By Katharine Wilson
Capital Gazette
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Anne Arundel County plans to partner with Annapolis to jointly fund a peak-time medical unit based in the city to benefit both jurisdictions in the next fiscal year.
Supporters say the county funding will help offset the cost of the new six-person paramedic team, but some Annapolis aldermen are concerned that the one-year county grant could set the city up for larger future costs. City and county officials called the unit a “pilot program” and said future funding sources remain uncertain.
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The plan still needs approval from the city and county councils in their fiscal 2027 budgets.
The union representing city firefighters and Annapolis Fire Chief Douglas Remaley have called on the city to add the unit to lessen the strain on the department’s four existing medical units. The number of emergency medical calls has increased by 30% from 2015 to 2025, according to Annapolis Fire Department run statistics.
“It’s absolutely necessary,” said Joe Pilat, president of Annapolis Professional Firefighters Local 1926. “Our call volume … just keeps going up and up and up.”
The peak-time medical unit would operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, according to the city fire department’s budget presentation. The total cost of the unit is budgeted for $588,000, much of which would be offset because of emergency medical service billing.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, announced in his budget address on May 1 that the unit would be jointly funded. The announcement came alongside Pittman’s pitch to add 21 new firefighter positions in the county department.
The county is planning to provide $294,000 for the unit, pending County Council approval. On the county’s budget website, the project is listed as a pilot program. Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann, a Democrat, said the new medical unit’s cost would be offset by 90% because of a county grant and regular emergency medical service billing.
The city estimates that the county grant will fund about half of the staffing and operational costs of the unit. Emergency medical service billing will amount to about $200,000 to $250,000 in the next fiscal year, according to city spokesperson Mitchelle Stephenson.
Pittman is not running for reelection this year, which leaves future years of funding for the six positions at risk if his successor does not continue the program.
“Admittedly, we need to convince the next county executive to continue that county support,” Littmann said during Monday’s City Council meeting.
Future expenses for the program, Stephenson added, would be funded through the city’s general fund or potential future public safety grants from the county, state or federal government.
The state budget gave the city funding for two new ambulances, one to be operated by the peak-time medical unit and one to serve as a backup for the ambulance fleet.
Pilat said he believes the unit will pay for itself in emergency medical billing and that the city will see the need for continuing the unit in next year’s budget cycle.
The Annapolis and Anne Arundel County fire departments operate under an automatic aid agreement in which the nearest available unit is dispatched to calls for service, regardless of which jurisdiction the call is coming from. Annapolis also has an automatic aid agreement with the U.S. Naval Academy.
Remaley, the city fire chief, said during a finance committee hearing that he is optimistic about being able to fill the positions because they would be paramedic-only positions, instead of the department’s typical firefighter-and-paramedic positions.
Dependent on City Council
While the mayor included the unit in his budget proposal, the City Council has the power to amend and pass the budget. The city budget must be passed before July 1 , the start of the next fiscal year.
Ward 7 Alderman Rob Savidge, a Democrat, has requested a budget amendment removing the staffing for the unit. Savidge argued that the department has not provided enough data to prove the additional staffing is needed and that the department’s response times are sufficient without the unit.
Savidge has also pointed to other city departments, like the Office of Community Services and the Harbor Master’s Office, that are not meeting their metrics and could benefit from additional staff members.
Finance Committee Chair Harry Huntley, a Democrat representing Ward 1 on the City Council, has previously opposed the unit.
After Pittman offered grant funding, Huntley said there will be a need for an additional medic unit as the city’s population grows. However, Huntley told the Capital Gazette that funding “could be an issue in the future” without long-term funding commitments from the county.
“It’s no question that at some point, the city of Annapolis will need additional medic unit resources,” Huntley said. “If we’re in a position right now where we have a particularly good deal to get it started, it might be beneficial to do it now.”
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