WASHINGTON (AP) — The medical director of the District of Columbia’s long-troubled fire department is stepping down, saying “people are dying needlessly” because the department is resistant to reform.
Dr. Jullette Saussy has been on the job for seven months. She previously ran the ambulance service in New Orleans.
In her resignation letter, dated Jan. 29, Saussy says the culture of the fire department “is highly toxic” to delivering “quality pre-hospital care.”
Saussy says a 35-year-old man died of a “potentially survivable” stab wound last month after an ambulance took more than 18 minutes to arrive. She says that happened because too many resources are devoted to “low-level calls.”
Michael Czin, a spokesman for Mayor Muriel Bowser, says the mayor is “committed to reforming” the department and improving patient outcomes.
“We’re disappointed that Dr. Saussy only put in seven months,” said Ed Smith, president of the D.C. firefighters’ union.
Smith says the department’s problems related to staffing, resources and training are significant, and they will take time to address. “She essentially quit before she even got started,” he said. “She definitely did not give it enough time.”
The panel that oversees the city’s emergency services is looking into Saussy’s letter.
“It’s deeply distressing,” said D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, who sits on the Committee on the Judiciary, which has oversight of the Fire and EMS Department.
“I’m going to ask the chair of the committee to hold a hearing on this specifically,” she said. “I don’t know about the truth of all of the allegations, but we can’t turn a blind eye to it.”
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Read Saussy’s resignation letter:
Dr. Jullette Saussy Resignation Letter, Courtesy AP
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
