Printable VersionAdministrative sanctions loom for five fire department personnel accused of misconduct in in an investigator’s report to the city manager’s office.
All five men remain on active duty.
The report alleges that three fire department paramedics improperly handled two medical emergency calls in October 2007, and altered or destroyed medical records to obscure errors in treatment. In both cases, the patients died.
The report alleges that Chief Mueller and battalion chief Rick Felish failed to properly investigate the incidents.
“There is going to be some major revamping of paramedic procedures and policies,” said City manager Richard Kaffenberger.
However, Fire Chief Dennis Mueller defended the overall competency of the department’s emergency medical response. “The people of Lake Havasu should not be afraid to call 911,” said Mueller. “We have a very high quality EMS system and very high quality people.”
Clint Nelson, president of the Lake Havasu Professional Firefighters Association, the union which represents accused paramedics Mike Partain, Joe Tobin, Nick Hovdal and battalion chief Rick Felish, called the report riddled with errors.
“We believe there are a lot of errors in that report, and we’re having our attorney look into those,” Nelson said.
Through Nelson, the four fire personnel declined to comment on the report.
The report also contains allegations that that an employee of private ambulance company River Medical Inc. aided in the destruction of a report documenting the alleged falsification of medical records.
A spokesperson for American Medical Response, a subsidiary of Emergency Medical Services Corp., which acquired River Medical Inc. earlier this year, disputed those findings.
“Contrary to allegations by the investigator, no River Medical patient records were destroyed, and River Medical has complete patient care records on file for the care that was provided to these patients,” wrote company spokesman Douglas Moore in a statement released Friday.
City Manager Kaffenberger stood by the report’s conclusions, which were based in part on conversations taped by a River Medical employee.
“I will be happy to share the complete four-volume file with anybody from AMR corporate that would like to see or hear taped conversations regarding their personnel,” Kaffenberger said.
According to Capt. Joe Fiumara of the Lake Havasu City Police Department, the investigation began in early December 2007, after an employee with the city’s sole private ambulance company, River Medical Inc., approached a city police officer with allegations of improper actions by fire department paramedics in the care of a 45-year-old woman who had suffered a stroke, and who died shortly after treatment. The employee further charged that records detailing mistakes in treatment had been destroyed or altered by city paramedics.
Due to concerns regarding a potential conflict of interest, the Kingman Police Department was asked to conduct a criminal investigation into the potential destruction or alteration of public records, Fiumara said.
Kingman police finished their investigation and screened their findings with the Mohave County Attorney’s office, which declined to press criminal charges.
City Manager Richard Kaffenberger decided to then pursue an administrative investigation of the allegations, which resulted in the 29-page summary report delivered late Thursday to the City Council. Kaffenberger has yet to act against the fire department personnel named in the report, but said that action would be forthcoming.
City Manager Kaffenberger called the investigation and report the proper response to allegations of tampering with official documents and other misconduct. “I do not feel that I am being unreasonable in having the expectation that records that are generated or created by city employees be accurate and truthful,” he said.
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