CITY CALLS FOR MORE PARAMEDICS PROPOSALS ADDRESS SHORTFALL.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

With severe staff shortages forcing paramedics to work massive amounts of overtime, Los Angeles city officials on Friday called for an immediate effort to fill vacancies and a possible return to a system that doesn't require paramedics to be trained firefighters.

In separate motions, council members Cindy Miscikowski and Joel Wachs called on the Los Angeles Fire Department for these actions, saying the emergency care being provided by the paramedics is too important for the city to place the service in jeopardy.

``The city's paramedic system is in crisis, and the nature and extent of its problems are much greater and more serious than departmental management has previously acknowledged,'' Wachs said, citing the shortage of personnel, morale problems and the need for long-term solutions.

``Immediate action is needed. There can be no greater priority than the public's health and safety.''

The Daily News over the past two months has published a series of articles detailing the problems within the paramedic system and the strain caused by overwork.

There are 54 vacancies in the ranks of the paramedic corps, and Wachs said they should be filled immediately.

He agreed with the Miscikowski proposal for the city to return to the idea of single-purpose paramedics and that efforts be made to hire 100 of those.

LAFD officials said they would have no comment until they can study the proposals.

Ken Buzzell of the firefighters union - United Firefighters of Los Angeles - said the problem with the plan is that it would require a change in the City Charter.

When the paramedic units became part of the LAFD in 1992, he said, it came with a charter requirement that they be trained as firefighters.

``Unless you change the charter to make sure they get pension benefits, it can't happen,'' Buzzell said. ``Unfortunately, the answer is they have to hire more people. All they keep doing is applying bandages to the problem and never really address the issues that we do not have enough people to do the job.''

Wachs said he believed single-purpose paramedics could be hired without a charter change and that the LAFD should proceed with plans to fill its vacancies.

``We can work out the pension matters to make sure they are full employees,'' Wachs said. ``At a time when public safety is in danger, we have to look at all our options.''

The proposals were sent to the council's Public Safety Committee, which is chaired by Miscikowski and where Wachs serves as a member. Both officials said they want to see action as quickly as possible to speed the hiring of the paramedics.

The committee would forward its recommendation to the full council for consideration at an unspecified date. City officials also would have to provide information on the cost of the additional personnel and where the city could find funds to pay them.

Fire Chief Bill Bamattre has said he would like to see the department eventually hire 200 more paramedics, to have one based at each fire station.

Today, the city Fire Department holds a public Recruitment Expo for people interesting in knowing more about working as firefighters or firefighter-paramedics. The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the department's Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, 1700 Stadium Way, in Elysian Park.