Compton Fire Chief Placed On Leave Amid Defibrillators Investigation
COMPTON (CBSLA.com) — Officials Wednesday announced the Compton Fire Department's chief has been placed on leave.
According to city officials, Fire Chief Jon Thompson was placed on leave after the city launched an investigation into the agency's management of emergency medical care.
Authorities said Thompson will continue to be paid while on leave.
Officials plan to examine how most city fire trucks and ambulances came to be stripped of defibrillators, City Manager Johnny Ford explained to the L.A. Times.
Defibrillators are a crucial life-saving device, which authorities use to deliver a shock to the heart in patients who suffer from cardiac arrest.
Last week, county regulators forced fire officials in Compton to remove the defibrillators after the city was unable to produce documentation that firefighters had been properly trained to use the equipment.
Former Fire Chief Rico Smith has been appointed to take over day-to-day management of the department. He will serve as interim chief, officials said.
Smith, 65, served as chief for the Compton Fire Department for four years. He left the office in 2007.
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