Ambulance Staffing and the Convention

Re “Fire Department Puts Ambulance Staffing Change on Hold,” June 17.

Now we know where Mayor Richard Riordan and Fire Chief William Bamattre’s priorities are. They are going to take 10 ambulances out of regular service in order to cover the Democratic National Convention in August.

This is planned despite the facts that the city already has a shortage of paramedics and ambulances to serve its citizens, and that the paramedic pilot program for the San Fernando Valley now will have to be postponed until late September. All this just to satisfy the politicians and their delegates at the convention.

When Riordan lobbied the Democratic Party for the convention a couple of years ago, did his incompetent staff ask the Fire Department if they had the resources to handle the event? And did Bamattre, knowing full well that there was a paramedic shortage then, respond by stating that there wouldn’t be a problem?

To put our citizens at risk just so Los Angeles can get media publicity and an over-inflated estimate of $135 million in economic benefits is irresponsible. Let Riordan and Bamattre explain these benefits to the families of heart attack and aneurysm victims when the paramedics cannot respond in time because they were assigned to convention duty.

This is another notch in Riordan’s lousy legacy. And Bamattre should consider early retirement. They certainly are doing everything in their power to ensure secession of the San Fernando Valley.

STEVEN A. MORGAN

Northridge