Prince George's Fire Department Defends Response Time To Emergency

BOWIE, MD — The Prince George’s County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association Local 1619 claims that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department’s response time for a call on London Lane in Bowie was delayed, jeopardizing the safety of the first group of firefighters left alone on the scene.

A review of records from the Office of Homeland Security, Public Safety Communications, conducted by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, found that the first unit was dispatched to the London Lane incident at 9:07 p.m. and arrived along with a paramedic
ambulance at 9:12 p.m., which is an adequate response time, the department stated. Additional units began arriving at 9:16 p.m.

At 9:17 p.m., Engine 816, the first responding unit, radioed to communications that the fire was
extinguished and a primary search of the structure had been done.

"The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department demonstrated exceptional resilience and adaptability in responding to an extraordinary surge in emergency incidents on Jan. 26. The
department handled 618 incidents, marking a 33 percent increase compared to the daily average of 464 incidents. This surge necessitated 1,174 unit responses, reflecting a 45 percent increase in unit deployment," stated the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

The Limited EMS Resource Plan was activated when 60 percent of EMS resources were actively providing service. Demand continued to increase until it peaked at 90 percent utilization of all available EMS resources.

“Our dedicated career and volunteer personnel exhibited the highest levels of resilience and
professionalism during one of the busiest days in recent history. Our members stepped up and provided exceptional service while our resources were stretched thin," said Prince George's County Fire Chief Tiffany D. Green.

Green noted that the department is currently addressing concerns about staffing shortages.

"Although our allocated staffing level is 1,065 career firefighters, our current roster stands at 992 due to COVID-related hiring challenges. We are not alone in our hiring challenges, just as all other regional fire departments are struggling to hire enough personnel. We are aggressively recruiting, with a hiring announcement that has been open since last May. We hired 38 new firefighters in November and we will hire another 52 firefighters in May, totaling 90 new firefighters in this fiscal year," Green said.