The union representing Baltimore County firefighters are sounding the alarm about station closures following a house fire in Catonsville.
When a fire broke out just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, one of the engines in Catonsville was not in service due to staffing and overtime issues.
A person suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.
"Our assertion is there would have been two fire engines on the scene within four minutes as opposed to one engine, The ladder truck is responsible for ventilation, search and rescue," John Sabiga, union president, told WJZ.
"I think that maybe the fire administration would disagree that this is a safety concern, that this is less services available but I would have to respectfully take an opposite position. I think those double engine houses are there for a specific reason. Those daytime engines are there for a specific reason and that is obviously for firefighter safety, for our safety," he said.
Baltimore County fire officials said in a statement: "The safety of our residents and first responders remains our top priority. To be clear, the department's response to this incident was immediate and operational deployments did not impact the response time of first responders in this incident. The department will continue to provide the level of service that both the County and our residents expect and deserve."
There are currently two training academies in session as the county tries to address the shortage.
