By Heather Rawlyk
The Maryland Gazette
MARYLAND CITY — Seven months after the county Fire Department cut costs by collapsing four battalions into three, local union leaders and volunteers say they want the fourth battalion back — for safety’s sake.
At last week’s County Council work session, presidents of the firefighters’ union and the county Volunteer Firefighters Association said the change has left junior officers handling emergency situations because the seasoned battalion chiefs who would normally issue orders have to traverse larger geographical areas to get to the scene.
“On fire grounds or emergency scenes there is a need for that supervision, that seasoned supervision, to be there to look at the big picture,” said Craig Oldershaw, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1563.
Mr. Oldershaw and Craig Harman, county Volunteer Firefighter’s Association president, told council members the new battalion structure instituted in June is not working and puts firefighters’ lives in danger.
To cut costs, county Fire Chief David Stokes had condensed the four smaller battalions — regional divisions that divided the county into the North, South, East, and West quadrants — into three larger ones.
Officials eliminated the battalion that responded to calls in west county, and expanded other battalions to handle calls from that area. The department created a new shift commander position that alleviated administrative duties from the remaining three battalion chiefs.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, and Mr. Oldershaw said he and the Volunteer Firefighters Association agreed to try it out. But it’s been more than half a year, and the new structure extends the time it takes for a battalion chief to respond to an emergency.
Division Chief Michael Cox, a county Fire Department spokesman, said the administration has met with the volunteer and union leaders over their concerns.
“Absolutely, this is a concept that the fire department administration is closely aware of and monitoring,” Chief Cox said.
As part of the changes, the northern battalion picked up four additional firehouses, including Waugh Chapel, Odenton, Maryland City, and Jessup. A blaze in North Glen Burnie makes for a long drive for a battalion chief in Maryland City, Mr. Oldershaw said.
The response time hasn’t increased, but the amount of time first responders must now wait for their leader has increased, leaving newly promoted lieutenants to hold command in the meantime.
The problem is, many of these lieutenants don’t have the experience necessary to make these decisions, Mr. Oldershaw said.
Last year, 72 firefighters were promoted to lieutenant — most of which had limited experience — to fill positions created when the department instituted a fourth shift at fire stations county wide. The fourth shift was created to cut down on overtime, and keep firefighters more rested and alert.
Mr. Oldershaw, along with volunteer representatives, thought the new shift supervisor would be in the field during the day, monitoring and overseeing decisions made by these lieutenants when the battalion chief was not available. But the shift commander isn’t out and about.
Instead, Mr. Oldershaw said, the commander does work at county Fire Department headquarters in Millersville and is only dispatched on multi-alarm calls.
Chief Cox said the supervisor has management duties overseeing the battalion chiefs and relieves them of administrative work, allowing battalion chiefs to spend more time in the field.
Mr. Harmon from the volunteer’s association said that with larger areas to cover, the battalion chiefs have “stretched” relationships with their firefighters.
“Employee/supervisor relationships are not the same as (they) used to be,” he told county council. “The battalion chiefs don’t know the personnel and in turn, don’t know the capabilities and qualities of staffing.”
Luckily, the county hasn’t lost a firefighter at a scene in years, Mr. Oldershaw said. But one wrong decision by an inexperienced man or woman on the field — without their battalion chief’s supervision — may mean life or death for Anne Arundel’s firefighters.
He pointed out that the creation of four battalions throughout the county came after three firefighters — two career and one volunteer — were killed fighting a blaze in Brooklyn in the 1970s. Back then, the county had district captains to call the shots.
The county has grown since then, and is only going to get bigger. Anne Arundel needs its fourth battalion back, Mr. Oldershaw said.
“It was a concept that we’ve tried and agreed to it, but we need to go back to a fourth battalion,” he said.
The delays are more pronounced in west county, where a battalion chief is responsible for responding to emergencies from Maryland City to North Glen Burnie.
“It concerns me when the cuts we’re making overburden the fire department’s leadership, that they have jeopardized the ability of battalion chiefs to respond to fires,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit, a Democrat who represents most of west county.
But Chief Administrative Officer Dennis Callahan, whose father was a deputy fire chief in Baltimore for 43 years, said he doubts that safety is compromised with the fewer battalion chiefs.
“I’m just not buying it,” Mr. Callahan said.
Mr. Callahan said the suggestion to streamline operations was made by Chief Stokes, and Mr. Callahan points out that no safety problems have arose in the months that the plan has been implemented.
“It seemed very doable, and with the recommendation of professional expertise, it was an easy decision to make,” Mr. Callahan said, adding that Chief Stokes was one of the best managers the fire department has had in recent history and has nearly eliminated the overtime costs that cause the department to hemorrhage money.
Mr. Callahan also said that were Chief Stokes to tell the administration that the three battalion chief structure jeopardized the safety of firefighters, the situation would be addressed.
“We just don’t see it as a problem,” Mr. Callahan said. “Obviously we will not compromise public safety ... That’s the first priority: public safety.”
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