By EMS1 Staff
SALINAS, Calif. –– The paramedic program at Salinas Fire Department will be allowed to continue after allegations surfaced of department managers falsifying continuing education credits for paramedics.
Monterey County Weekly reported the investigation into the falsified documents is still under way, but the department can keep its paramedic program after “meeting demands for transparency and cooperating with a county investigation.”
The city and state are conducting their own investigation into who falsified the credits and which paramedics received fake credits for “infrequently used skills” that are required by the county Health Department and the state of California.
“We want to know why and how this happened,” Salinas City Manager Ray Corpuz said, “and we want to make sure nothing like this can happen again.”
EMS directors James Stubblefield and Michael Petrie sent a letter to the city detailing the allegations, and said there needs to be greater accountability moving forward. A new paramedics service agreement was invoked by the county and city on Aug. 1.
“We’re working very closely with the city of Salinas going forward, and have since this all broke,” Petrie said. “The new agreement includes stronger oversight language and we will be doing audits of all paramedic service providers within the next year and we will be looking much closer at the operations and clinical care of the providers.”
Letters were sent to other paramedic service providers in the county requesting updated documentation, though no other agency was accused of fraud.