The following letters to our township Board of Trustees outline Mr. Marty McQuade’s position that our Board has not given this manpower deficiency issue the correct priority and needs to take immediate action to remedy our manpower shortage in the Oakland Township Fire Department in order to provide adequate and legally compliant Advanced Life Support EMS service. He suggests a specific path forward of scheduling paid-on-call and contract employees as a temporary measure while hiring 6 additional full-time employees as the permanent solution.

 

Mr. McQuade, retired Vice President & General Manager of the global Dupont Automotive business headquartered in the Detroit area, provided considerable volunteer consulting services in 2015 to assist the Fire Chief to develop a 10-Year Strategic Operating Plan.  The plan identified the Oakland Township Fire Department manpower staffing gaps in operating our Advanced Life Support EMS units according to the Oakland County license requirements along with deficiencies for fire and rescue operations.  The plan was reviewed with the Board of Trustees’ Fire Subcommittee consisting of Trustees Robin Buxar, Frank Ferriolo, John Giannangeli and Township Manager Dale Stuart and Township Manager Dale Stuart during 2015.

 

It is now 2018 and the draft 10-year Strategic Operating Plan which identified the staffing deficiencies and other key planning issues has never been presented to the full Board by the Fire Subcommittee, Township Manager or Fire Chief for acceptance, rejection or modification.  No substantive action has been taken by the township leadership to address the known staffing deficiencies since 2015.

 

Mr. McQuade’s December 10, 2017 letter to Mr. Bailey and January 27, 2018 follow up letter sent to the full Board of Trustees discussing the staffing deficiencies issues are attached below.

 

Editor’s note:  An independent consultant hired by the Township during 2017 to study the Oakland Township Fire Department made similar manpower deficiencies observations in his report which was leaked to Oakland Township Sentinel and can be seen at this link:

 

 

Bob Yager – Editor – Oakland Township Sentinel

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 27, 2018

 

Mike Bailey

Robin Buxar

Frank Ferriolo

John Giannangeli

Jeanne Langlois

Lana Mangiapane

Karen Reilly

 

Oakland Township Emergency Response Deficiencies

 

I am writing to all members of Oakland Township’s Board of Trustees in hopes of receiving a response and immediate action on what I consider to be a critical public safety issue for the residents of the township and our dedicated first responders.  The township needs a courageous Trustee to standup for our first responders and residents’ life and property protection.  I wrote a letter to Mr. Mike Bailey, Oakland Township Supervisor, on December 10, 2017 detailing my concern relative to the on-going non-compliant staffing of Oakland Township’s Advanced Life Support EMS units and understaffed fire protection services.  I believe the staffing non-compliance has been known at a minimum to the Fire Subcommittee, Township Manager and Fire Chief since at least 2015, if not before.  I was disappointed that Mr. Bailey did not consider to provide a response to me given the importance and criticality of this issue.  The feedback provided to the public since the writing of my December 10, 2017 letter on this issue has been one of Mr. Stuart advising he and Chief Strelchuk are working on the issue, Mr. Ferriolo and Ms. Buxar suggesting their “hands have been tied” by the recent union negotiations, Mr. Ferriolo advising Mr. Stuart April or May is OK to provide a plan/recommendation if that is the time he requires, Mr. Ferriolo commenting that the Fire Subcommittee “is engaged and ready to serve” although no substantive action has been taken since the committee was formed in 2015, and Mr. Bailey acknowledged to Mr. Stuart that it is a difficult task to get your arms around, however, the Board is staying out of it so there are not “too many cooks in the kitchen”.

 

Please understand my impatience to want Oakland Township to adequately staff our ALS units, to be in compliance with the State of Michigan and Oakland County Medical Control Authority (OCMCA) rules and protocols to operate an ALS ambulance, and to provide emergency medical and fire fighting services that have the required capability to save lives, property and minimize risks to our first responders.  I believe 2+ years of inaction on such an important public safety issue is reprehensible and is without any legitimate justification.  I have heard members of the Board say public safety is their first priority, however, the collective actions of this Board and Township leadership over the past 2+ years suggests otherwise.

 

I watched the video of the January 23, 2018 BOT meeting and found many of the comments from Board members on this issue quite remarkable and disingenuous.  Are you as an elected official of Oakland Township suggesting that the Board’s “ hands have been tied” since 2015 when the issues were formally identified and a Fire Subcommittee was formed of Trustees Buxar, Ferriolo and Giannangeli to address Oakland Township Fire Department (OTFD) issues?  Are you suggesting that taking no substantive action since 2015 reflects public safety is your first priority?  Are you suggesting that Oakland Township’s union negotiation is a predetermining and legitimate reason to not comply with the OCMCA license requirements to operate ALS units in the township and for this Board to take no corrective action for over 2+ years?  Are you suggesting that it is appropriate for the Board to not become involved in resolving this issue since 2015 because you do not want to distract the Township Manager from making a plan and recommendation?  Are you suggesting as Trustee Buxar remarked that we’ll “keep asking” in reference to Mr. Stuart developing a plan is sufficient action by this Board on such a critical issue?  This Board of Trustees has failed Oakland Township’s residents and first responders, and is complicit in operating our ALS units illegally.  This is not a personal attack, but a recognition of what has occurred between 2015 and 2018.

 

Based upon your inability to legally staff our ALS units, I strongly encourage you to seek assistance from the Oakland County Medical Control Authority to resolve any questions you may have relative to the requirements to operate ALS units in Oakland County so that they can clarify any issue that may be impeding your ability to take action.  I’m confident they will be very responsive to your questions and provide very clear direction.  I believe the OCMCA will advise you to either staff the ALS units with 1 paramedic + 1 EMT at all times or do not operate as an ALS service provider in Oakland County.  I suggest that if you do not want to provide compliant ALS service to the residents, that you explain this position in detail to the community so residents have an opportunity to provide feedback on how they feel about having advanced life support emergency capabilities in Oakland Township that meets State and Oakland County requirements.  Additionally, if the Township decides not to staff to legally operate ALS units, the OTFD will continue to be in an understaffed position to adequately respond to fires and execute home entry/rescue operations.  Today, most residents assume their elected leaders are following the law and providing ALS emergency services according to the license requirements and fire protection in line with NFPA guidelines.  It is not optional to operate ALS units in Oakland County with only 1 paramedic on-board and hope additional personnel will arrive on the scene in time.  It is misleading to represent that the OTFD can protect residents’ lives and property in fire situations where timely home entry/rescue is required.

 

In my opinion, the time for this Board to “keep asking” expired long ago.  It is time to stop asking and being complacent with public safety and to start taking immediate action.  I recommend a Special Meeting be called immediately to direct the Township Manager and Fire Chief to schedule Paid-On-Call EMT’s in combination with contract personnel to fill any schedule gaps to staff Station #1 and #2 ALS units with 1 paramedic and 1 EMT on a 24/7 schedule.  This is the minimum ALS operating license requirement.  I further recommend that you direct the Township Manager and Fire Chief Strelchuk to begin to hire 6 additional FTE’s to sustainably staff both ALS units, 24/7, with a minimum qualification of an EMT certification with a plan to upgrade the training and certification of these individuals to paramedic/firefighters over the next 12 months.  In my opinion, operating with volunteers and contract personnel is not a long term reliable staffing strategy.  The time for excuses and indecision has run out.  It is time to stop putting Oakland Township lives and first responders at risk.  Please protect the community you were elected to serve.

 

Sincerely,

 

Marty McQuade

Hills of Oakland

Oakland Township

 

cc:  Paul Strelchuk

Dan Kelly

 

 

***********

Here is Mr. McQuade’s earlier letter to Township Supervisor Bailey

 

December 10, 2017

 

 

Mr. Mike Bailey

Oakland Township Supervisor

4393 Collins Rd.

Rochester, Michigan 48306

 

 

Dear Mr. Bailey,

 

Oakland Township Emergency Response Deficiencies

 

I’m writing to you as a concerned resident. In my opinion, the Oakland Township Manager and Board of Trustees continue to put Oakland Township residents and first responders at significant risk regarding emergency services.  Their collective failure to provide minimum acceptable levels of qualified staffing for fire and emergency medical responses puts all residents and first responders at risk of life and property.

 

As you are aware, I provided a significant amount of volunteer consulting services to the Oakland Township Fire Department in support of developing a 10-year Strategic Operating Plan (SOP) in 2015.  The SOP highlighted key deficiencies in required emergency services manpower levels and response times.  The deficiencies are measured against the required Oakland County Medical Control Authority (OCMCA) staffing levels to operate Advanced Life Support (ALS) units within Oakland County and standards from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) for firefighting.  In addition to these standards, the SOP benchmarking data of comparable surrounding communities highlighted Oakland Township’s emergency services staffing deficiencies.

 

The SOP was reviewed with the Board of Trustees’ Fire Sub-Committee consisting of Ms. Buxar, Mr. Ferriolo, and Mr. Giannangeli, and the Township Manager, Mr. Stuart, during 2015.  Additionally, residents and a consultant have recently highlighted the same deficiencies.  Unfortunately, Oakland Township management and leadership have seemingly ignored the required emergency services staffing requirements and the many warnings of staffing/response time deficiencies provided since at least 2015, if not before then.

 

The OCMCA standard requires licensed communities providing ALS service to staff each ALS unit at a minimum with 1 paramedic and 1 emergency medical technician (EMT) at all times.  Oakland Township’s ALS staffing fails to meet these standards and as a consequence significantly impacts response time and capabilities negatively.  The lack of having at least 2 qualified medical/firefighters on duty 24/7 at each station to operate each ALS unit and firefighting equipment places the first responders, distressed resident(s) and property at risk.

 

The approval and construction of the new Blossom Ridge and Carillon Creek developments, which we have been told will be predominantly occupied by the disabled, will create additional emergency services demand. Based upon the designed demographics of these new housing developments, the demand for emergency medical services will likely be at a higher frequency than the current Township average.  Considering this increasing demand for emergency services in the southwest district of the Township, please recognize that under the current staffing and locations of Station #1 and #2, it will not be sufficient to provide the required “90% Fractile” response times for these residents.  Perhaps Mr. Moceri recognized this response time deficiency for District #7 and therefore offered the land and building to place an ALS unit on the Carillon Creek property.  From a marketing perspective, Blossom Ridge and Carillon Creek developments do not need a cloud of inadequate emergency services hanging over the selling and leasing of these units.  From a common-sense perspective, these new developments of 300+ units primarily designed for the disabled require capable emergency services that are in compliance.

 

Oakland Township is not immune to the growing opioid crisis, medical emergencies in general, fires or vehicular accidents.  It is my opinion that it is only a matter of time until a fatal event happens in Oakland Township that may be viewed as preventable if the Township emergency response was staffed as required by the ALS operating license and NFPA guidelines.  A detailed discovery process as a part of a lawsuit likely would reveal the staffing/response time deficiencies, the significant paper trail highlighting these deficiencies, the knowledge of these deficiencies by Township leadership and witnesses to confirm these known deficiencies.  I encourage you to seek legal guidance on the risk of a negligence finding against  Oakland Township in the event of a wrongful death lawsuit, and the exposure to its’ taxpayers.

 

Mr. Bailey, as a resident with knowledge of the on-going staffing and response time deficiencies, I find it very concerning that management and leadership have failed to take the appropriate actions during the past 2+ years to adequately staff the Oakland Township Fire Department.  Excuses of the past, not wanting to place an increased millage on the ballot due to political concerns to fund the needed staffing, feigned calls of lack of knowledge of the standards, a view of immunity to law suits, or a position that Paid-On-Call (POC) staffing models as a component of the core staffing required to meet the OCMCA standards are all unacceptable.  Oakland Township first responders and residents deserve an emergency response service capable of providing at least minimum acceptable performance, and more appropriately, service and capability at least on par with other Oakland County communities.  Please stop ignoring the need to provide the staffing at each station with a minimum of 2 full time qualified employees 24/7 so that each ALS unit can respond to medical emergencies with the required staffing and our fire engines can respond immediately rather than waiting for POC members to arrive at the station before the units can proceed to the fire.  Oakland Township first responders want to save lives and properties.  Provide them with the resources so they can do their important public service safely and with the full capabilities to save lives.  Oakland Township residents and first responders rely on their elected officials to follow the laws, comply with emergency service standards and to provide the capability to adequately respond when the situation demands.  It’s time to take immediate action Mr. Bailey.

 

Sincerely,

 

Marty McQuade

Hills of Oakland

Oakland Township

 

cc:

 

Ms. Robin Buxar – Trustee

Mr. Frank Ferriolo – Trustee

Mr. John Giannangeli – Trustee

Mrs. Jeanne Langlois – Treasurer

Ms. Lana Mangiapane – Trustee

Mrs. Karen Reilly – Clerk

Mr. Dale Stuart – Township Manager

Mr. Paul Strelchuk – Fire Chief and Emergency Manager

Mr. Dan Kelly – Township Attorney