Review of LAFD Previous Year Budget Warnings

The Modified Coverage Plan – Blue Book Item No. 14

The LAFD continues to operate with the MCP. When coupled with the staffing reductions in the budget proposal, the negative impacts of the MCP will be magnified. They include:

• An increase in response times and work load, with 10-15% fewer resources
available on a daily basis.
• Closure of one Division and two Battalion Command teams, which will lead to a
reduction in oversight and supervision in emergency and administrative
functions.
• An increase in the span of control for Division and Battalion Commanders.
• Decreased number of resources available for pre-deployment and move-up
coverage.
• Loss of surge capacity during major incidents or disasters.
• Decreased number of resources available for mandatory company training.
• Large reduction in firefighter training.

Statement By UFLAC President, Pat McOsker

March 23, 2012

Statement by UFLAC President, Pat McOsker in response to Mayor Villaraigosa’s 3/22/12 announced maneuvers relative to the emergency response times and closures crisis in the Fire Department:

Yesterday evening, Mayor Villaraigosa communicated to the City Council and to the public his latest “plan” to address the Fire Department emergency response times and fire and medical closures crisis – significantly, a crisis caused by a falsely justified LAFD resource closure plan that he and his Fire Chief both proposed and sold to the Council last year and under which the people of this City are presently in jeopardy.  By sad necessity, UFLAC would regard with extreme skepticism any solution now proposed by either the Mayor or the Fire Chief – however, we also must oppose the Mayor’s tardily proposed actions on their merits.

He has directed his Fire Chief to create a new position to oversee the Department’s statistical analysis and has hand-selected Mr. Godown for the job.  Without speaking to Mr. Godown’s qualifications, UFLAC asserts that his selection by the Mayor is inappropriate on its face.  Last year, Mayor Villaraigosa selected as Fire Chief the man responsible for such “statistical analysis” as was done prior to and in justification of the now demonstrably dangerous cuts.  No-one either chosen by or answerable to the Mayor should ever be given that responsibility again.  Additionally, unfortunately, and obviously, the Mayor has a political interest in the outcome.  At this stage, only a disinterested party can have the credibility required for this task.  We believe that the Controller and her Office are best suited.

The Mayor has requested that six (6) LAFD ambulances be put back into service.  This seems to us to be nothing more than a hastily conceived and arbitrary response, motivated by a need to be perceived as “doing something”.  Upon which type of analysis does this request rely?  We have just learned that the Mayor’s “plan” would only restore Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances andnot Paramedic ambulances.  We would remind the Council that, in last year’s mid-year budget adjustment hearings, the Department’s position was that the BLS ambulances were the resources they could most easily do without.

The only appropriate reaction to this present crisis would be to fully and immediately restore to the people of this City the fire and medical resources taken from them in 2009 and then again (in another form and under false pretenses) last year.  Only a willingness and action on the part of the Council to fully undo the actions of this administration with regard to public safety will restore the people’s confidence in its Fire Department and, more importantly, the levels of emergency, life-saving services they deserve.

_______________

Pat McOsker

President