HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 08-18 Maplewood field chief, 5 others placed on leave after death at nursing home STAR TRIBUNE 8/19/2015 Maplewood fire chief,5 others placed on leave after nursing home
EAST METRO
Maplewood fire chief, 5 others placed on �
leave after death at nursing home
5 others also on leave, in move related to a nursing home death.
By David Peterson(http://www.startribune.com/david-peterson/10645651/)Star Tribune
AUGUST 18,2015—11:50PM
Maplewood Fire Chief Steve Lukin and five others in the department have been placed
on administrative leave in the wake of what Mayor Nora Slawik is calling a`bery serious
complaint."
The mayor declined to identify or discuss details of the complaint.
Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell,however,said firefighters and medics were called
to the Good Samaritan Society nursing home on Aug.7,where a 71-year-old woman
suffering from Parldnson's disease had stopped breathing and was unconscious.
Firefighters attempted to resuscitate her,and were in the process of transporting her to
the hospital,but ultimately stopped their efforts at the request of the woman's husband,
who had arrived at the scene,according to a police report.
The woman was transported back to a room at the nursing home,where she died 20
minutes later,according to the report.
Schnell said that because there was no"do not resuscitate"directive,police investigated
whether all the legal requu-ements were met when emergency responders stopped
worldng to save the woman's life.
Maplewood police investigated the matter and consulted with the Ramsey County
attorney's office before concluding that there was no criminal wrongdoing,Schnell said.
After getting input from the county attorney,Schnell said he was not requesting a full
cruninal investigation.
Nonetheless,the six members of the Fire Department were placed on leave Monday.
City Manager Melinda Coleman said Tuesday that officials will"complete our work on
this by the end of the week,we hope."
The news is the latest in a long sequence of troublesome issues for a Ramsey County
suburb that led the alternative weekly City Pages several years ago to brand Maplewood
as"the'I�vin Cities'most dysfunctional suburb."
It also comes as the FBI pursues an equally mysterious probe that has been tied to the
abrupt departure of a former city administrator.
In the matter concerning Ltilcin and others,Slawik cautioned against expecting much in
the way of a detailed explanation in the near future.
"With firefighters as members of labor unions,they have a process they go through when
something happens,"she said."Our preliminary findings may just be that there's a need
for further investigation."
Those on leave in addition to Luldn include the assistant fire chief,Clarence"Butch"
Gervais,and four full-or part-time firefighters.
Lukin and Gerva.is could not be reached for comment.
http://www.startri bune.com/maplewood-s-fi re-chief-several-staffers-placed-on-leave/322229441/