Former Florida paramedic is accused of accidentally killing patients, a report says

PONCE INLET, Florida – For a small town, Ponce Inlet has had some major problems with its fire department. Among them is a former paramedic who may have accidentally killed some of his patients.

This is all documented in a 52-page report by the law firm DSK Law on behalf of the city of Ponce Inlet. The city hired the company to investigate complaints within the fire department.

The most concerning allegations involve former firefighter Kyle Oberst, who has worked as a paramedic for six years. Florida EMS Association President Dr. Todd Soard said paramedics are different from firefighters because paramedics have special responsibilities.

“And then of course a paramedic is more advanced, the training goes deeper and deeper into care, both for heart disease and trauma, and they are able to administer medications,” Soard said.

The report included interviews with several of Colonel's firefighter colleagues. Many of them remembered a time when Oberst admitted to killing a patient after giving him the wrong medication. The report states: “Firefighter Colonel openly admitted that he caused disorder[ed] “on” and led to the death of a patient. Firefighter Oberst admitted that he administered the wrong medication, Lasix, a water pill. When the Lasix caused an adverse reaction, Fire Chief Oberst said he did not inform the hospital and did not include the information in his report.

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The city of Ponce Inlet said the report is part of ongoing litigation and it cannot comment on the allegations. Dr. Soard said paramedic training also includes advanced patient care.

“Interpret EKGs, learn the proper medication administration process and deepen patient assessment training,” he said.

The report also states that Oberst told a colleague that he had failed to connect a patient to a CPAP ventilator and that the patient had been “coding.” He then allegedly told the colleague: “He no longer wanted to work as a paramedic because it was becoming too stressful for him and he felt like he was missing things and causing harm to patients.”

The report said Oberst claimed he only wanted to work as a firefighter. The City of Ponce Inlet terminated Oberst's employment in 2021. Dr. Soard said the city's medical director should regularly evaluate paramedics' performance.

“It is very important that the medical director is involved, either through meetings or through a designated training officer, and someone who also does this on their behalf.”

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