By E.B. Furgurson III
The Capital
ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. — Along with serious damage to roadways from recent downpours, county officials report that Anne Arundel’s first responder fleet has taken an expensive wallop.
The damage could run to nearly $600,000, much of it done when a fire truck went into the drink to save a stranded police officer.
County police lost five cars between the arrival of Hurricane Irene Aug. 27-28 and the deluge of Tropical Storm Lee, 10 days later. The bulk of the damage was from Lee.
Four county police cars — three patrol units and a K-9 unit — were declared totaled because of water damage too expensive to repair. All four were partially submerged within a two-hour period after midnight Sept. 8.
County fleet officials reported a fifth patrol car damaged during Irene, but police could not confirm details of that loss.
The fire department had two pumper trucks damaged when they had to travel into deep water during rescues.
One pumper, a 2007 E-One, had pump and differential damage. It was back on the road last week after up to $4,500 in repairs.
The second, a 2001 E-One pumper, suffered engine, transmission, pump housing, electronic control unit and rear differential damage. It is likely a total loss.
“The county shop has estimated it a total loss, but the vehicle has been sent to an outside dealer for a more detailed inspection,” said Division Chief Michael Cox, spokesman for the fire department.
He said the pumper was towed to a Glen Burnie engine specialist last week, but he does not know when the county can expect a final prognosis.
The county is making sure the pumper truck is beyond repair, considering that the price tag of a replacement unit is $465,000.
Two of the damaged county vehicles apparently were in the same place at the same time in the wee hours of Sept. 8, when heavy rains from Tropical Storm Lee were falling.
At 1:56 a.m., a county police officer from the Southern District was responding to a call when he approached an area with high water in the 300 block of Central Avenue.
There had been water on the road in that area throughout the night, but that stretch had been deemed safe to drive through earlier that morning.
This time, when an officer drove through the water, his vehicle stalled. Within a minute or two, the water rose, and was soon up to his dashboard.
The fire department was called at 1:58 a.m. for a swift-water rescue. The pumper truck from the Woodland Beach Volunteer Fire Department responded.
The pumper also went into the high water in order to aid the rescue of the stranded officer.
Both the police cruiser, valued at an estimated $25,000, and the fire truck were damaged — and both may be beyond repair.
The other police vehicles were damaged between midnight and 2 a.m.
At 12:27 a.m., a Western District officer on his way to call in Severn turned onto Burns Crossing Road from Route 175 and suddenly encountered high standing water, leaving his cruiser inoperable. The vehicle was later towed.
At 12:36 a.m., an off-duty K-9 officer was approaching the area of Riedel Road and Westport Lane in Crofton when he suddenly hit high water in an area not known for flooding problems. The car stalled and had to be towed.
And in Pasadena at 1:57 a.m., an officer on patrol in a dimly lit area of westbound Pasadena Road passed through high standing water. His car subsequently stalled and had to be towed.
Altogether, the county could be out an estimated $585,000 if the fire truck is a total loss.
There are two ways the county can absorb the losses.
The first is insurance.
“The county is self-insured for losses on police and fire vehicles,” county spokesman Dave Abrams said.
The second is possible federal aid.
President Barack Obama has not yet declared Tropical Storm Lee a disaster in Maryland, though Gov. Martin O’Malley has made the request.
If the disaster is declared, the county would likely be eligible for disaster assistance to recoup expenses like road repair, labor, tree removal and the lost vehicles.
The county would qualify because it incurred expenses well above the $1.7 million mark needed to qualify, Abrams said.
Anne Arundel did not qualify for assistance for Hurricane Irene, as it spent only $1.1 million, Abrams said.
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