Mayor Orders Fire Chief To Use Reserve Funds For More Ambulances, LAFD Reforms
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The mayor of Los Angeles wants more ambulances on the streets and a complete overhaul of management in the fire department to help improve slow emergency response times.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recommended the City Council dip into the reserve fund to put six more paramedic crews and ambulances on the streets.
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In a letter to the City Council, Villaraigosa instructed Chief Brian Cummings to appoint Jeff Godown — the man responsible the LAPD crime-tracking CompStat program — to a staff position to oversee the department's statistical analysis.
"The current situation is untenable, and we must take immediate steps to rectify it," Villaraigosa said in the letter sent late Thursday. "We need an emergency response system that is reliable and accountable. We need monitoring procedures to ensure that all response time data are accurate and transparent."
A complete report on reform proposals in the LAFD is expected within 30 days.
The mayor also called for longtime police commissioner Alan Skobin, who was on the panel that recommended Cummings to be the Fire Chief last year, to fill an empty spot at the Fire Commission and provide input on department improvements.
