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Former chief says North Summit firefighter was right not to respond

Alexander Cramer
/
KPCW

The former chief of the North Summit Fire District said a firefighter was right to not respond to a medical call in Echo Canyon in late January. That non-response led to the suspension of the entire roster of North Summit firefighters.

Ian Nelson, a former chief of the North Summit Fire District who was fired late last year, released a statement Saturday blaming the outcome of a recent fatal shooting on the district’s administrative control board and Summit County officials.

Nelson also said the North Summit firefighter was right to not respond to the scene because the district did not have a medical director, potentially opening the door to liability.

“In my opinion, and in most North Summit firefighters’ opinions, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't,” Nelson said in an interview with KPCW.

Summit County Manager Tom Fisher said it was the district’s “practice and policy” to respond to support medical calls. Other officials have said the firefighter disregarded a direct request to respond from a North Summit chief.

Fisher declined to discuss the specifics of the incident, citing an ongoing investigation by the Summit County Attorney’s Office.

“The apparent author of that letter is — if it is him — is a former fire chief of the district that was dismissed from the district for cause,” Fisher said. “And I'm not clear on the motivations or the information that that person has.”

Nelson was fired in November and is no longer affiliated with the district. He said he speaks on the suspended firefighters’ behalf because they fear reprisal from the board and other county officials.

KPCW has tried unsuccessfully to speak to North Summit firefighters on the record about their suspension.

Nelson issued the statement after the entire North Summit roster was suspended earlier this month following the non-response to a medical call in Echo Canyon. That incident resulted in a woman’s death from what officials said was an accidental shooting.

The North Summit administrative control board said there was a pattern of insubordination in the district and asked the Park City Fire District to take over firefighting duties in North Summit for 60 days.

Nelson’s statement was posted to Facebook on Saturday and he later confirmed to KPCW that he’d written it.

In the statement, referring to the shooting, Nelson said Summit County and the Park City Fire District administration “are accountable for that woman’s death” for pulling out of service the ambulance that would have been the closest to Echo Canyon before the call came in.

Fisher said Nelson’s letter “did not warrant comment.”

Guy Dansie, the state EMS director, said first responder agencies operate under a medical director’s license. He said the medical director determines the protocols for those agencies and also carries significant malpractice insurance. Districts often reimburse the director for that cost.

Dansie said North Summit hasn’t had a medical director since April. But he said its emergency response designation remains valid.

The district has the lowest designation the state agency offers: Emergency Medical Responder. Dansie called that level of response “very, very basic,” like “first aid on steroids.”

Dansie said the state gives agencies a grace period if they change medical directors. North Summit’s designation was set to expire at the end of January, but the district received an extension to the end of this month while it applies for a renewal.

As for what would happen if a first responder was sued and the agency they were working for did not have a medical director, Dansie said it would be up to the courts to decide.

Numerous officials have said that, even if the North Summit firefighter did not provide medical aid, it is still common practice to provide help on scene, like directing traffic or moving supplies.

Nelson said there was no written policy mandating that North Summit firefighters respond to medical calls, but he said it was an unwritten rule in the district that they do so.

The district is working to establish protocols and policies governing these sorts of issues. Requests for copies of the current and former guidelines have not been filled.

Alexander joined KPCW in 2021 after two years reporting on Summit County for The Park Record. While there, he won many awards for covering issues ranging from school curriculum to East Side legacy agriculture operations to land-use disputes. He arrived in Utah by way of Madison, Wisconsin, and western Massachusetts, with stints living in other areas across the country and world. When not attending a public meeting or trying to figure out what a PID is, Alexander enjoys skiing, reading and watching the Celtics.