LENNY COMPOUNDS HIS LOONYNESS WITH EDICT

By Juan Montoya

Remember back in May during early voting in the city election when we reported that when some firefighters helped a woman open her car after she had locked in her keys Fire Chief Lenny Perez had stopped them from helping her at the urging of now-defeated city commissioner Charlie Atkinson?
Apparently the woman had been helping Atkinson's opponent Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa and had asked passing firefighters to help at the early voting site at the Central Public Library.
That they tried, earned the umbrage of the Chief.
Firefighters sought to assure the public that the policy of not helping the public was not coming from them.
"That makes the firefighters look like we're not there to help the people," said one. "We hope the lady knows that we would help her if the chief (Perez) had let us."
Now, to further add fuel to the fire, Perez has issued an official Inter-Departmental Memo that he ordered to be posted on all fire and EMS buildings as a General Order forbidding them from assisting members of the public if they come upon them with their keys locked in their cars.
"At no time will Fire Personnel or Fire Department equipment be allowed to open a locked vehicle," the order issued by Perez May 26 states.
The only exceptions to the order will be when a child or pet is locked in the vehicle or if a vehicle presents a danger and/or belongs to an emergency responder. But even if that happens, before the vehicle can be opened the company officer must notify the dispatcher and file a complete fire report.
Even then, if a child is accidentally or intentionally (?) locked inside a vehicle, the company officer must notify the fire dispatcher and report the incident to appropriate law enforcement agencies for them to report the parent to Child Protective Services.
If firefighters encounter a situation where a member of the public has his or her keys locked in the car, they can't even call a locksmith to help them, out if they don't have a cell phone or if it was also left inside.
The vehicle "with locked keys will need to be opened by a general public provider that is requested by the owner of the locked vehicle."
"There WILL be no deviation to this directive," Perez's order further states.
Now, some firefighters remember that not too long ago Commissioner Melissa Zamora inadvertently locked her keys in her car and firefighters were sent to aid that damsel in distress. Will this also apply to her and other elected officials? And what if Mayor Tony Martinez finds himself in the same predicament? Will Lenny remain steadfast on his GENERAL ORDER?
Now, we understand some firefighters are scratching their heads and asking if this overkill on their chief's part is overlooking some basic facts.
Who pays the firefighters' salary and owns all the Fire Department equipment if not the general public? And what does it hurt to help the people who put bread on your table or for that matter pays for your office and even the chief's car and uniforms?
"It's not like we're looking for people who lock their keys in their cars," said one. "But this is typical Lenny. "Now we are being ordered not to help the very people who pay our salaries if we come upon by chance and are there with the equipment we need to pull them out of a bind. What gives with this guy?"