By JONATHAN RIFFE
In the mid-1990s, the Calvert County (MD) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Departments struggled with a nationwide epidemic: increasing call volume with a disproportionate growth in staffing. With a bleak future on the horizon, plans were being made to implement career personnel to backfill the vacancies the volunteers were unable to cover. The volunteer fire, rescue, and emergency medical services were changing.
Calvert County is one of several Maryland counties that make up the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and is protected by six volunteer fire, rescue, EMS departments; one volunteer rescue squad; one volunteer advanced life support (ALS) department with several chase units; and one volunteer dive team. A few departments specialize in specific emergencies with the appropriate equipment, and members are trained in how to use it. For example, the Huntingtown (MD) Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) specializes in confined space emergencies; in 2010, it responded to 2,255 emergencies.
Decades ago, serving as a member of your volunteer fire and rescue department was something the community did. Citizens joined because their friends or family were members. It provided the opportunity for excitement and to be part of a group, a social network, and to share the fellowship. In that era, many departments didn’t even recruit. Calls were limited, and the community was close-knit. Recruiting and retaining members didn’t even cross the minds of the leadership regime; it was accomplished by word of mouth. Members who lived, worked, and volunteered locally were allowed to leave their place of employment when the siren blew because the employer understood his employee was needed at a 911 call. Most likely, the employer was also a member of the department.
WHEN THE FIRE SERVICE CHANGED
As years and decades passed, something changed; the number of emergency responses increased slowly with time. With that, the initial certifications and mandatory recertifications that needed to be successfully completed increased. The backbone of the department—the charter and life members—grew older and did not adapt to the new changes. They were no longer able to treat and transport patients with a first responder certification. A new course—Emergency Medical Technician—was approved, integrated, and mandated for emergency medical providers. Quick, prebasic fire training classes, which “certified” trainees as firefighters, were replaced with college-level Firefighter I and Firefighter II classes. The Hazardous Materials Training (Awareness, Ops, Technician, and Specialist) course was developed so firefighters were aware of the different types of hazardous materials and how they reacted and dealt with each one on a tactical level. With wildland fires raging in the Midwest, an incident command system was developed. Also, Fire Officer I courses were developed, which became a requirement for chief officers. Eventually, Fire Officer II, Fire Officer III, and Fire Officer IV were developed. In the past decade, domestic and international terrorism increased. As a result, the Weapons of Mass Destruction training course was created.
What became of older members who didn’t have this newly required training still being developed today? They weren’t eligible to be “grandfathered” in because of legal and liability concerns. The older, active members slowly dwindled away, becoming associate and administrative members until, eventually, they felt unwanted. These changes resulted in fewer people left to do more work. Unfortunately, many departments failed to acknowledge that they didn’t have sufficient members to do all the work that needed to be done. They continued to rely on the same handful of people.
Many of the close-knit small towns that relied on home response for every call slowly grew from tiny rural communities to urban developments, streets with street lights, and so on. The members who responded from home began to realize it took too long for them to make the apparatus and quit coming from home. The community with “homegrown natives” began to evolve into a diverse population. The majority of the new citizens were not even aware that the local fire departments protecting and serving them were citizens who were also volunteering. If you reside in a community and are a volunteer firefighter, have you ever stopped to ask anyone if he knew whether the community was protected by career or volunteer fire and rescue services? Have you ever asked a citizen what a volunteer emergency provider is? The answers you receive may surprise you.
TIME FOR A CHANGE
A review of the response data and staffing levels was needed. We quickly reached out to the community and our current volunteers through surveys. The HVFD started handing out confidential surveys twice a year to the membership, asking what was good and bad with the department, suggestions to improve morale, and ideas to recruit and retain members; these surveys still continue in 2012. When reaching out to citizens, we realized that many are not aware that firefighters, rescue personnel, and emergency medical technicians in Calvert County are 100-percent volunteer. In fact, Calvert County is the only county in the state of Maryland that is still protected exclusively by volunteers.
Every 10 years, an independent consulting company evaluates all Calvert County fire rescue and EMS services as well as false alarm calls, communications, fire prevention, staffing levels, and recommendations for the next 10 years. In the late 1990s, the consulting company evaluated the problems that Calvert County volunteers were enduring and realized that recruitment and retention were the top priorities if volunteerism was to continue.
In 2008, Carroll Buracker, a public safety management consulting corporation that specializes in evaluating fire departments and providing them with technical assistance, performed the 10-year analysis of Calvert County’s fire, rescue, and EMS departments. The findings, presented to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners, showed that Calvert County volunteers saved the county approximately $19 million a year in labor and labor-related costs. This resulted in several major accomplishments being achieved in 2001 by the Chief Council, President’s Council, Fire & Rescue Association, Fire & Rescue Commission, and established committees.The Department of Public Safety, which had already existed, was expanded. Now within the department are the Control Center—911 Division, Emergency Management & Safety Division, Fire-Rescue-EMS Division, False Alarm Reduction Unit, and Hazardous Materials Response Team.
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE
Upgraded Department of Public Safety. A paid Fire-Rescue-EMS Division was established to alleviate some of the tedious tasks that departments face and to act as a liaison to all the volunteer departments. Inside of the division are several department heads such as a fire-rescue-EMS coordinator, an assistant coordinator, a recruitment and retention specialist, and an office assistant. The Fire-Rescue-EMS Division’s mission is to protect and preserve the 100-percent volunteer fire-rescue-EMS system; support the volunteer fire-rescue-EMS department’s high-quality fire protection, rescue, and EMS services to citizens in the most effective, professional, and efficient manner possible; uphold the county’s policies, procedures, and directives; promote partnerships within the public safety community, providing the citizens with a high level of service and protection; and promote recruitment and retention of volunteer personnel by providing education, training, and benefit opportunities.
The False Alarm Reduction Unit establishes a mutually beneficial relationship among alarm users, alarm industry representatives, and the Calvert County emergency responders to help decrease the number of false alarms in Calvert County through proper installation, maintenance, monitoring, and efficient and effective use of alarm systems. It found that Calvert County police, fire, and EMS personnel were responding to more than 5,000 false alarms annually (approximately 13 per day); however, fewer than two percent of all activated alarms were for actual emergencies.
The Hazardous Materials and Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team is a strategically located and specially trained and equipped team that uses the combined resources of Calvert County’s Department of Public Safety, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Special Operations Team, and the Calvert County Fire-Rescue-EMS Department volunteers.
Daycare. Any member of a Calvert County volunteer fire company or volunteer rescue squad is eligible to participate in a daycare benefit if that member attends mandatory training or staffs a shift at his station.
Training. The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute—University of Maryland (MFRI—UM) provides the firefighter and emergency medical service instruction. Medic (ALS) training is also offered by the College of Southern Maryland. These training opportunities are offered at no cost to a member who may earn college equivalent credits accepted by area colleges and schools. An agreement requires the volunteer to provide at least one full year of service in exchange for this training.
Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP). Members of a Calvert County volunteer fire company or volunteer rescue squad who reach the age of 55 and have completed 25 years of certified active volunteer service in Calvert County are eligible to receive $400 per month for life. An additional $4 per month shall be added to the benefit for each full year of active certified volunteer service in excess of 25 years, with a maximum benefit of $500 per month for life. Calvert County’s LOSAP monthly stipend is one of the highest in Maryland.
Scholarship Program. Calvert County volunteer company or volunteer rescue squad members with two years of active service may apply to the scholarship program, which pays the cost of tuition, fees, and books of a member enrolled in a post-high school program. The course work must be with an accredited institution, and all monies are paid directly to the institution. The county sets aside $50,000 for college scholarships each year; $6,000 of that is designated to each fire and rescue department in the county. If one of the departments doesn’t have a qualified applicant, the scholarship may go to another department.
Reimbursement Program. The State of Maryland offers a tuition reimbursement program for courses successfully completed while earning a degree or certificate in fire service technology or emergency medical technology at a Maryland degree granting institution.
State Income Tax Benefit. The State of Maryland provides an income tax benefit to fire, rescue, and EMS personnel with three years of active service. It also provides a subtraction or deduction modification of $3,500 for individuals who serve in a volunteer capacity and qualify for active duty service during that tax year.
High School Cadet Program. High school students may be eligible for election to the fire-rescue-EMS training program, which is a joint venture of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association and the public school system. It includes, in one year, EMT, Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Rescue Technician, Hazardous Materials Operations, Engine Company Operations, Truck Company Operations, and Building Construction classes and National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. This training is delivered through the MFRI—UM. In return, the students earn college equivalent credits accepted by area colleges. In addition, the program fully trains students to be competitive for entry-level positions with paid and career fire and rescue departments with local, state, and federal governments.
Fitness Program. Most of the departments have their own workout equipment that volunteers can use, and local gyms give volunteers a discounted membership.
Maryland State Fire Association. The organization provides discounted life insurance and financial planning services for its members.
So, where do we stand today? Just a few years ago, the Board of Calvert Commissioners recognized the chiefs and their respective departments for having the lowest scratch (failed to respond) rate in the history of the county. During the previous year, the scratch rate was 0.7 percent. Protecting our county with 100-percent volunteers continues to be and will always remain a struggle. The goal is to identify the problems before they exist and pursue them head-on so the members are prepared. This begins at the top of the food chain—with your leadership.
JONATHAN RIFFE is a sergeant at Truck 11 for the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department and the chief of the Huntingtown (MD) Volunteer Fire Department. He is also the chair of the Chief’s Council. He has an A.A.S. degree in fire science from the College of Southern Maryland and a B.S degree in fire science from the UMUC. He teaches firefighter training through the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and has assisted with Mayday training throughout the country. Riffe also assisted in the redevelopment of the USFA Leadership I, II, and III classes. He has several certifications, including firefighter II, fire officer IV, Nationally Registered EMT-B, hazmat tech, and instructor III. Riffe is also the co-owner of Southern MD CPR & First Aid Training.
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