PITTSBURGH — 11 Investigates has exclusive details on a power struggle between the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
It’s sparked a flurry of allegations and accusations over response times, an unresolved contract and a “hostile takeover.”
Chief Investigator Rick Earle discovered that a proposal by the Fire Bureau to take over some EMS services ignited this fire storm. It also sparked some scathing emails and letters from the unions and the head of EMS.
The Pittsburgh Fire Bureau, according to a letter from the medics union and obtained by 11 Investigates, sent a proposal to the mayor and public safety director that would allow them to take over some of the duties of EMS, including transporting patients and providing rescue services.
Councilman Anthony Coghill believes the bureaus should remain separate, but said fire could provide some relief.
“If EMS is so understaffed — which they are — we are lucky to have firefighters, who a lot of them, most of them, are trained paramedics. We are fortunate to have them as a backup, I would say,” Coghill said.
To bolster that proposal, firefighters union president Ralph Sicuro, in a letter to the mayor, detailed the impact of EMS staffing shortages.
Sicuro said manpower issues have led to extended on-scene time and increased workloads and fatigue for firefighters, and delayed responses by EMS.
He’s urging the mayor to take immediate action to ensure timely medical care for citizens.
That prompted a stern response from EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist.
In an email to medics, Gilchrist called the move by the Fire Bureau a “hostile takeover.” She urged employees to come together and ratify the contract.
“I know everyone enjoys having time off however, because of the pitfalls of the continued cycle of our inability to staff our service, another bureau is actively fighting to take over everything that we have worked for,” Gilchrist said.
Firefighters union president Sicuro, in response, sent a scathing letter to the mayor, accusing Gilchrist of attempting to coerce employees into agreeing to a contract and calling it detrimental to the working relationship between Fire and EMS.
“Her recent actions suggest a troubling approach to leadership, one that exacerbates existing tensions between the Fire and EMS bureaus instead of working toward a collaborative and effective resolution,” Sicuro wrote.
“I don’t understand what the tensions are there quite yet, but obviously I’ll help smooth them over in any way I can,” Coghill said.
Both the fire union and the medics union declined to comment.
11 Investigates reached out for a response from the Fire and EMS bureaus, and they also had nothing to add.
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