Audit finds access, inventory and disposal gaps for controlled substances in Garland Fire Department; chiefs commit to controls and follow‑up

An internal audit presented Sept. 30 found that the Garland Fire Department needs tighter controls and clearer procedures for storage, access, inventory, disposal and documentation of controlled substances used in emergency medical services.

Auditors said controlled substances are held in a bolted safe at the administration inventory room and in med‑vaults inside each of the department’s 11 ambulances. The department’s in‑house inventory system and a separate patient care system record usage and transfers; auditors compared user lists and system activity across those platforms and flagged several issues with access rights and usage logging.

The audit found 245 employees had PIN access to ambulance med‑vaults; auditors found instances in which PINs assigned to terminated or retired personnel were used to open med‑vaults, and cases where one paramedic used another paramedic’s PIN. The med‑vault opening/closing report showed prolonged open durations in some cases — 125 instances where a vault was left open for more than one hour, and a sample of 59 such events produced 43 instances without adequate documentation to justify…