The Honolulu City Council postponed a vote Thursday on whether to reappoint Department of Emergency Services Director Jim Ireland after several former employees said he fosters a toxic work environment. 

They accused Ireland of favoritism and retaliation against people who speak out, which they said makes it difficult for the department to recruit and retain employees and leads to much-needed ambulances being left idle. One paramedic said Ireland inappropriately inserts himself into emergency responses because he enjoys the adrenaline rush.

“There’s definitely a no-confidence feeling within the field personnel,” said former city paramedic Jonathan Lee, who said he left the department in February 2024 after more than 30 years of service. Lee was among four people who testified in person; six more submitted written remarks.

Ireland denied the allegations in an interview with Civil Beat and during the meeting, which ended with the city’s deputy managing director, Krishna Jayaram, vowing to “take a close look.”

“Where there are areas to improve, we will improve,” Jayaram said. 

As Mayor Rick Blangiardi starts his second term, the City Council has been holding reappointment hearings to decide which of his department heads merit four more years. 

Some have fared better than others. Directors who lead struggling workforces — such as the Department of Planning and Permitting, which has faced heavy criticism in recent years for slow permit approvals and a bribery scandal — have faced tough questioning on how they plan to improve their services.

Those who accused Ireland of poor leadership Thursday said it has discouraged employees from continuing to work for him.

“This has resulted in the misuse of taxpayers’ dollars for personal vendettas and unwarranted investigations against employees who otherwise are competent and dedicated,” former EMS worker Laurie Grace testified. “Such actions are an abuse of power and further erodes trust and morale within the department, discouraging good employees from continuing on with their service.”

Council member Andria Tupola keyed in on an allegation in written testimony, in which one former employee accused Ireland, a physician, of writing an employee a doctor’s note through his private practice, “allowing them to manipulate leave policies and evade accountability.”

Tupola asked Ireland if he had ever done so. He said no but added that he does write notes when warranted through his part-time work with Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Employees at his private practice might also write notes for people, he said, adding that is out of his hands.

In the interview with Civil Beat after the hearing, Ireland acknowledged that staffing shortages are a chronic problem in the department. 

“It’s tough. Call volume is going up. EMS calls for service and 911 are going up — and that’s nationally, not just in Honolulu,” Ireland said. “And with the same number of resources, it’s hard to ask paramedics to do more and more and more calls.”

Some ambulances respond to up to 16 calls within a 12-hour shift, he said, “which is just off the charts busy.” 

At the hearing, he told the council that he has made improvements to ambulance availability since taking over the department in 2020. 

The department has 21 ambulances. About two were unavailable every day in January 2023, Ireland testified, a rate he said he has cut in half through hiring. Ireland also has tried to lessen ambulance shortfalls by contracting with the private ambulance service American Medical Response and the federal fire department.

But staff retention remains a challenge: “Just because we hire 30 or 40 people a year doesn’t mean we keep them all,” he said.

Ireland’s detractors said that because he hasn’t been effective in fixing the problems, staff mental health has suffered. They pointed to a council resolution last year that urged the administration to focus on mental health and wellness for first responders, arguing that Ireland hasn’t made progress on this front. 

In his interview with Civil Beat, Ireland said that his team does care about mental health and wellness and is thinking about how to better help employees. He said the city has a counseling program, but it’s limited to specific providers. 

“Maybe people could potentially pick their own provider and we reimburse them,” he said, adding that he’s also thinking about having the department support people’s exercise memberships. 

Ireland has led the department since March 2020 and had a previous tenure as well, leading it from July 2010 to January 2012. No date has been set for the council to continue its consideration of Ireland’s future with the city.