Dallas Fire-Rescue violated Texas emergency medical services rules and now, more than a year after the state proposed a fine, the city has agreed to random state inspections and other conditions to avoid paying a $108,750 penalty, state records show.
The Nov. 17 settlement between the city and the Department of State Health Services is the result of investigations of improper patient medical care against the department and firefighter-paramedics. State documents show the health agency has been noting issues with the fire department to city officials since 2016.
At least six Dallas Fire-Rescue employees since April 2021 were found to have violated state EMS rules while caring for patients and had their EMS licenses sanctioned ranging from six months to two years.
The cases were linked to the August 2016 police custody death of Tony Timpa and a separate instance involving a 16-year-old patient who apparently suffered a diabetic and mental health emergency in February 2020. All six workers were allowed by the state to continue performing their paramedic duties and keep their licenses as long as they had no further violations.
The state health services department has previously declined to provide details of its investigation of the fire department, saying information gathered was confidential until the case was closed. The state hasn’t provided any documents that specify the exact details of the complaints or what investigators found. Instead, the agency has only released a violation notice and the final settlement, which both lack specific details.
A September 2021 state notice of violation sent to Fire Chief Dominique Artis and City Manager T.C. Broadnax noted nine infractions that found issues with the city department’s emergency response vehicles in 2019, and the department’s failure to ensure that employees properly document patients’ care and follow policies and procedures when providing aid in 2020.
The notice also said that the city in February 2020 didn’t have a fully active EMS Quality Management Program, which is supposed to evaluate paramedics to make sure they are giving complete and accurate medical care and documentation. The city had previously been told by the state there were problems with the program, the notice said.
“On or about May 27, 2016, October 8, 2018 and January 27, 2020, the [state health department] met with [ Dallas Fire-Rescue] regarding the quality assurance plan and lack thereof and [DFR] failed to correct deficiencies as instructed by the department,” according to the document.
Dallas fire officials didn’t immediately comment on the settlement agreement Monday.
According to the agreement, the state can conduct unannounced surveys and inspections of the fire department until Aug. 18, 2024. The city also has to send reports on the quality management program’s progress every six months starting in December, and it must provide a report on the program’s progress last year and its annual budget.
Under the deal, the city doesn’t have to admit to any of the state’s findings — but can’t dispute them, either.
The state last year proposed issuing the city a $217,500 fine related to the fire department investigation, but it negotiated to the $108,750 penalty that is suspended and could be waived by the state, if the fire department successfully complies with the terms of the settlement agreement until August 2024.
Artis told council members during a September 2021 meeting that the state investigation stemmed from concerns that the city’s emergency medical services system wasn’t proactive enough.
He said some of the allegations centered around policies that weren’t followed during emergency calls or a lack of guidelines for certain procedures. One violation, the chief said, stemmed from the fire department’s lack of policies about the storage temperature for certain medications, but he did not provide further details.
Fire officials also told council members that in response to the state investigation, the department had added more supervisors to oversee paramedic staff and to help improve the agency’s medical care quality.
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