LOS ANGELES?Changes are coming to the Los Angeles Fire Department, after a new study revealed on March 3 by the PA Consulting Group underlined several areas that must be improved.
The study was borne out of an order from the City Council to secure a third party consulting agency that with the cooperation of the City Administrative Officer (CAO) and the LAFD, would analyze the way the Fire Department manages and deploys its resources.
The PA Consulting Group was chosen, and the report was unveiled by the Fire Department so that its measures may taken in time for implementation by the Fiscal Year of 2014-2015.
According to a report from the CAO, the study focused on three areas, which were the deployment for fire resources, the response times of fire and EMS services and a comparative analysis of
EMS services against other cities and counties. The results of the study by the PA Consulting Group were bundled into three “Priority Groups.”
The first Priority Group entailed the alignment of the Fire Department’s mission and the stabilization of its leadership with recommendations that included creating a Deputy Chief to oversee EMS operations, implementing a five-year employment contract for the Fire Chief, aligning LAFD resources into four geographical regions and the “civilianization” of various Department roles like the Chief Information Officer and the Media and Community Relations Directors.
“Priority Group Two” proposes a “risk-based” approach based on existing historical data and a focus on modern technology. The recommendations found in this group included the deployment of ambulances in high-risk areas and the closing of low call-demand stations. The report notes that a positive result from this particular group could lead to “lower costs due to better utilization of both human and physical assets.”
The last Priority Group dealt with internal department culture that has resulted in a discipline system described as “cumbersome, unwieldy and ineffective.” To improve this, the study calls for the development of a culture that is based on accountability and expectation. It also recommends that a “Community Safety Program” could be implemented that would encourage residents to take personal steps to safeguard themselves against risk in cooperation with the fire department and other public services.
Based on the study’s results, the CAO’s report recommended that Mayor Eric Garcetti include the actions provided in the study into the 2014-2015 Proposed Budget so that its policies can begin to be implemented for the Fiscal Year 2014-2015. It also advised that the LAPD assist the Fire Department in developing and implementing its own computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, and it additionally recommended a feasibility analysis that would look into the possibility of merging both systems into one.
Interim Los Angeles Fire Chief James Featherstone said in a public statement that he has already begun to implement some changes based on the findings from the study.
“I am committed to enacting meaningful and effective changes to the structure and operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, in order to continue providing the highest quality emergency medical and fire protection services to the citizens we serve. I have already begun implementing a number of changes, including initiating a hiring process for a Chief Technology Officer; the hiring of a civilian Public Information Director; the reorganization of key command staff; the upcoming implementation of FIRESTAT; the ongoing implementation of the Automatic Vehicle Locator program and examining the feasibility of dividing the Department’s operations into four geographic areas. I look forward to exploring and instituting additional avenues for the ongoing modernization and improvement of the LAFD,” Featherstone said.
