Officials: Staff Shortage at Maryland City Fire Department Poses Public Safety Risk

An Anne Arundel County councilman and a top union official say that the response time to a recent Crownsville fire underscores the need for more staffing at the Maryland City Volunteer Fire Department and two other stations, the Capital Gazette reports.

Jamie Benoit (D-Crownsville) and Craig Oldershaw, president of the Anne Arundel County Professional Firefighters Association, pointed to an incident last week in which responders took about nine minutes to reach a blaze in the 1300 block of Generals Highway. 

Firefighters from the closer Herald Harbor Volunteer Fire Department were busy with a medical emergency at the time of the call, according to the paper, meaning West Annapolis firefighters were the first to reach the scene. A 75-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries in the blaze.

Due to a lack of staffing, the Herald Harbor, Maryland City, and Galesville departments have all lost recognition from the Insurance Services Office—a move that can affect insurance rates in the surrounding community. Benoit and Oldershaw said that the personnel situation poses a risk to public safety.

Read the full story from the Gazette.