Seems like Kenneth Ellerbe can’t go a week without somebody piling on his record as the head of D.C.’s Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services. He’s in constant battle with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36, the union which represents most of the department’s rank-and-file staff; Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who chairs the D.C. Council committee that oversees the department, has made known his disapproval of a plan to re-assign ambulances; and yesterday, Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) openly asked for Ellerbe to quit.

“It is now very plain that the agency’s ability to respond to emergencies has been significantly degraded, and I lay that at the doorstep of poor management,” Cheh wrote in a letter to Wells yesterday. “I believe that the current Chief no longer has the confidence of the people of the District and should resign.”

But Mayor Vince Gray’s administration is standing by its pick. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander defended Ellerbe’s two-and-a-half-year-old record.

“Many of the incidents that Chief Ellerbe has dealt with during his tenure have been rooted in issues that preceded his hiring as chief,” Quander said. “As problems arise, they have been met with careful consideration and action to improve the department and better serve the residents of the District of Columbia. Moves to shorten ambulance response times have been made, and more lie ahead. The department’s vehicle fleet is in better order, with reserve units ready to roll when they’re needed.”

Problems with response times and fleet management still persist, though. In March, no city ambulances were available to respond to a D.C. police officer injured in a traffic accident; the officer was eventually picked up by one from Prince George’s County.