Richmond fire department in turmoil

by Greg Cryns

 

1/26/05

 

 

 

Fire Chief Dave Rudolph and paramedic Erin Arnold were temporarily suspended from their duties at the Richmond fire department. Rudolph and Arnold are not allowed to take part in any medical emergency operations during the suspension. Arnold is licensed as a paramedic; Rudolph is training to be a paramedic. It is Arnold’s duty to sign forms for Rudolph within 72 hours of ambulance calls. As a student, Rudolph is required to have the medical forms signed by an on-duty paramedic within 72 hours of an ambulance call. His classroom instructor must receive the signed forms within 14 days of the call.

 

The county Emergency Medical Services (EMS) took action. Arnold’s paramedic license was suspended for two weeks. Rudolph was dropped from the paramedic training program and his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license was suspended for three months.

 

Richmond Township Fire Protection District president Rich Jacobson said that Rudolph completed forms later than required after ambulance runs. Arnold also signed the evaluation forms later than permitted.

On January 12 at the regular board meeting, a letter was presented to the board from 14 firefighters that requested the resignations of Rudolph and Arnold. The board put any decision on hold at that meeting until the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was contacted about the issue. EMS directs the training for paramedics. Locally it works out of the Northern Illinois Medical Center. Following a closed session meeting with EMS the board announced the suspensions.

Firefighter Matt Amore spoke up for Rudolph at that meeting. He said that not all firefighters are opposed to Rudolph. Terry Amore, who put his name on the ballot for a spot as a fire trustee, said that Rudolph is getting undeserved bad publicity.

In the latest development, Arnold faced another round of investigation and possible censure on January 26, 2005, for responding to an emergency medical call in a second ambulance. This action could be viewed as a violation of her suspension. The EMS board held a closed session conference with the Richmond fire board, Rudolph, Arnold and her attorney Kenneth Flaxman from Chicago. Flaxman indicated that the department’s policy might need revision. “They must have an accurate policy,” said Flaxman. “My client acted based on a long standing policy by the district.”

Arnold said she would not come back to the department until after February 2, 2005, when her suspension ends. “It is hard to stand back in an emergency,” said Arnold. Rudolph said he would like to say more but he felt that commenting at this time would not be in the department’s best interests.