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| Ferndale volunteers fill void left when county pulled firefighters to trim budget |
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| By SEAN PATRICK NORRIS, Staff Writer Capital Gazette |
| December 30, 2009 |
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A year after the county Fire Department officials pulled 'round the clock career firefighters from the Ferndale station, there are no plans to replace them in the first six months of 2010, department officials said. Although the move in January was motivated by the need to cut back on overtime, department officials said the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Co. has shown it can staff the station almost on its own. "The company has come together phenomenally, you put out word that there is no staffing and people come to cover," Ferndale Volunteer Chief Jay Olson said. "It's a way of life at this point." Ferndale is the only county fire station without permanent career staff. Two firefighters continue to cover some shifts, but often leave the station staffed only by volunteers. In November, the station responded to 295 calls, 195 of them handled completely by volunteers. Olson said half the days in November were staffed completely by volunteers. The department conducted a study and found Ferndale to be the only station where the entire primary service area overlapped with surrounding stations: Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie and Linthicum. The study also showed the surrounding stations could have a unit on site within four minutes, 90 percent of the time, a national standard. Battalion Chief Michael Cox, department spokesman, said the department is grateful to the volunteers for the estimated $70,000 they saved the department in the fiscal year that ended in June, and hopes for more of the same in FY 2010 Copyright © 2009 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc., Annapolis MD
"The volunteer personnel did an exceptional job keeping their station in service, practically the entire month (of February), around the clock," Cox said. "Without them we would have never been able to achieve these savings." Department officials originally promised a replacement of the career staff when a new class of firefighters graduated last spring. But with a county budget shortfall recently estimated at $90 million that became increasingly less likely. Craig Oldershaw, president of Anne Arundel County Professional firefighters local 1563, doesn't like the situation but said it may be necessary to avoid other cost saving measures like "brown outs." The term "brownouts" appeared in an unapproved memo from County Fire Chief J. Robert Ray last month. During a brownout certain equipment at a station would be deactivated as a cost saving measure. If there is a fire in southern Glen Burnie and an engine in Station 26 is put out of service for the day, the next closest engine must come from Station 33, located farther away in Glen Burnie, Oldershaw said when memo was released. If the engine from Station 33 already is taking a call, the next closest engine, from Marley, would be called upon. It would be a way for stations to pool resources. "Right now the county is under financial hardship and according to (the study), that station has enough overlap from the surrounding companies to cover their area," he said. "At this time if it keeps us from having brownouts it might be what we have to do. It's probably the busiest (volunteer) company in the county and hopefully when times are better the county will address it." Olson said he's heard from other volunteer companies worried they will be in a similar situation to Ferndale. Cox said there are no plans to extend the program to another station. Olson, originally from Arbutus, moved to the county to be closer to the Ferndale station. He's been volunteering for 30 years. The volunteers themselves are a dedicated bunch of about 25 regulars all whom have full-time jobs. Olson said although his volunteers have been up to the task it has not been without sacrifice. He has seen his own hours increase from 100 a month to 150 a month. "We have one volunteer that has been coming in for 24 hours on Saturdays since July" said Chief Olson. "That is a lot to ask of someone to give up their summer." He said the best way to join the company is to stop by the station and pick up an application. "I came down here because they were getting more calls than where I lived," Olson said. "We could always use more volunteers, so far we've been up to the challenge but we could always use more help." Copyright © 2009 The Maryland Gazette and Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
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