LARGO, Md. -- On Friday, wiring inside the ladder truck from the Bladensburg fire station caught fire. It is expected that it will take weeks to make repairs. In the meantime, Prince George's County has no extra ladder trucks to put at the Bladensburg firehouse. The only spare truck, about 20-years-old, is already being used at the West Lanham Hills fire station.
On Monday, about one-third of the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department's ladder trucks were broken. Ladder trucks are front line fire equipment county fire officials say are a priority to keep working, even during tight budget times. But that hasn't been easy. Chief Spokesman Mark Brady said in a statement " ... we are having to dispatch some ladder trucks and rescue squads from a farther station due to others being unavailable."
County sources confirm in many cases fire engines and ambulances are not being repaired if the parts aren't already in stock. Also, officials are frequently refusing to authorize repairs performed by private facilities used by the fire department. This includes even smaller repairs costing less than $1,000.
The sources tell us, and a document obtained by 9NEWS NOW confirms, that a brush truck from the Pointer Ridge station has been out of service since May 4 for want of a $500 ignition switch. The document lists 25 repairs that are on hold due to money not being available at the end of the fiscal year. Twelve of the needed repairs are keeping fire trucks or ambulances off the street. The rest of the equipment is reported to be still operating but are in need of repairs to include new tires and brake work.
Accompanying the list is a memo to department officials from Lt. Colonel Victor Stagnaro. Stagnaro writes, "Over the next six weeks and perhaps in to the next fiscal year it will become increasingly difficult to maintain apparatus".
The money problems extend beyond repairing fire trucks. New gear for firefighters is not available and there are reports that station supplies, including toilet paper, are not easy to come by.
Despite the fiscal woes, the department can't even save money by increasing its force of volunteer firefighters, a source of free labor. Brady confirms that department officials "are upset" that 43 people who have applied to be volunteer firefighters are not allowed to ride with the companies in the county where they have applied for membership. The reason is PGFD does not have money in the budget to pay for the required physicals, at a cost of $2,000 each.
In his statement provided Monday afternoon Brady wrote:
"Everyone may not be happy about the expenditure controls, furloughs and overtime reductions; however, it is a reality and for the foreseeable future is going to be a part of how we do business. Overtime reduction, fleet maintenance issues, physicals, personal protective equipment, office supplies, hiring, etc, the list goes on and on. There are no funds available now to continue to do business in a manner that we had grown accustomed to; times have changed."
According to Brady, "We are doing what we have to do in order to maintain strict financial compliance within our budgetary guidelines."
Brady points out, despite some service gaps because of broken equipment, all fire stations remain open. In the statement Brady wrote, "Are the citizens, residents and visitors safe? Our volunteer and career members continue to provide the very best in fire and emergency medical services possible with the resources we have available."
Republished with permission of WUSA-TV.
