the plan after a lengthy discussion that included a lively exchange between Councilmember Sue Himmelrich and City Manager Rod Gould, who was attending his final meeting before retiring.

Altman told the council that the plan was “fatally flawed” and a “risky gamble we can’t afford to take,” comparing it to “locking a front door to your house and leaving the backdoor open.”

With several firefighters sitting behind him who he said were in agreement, Altman told the council, “The fact of the matter is the firefighters in this room tonight have been here long before the chief. We are the boots on the ground.”

He added, “If our City’s going to add additional resources to the Fire Department for the first time in years, let’s do it the right way.”

Several neighborhood group and other slow-growth activists spoke in favor of Altman’s comments.

Ferguson was diplomatic when he addressed the council later in the meeting, saying “I admire what the firefighters (who) came up (were) able to share with you.”

He clarified that his plan was to add the two-person ambulance to the existing service in a pilot program for Fire Station No. 2, which serves the section of Santa Monica located South of Olympic Boulevard and West of 14th Street.

Under the pilot program, emergency calls would receive a response from the ambulance with two paramedics, the traditional four-person truck with two paramedics and two EMTs as well as a private ambulance with two EMTs.

“You’ll have never had this many resources showing up,” Ferguson said.

If it were determined the situation was a lesser emergency, the truck, which would be traveling slightly behind, would be instructed to turn around.

When asked about the pilot program by Himmelrich, Ferguson said it could lead to a policy in which only the two-person ambulance would be used.

Himmelrich asked whether the council would be involved in the final decision or at least receive a report about it. City Manager Gould said it was “highly unlikely and unusual for a City Council to be making deployment decisions, much less staffing decisions.”

“That’s the basis on which the council-manager form of government works,” Gould said. “If you don’t have confidence in the management decisions made by your staff, then you have the ability to work through your city manager to make changes."

He added, “Ultimately, if you lose confidence in your city manager, you should get a new city manager.”

There was a long pause on the dais after Gould’s last statement, which was followed by laughter in the audience.