Carroll County, MD, Union Disputes Claim There's No Money for Staffing

Oct. 22—The local union representing career firefighters and paramedics in Carroll County is responding to assertions from county officials that three fire stations are financially unable to be staff with paid county employees, saying the notion is "contextually wrong."

The Carroll County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Association International Association of Fire Fighters Local 5184 issued a news release Saturday disputing claims that as of Oct. 1 the county does not have enough money to provide full-time paid personnel at the Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department, the New Windsor Fire Department and the Union Bridge Fire Department.

"The ( Carroll County Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services) is NOT out of funds and continues to hire personnel to staff all 13 fire stations who house career personnel within this fiscal year," the news release states.

In the current $545 million Carroll County operating budget, which started July 1, the fire/EMS department was allocated $27,964,750. That number could grow to $28,216,630 in fiscal 2026, county documents show.

However, $320,000 allocated to fund the hiring of career staff at the three stations has run out.

"Per conversation at the 10/16/2024 Carroll County Emergency Services Advisory Council's (ESAC) monthly meeting, funds have run out on the $320,000 budgeted to support volunteer company employees for stations who have not yet received Department of Fire & EMS County Employees," the union states.

"The hang-up in funding resides in procedural requirements that do not allow the Department of Fire & EMS to unilaterally reassign funds to the volunteer companies from the DFEMS payroll budget without County Commissioner approval."

The commissioners are scheduled to discuss the funding issue at their meeting on Thursday.

During an Oct. 7 meeting of the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association, Fire/EMS Department Chief Michael Robinson Sr. told members that the three stations will be "unstaffed at this time," according to meeting minutes.

As of the meeting, there were 30 people in the hiring process, and Robinson hoped to have them hired by November.

"As of October 1st, the money is out," Robinson said. "There is no money to staff the remaining three stations. We're asking everyone to please continue to keep track of costs. If there's no money to staff, we need to find a way."

District 2 Commissioners' President Ken Kiler on Friday also backed up the funding claims.

Robinson did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Instead, the county on Monday issued a written six-page report Robinson gave to the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association on Oct. 7.

"I have met with the treasurer of ( Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association), and she has provided me with data that suggests that beginning on October 1 the $320K that was budgeted for the remaining volunteer stations has been fully expended," the report states. "I have met with our budget analyst and as needed we will move forward to fund the remaining corporate positions from our budget until we have hired the positions to staff the remaining stations.

"This is not a simple transfer of funds as previously discussed but will take the action of the ( Board of Carroll County Commissioners) and their approval in order to move forward with this," Robinson said. "I recognize that this may create a burden for those remaining companies. I am focusing on this area until it can be resolved."

The push to create a combination paid and volunteer county fire service began in Carroll County more than a decade ago. In 2018, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing the county to establish the new department and in October 2020, commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance creating it. The county has been building the department since then.

"The process to transition the remaining stations to County-staffing has taken longer than originally anticipated as recruitment and retention in fire & EMS continue to struggle regionally and beyond," the union news release states. " The Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association, on behalf of the three remaining volunteer companies awaiting County employees, has advocated for additional funding to cover the ongoing months of volunteer company employment needed for interim staffing.

"This is a complex issue amongst a complex transition and the continual building of a county fire & EMS department," the union said. "All stations remain staffed as the issue of this specific funding allocation is corrected. Ultimately, career staffing in all stations remains intact as it was in previous months, recruitment and hiring of Department of Fire & EMS personnel continues, and funding remains intact."

The Carroll County Department of Fire and EMS is a combination career and volunteer personnel. It currently employees more than 170 career personnel as firefighter/emergency medical technicians, paramedics, paramedic/firefighters, fire apparatus driver operators, supervisory officers and support services to supplement volunteer personnel.

Ten of the 13 stations have received county personnel.

Originally Published: October 21, 2024 at 4:13 p.m.

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