In June of this year, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and a D.C. Council committee he chairs rejected a plan from fire chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe that would have redeployed some ambulances from overnight to daytime hours. At the time, the mayoral hopeful criticized the fire department for its “inability to appropriately manage its workforce needs” and failure “to hire, internally train, or effectively retain paramedics.”

At a press conference today announcing the addition of 30 new ambulances, a new class of firefighter cadets and nine single-role paramedics, Ellerbe said he plans to resubmit the redeployment plan to the Council. While he wasn’t sure of the exact reason it was rejected, Ellerbe said he believed it had to do with the department’s infrastructure issues.

“The problem with his redeployment plan was not that it was a bad plan,” Wells said today by phone. “The problem was that he didn’t have the resources to implement it without taking coverage away from the city during morning and late nights. At the time, he did not have a plan to increase the number of paramedics and ambulances.”

Wells said he now “appreciates that they are finally trying to address that they’re severely understaffed and that they don’t have the equipment they need.” But, he added, the plan appears to be a “short term, stop-gap measure,” adding that it doesn’t address the need for dual paramedic-firefighters. Ellerbe spoke today of the difficulty in finding qualified paramedics who also want to be firefighters.

NBC4’s review of fire department records show that there are 181 open vacancies, more than the 90 plus recruits can fill.

“I’ll welcome him resubmitting the plan, as long as he agrees to perform its measures,” Wells said. “We will say, ‘Just certify on a monthly basis that you can do the things you said you’ll do. And that you’ll add paramedics instead of losing paramedics.'”