Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Paramedic Patty Greer was placed on indefinite suspension without pay after she fell asleep last Saturday night at a patient’s home while entering the patient’s information into her laptop. Greer says that she bent down to enter the patient’s details and fell asleep.
Greer blames the department’s excessive mandatory overtime for causing fatigue at work. She also told reporters “I want people in our service not to be tired. I don’t want everybody to be mean and nasty and horrible anymore.”
In the past, the department has told the media that members who are too exhausted to work are allowed to go home, but that claim is disputed by employees. Paramedic Teresa Johnson showed reporters a copy of a written reprimand she received in June for not accepting mandatory overtime. “We’re being forced to work overtime when we’re vastly too tired to do that”.
Louisville Metro EMS was in the news recently related to a number of disciplinary issues, many of which involved drug related offenses.
When asked about the overtime problem, and some possible solutions, Metro Councilman Kelly Downard stated “New Management”.
