An investigation is underway after reports that Salinas firefighters did not complete their paramedic training and falsified some reports.
According to the Monterey Herald, officials with the Monterey County Emergency Medical Services Agency asked fire officials for training records from over a dozen paramedics.
In a letter from county EMS director Michael Petrie and medical director Dr. James Stubblefield, the EMS agency requested skills testing and accreditation records from the previous two years from Salinas Fire Capt. Scott Houchin in November. Houchin heads up the fire department's EMS division.
Houchin said he was unable to provide all the records for “infrequently used” skills for the paramedics.
Salinas City Manager Ray Corpuz indicated that the paramedics falsely indicated they had completed the training and that management falsely verified and signed off on the forms.
“We are conducting a very thorough investigation and we want to make sure we address all the issues,” Corpuz told the newspaper. “This is a very serious matter. These are very serious charges. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We want to make sure the community can rely on our paramedic program and standards of excellence.”
The EMS agency warned that if paramedics violated local and state EMS laws, it could be considered fraud under state health and safety codes.
City officials said fire department officers and 23 paramedics could face disciplinary action.
The county planned to pull the EMS contract from Salinas on May 15, but Corpuz said the county will allow the city to implement an eight-point corrective action plan or face losing its paramedic service provider agreement by June 15.
Corrective actions include an audit of the EMS program, a new paramedic service agreement with enhanced oversight and training on ethics and documentation.
