County, VFD debate ALS crew move
Advanced life support unit shifted over alleged safety problems
Charles County Administrator Mark Belton has met at least twice with the leadership of the Newburg Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department to discuss concerns over conditions there that led to the county’s moving one of its ambulance crews out of the station, the Maryland Independent has learned.
The Charles County Emergency Medical Service’s advanced life-support unit that had been stationed at Newburg was moved to the Cobb Island
Volunteer Fire Department and EMS in mid-December following allegations of unsafe working conditions at Newburg that included harassment and intimidation of county EMS staff.
The effect of the relocation on emergency response times is expected to be “marginal,” according to the county.
“Based on employee complaints, the work environment at Station 14 was not aligned with the values, policies and practices of Charles County Government as outlined in the Charles County Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual,” the county said in a statement provided to the Maryland Independent. “The NVRSFD is an independent corporation, not subject to County policies or procedures, and cannot be compelled to adhere to County Government work environment standards.”
One of the options the two parties are discussing is a revised memorandum of understanding governing the use of the space by county EMS staff.
“The county did anticipate there could be marginal changes in response times to some locations in the southern region of the county,” the statement continued. “The decision to move the unit was made using ‘live’ response time data, call volume data, and open source census data. Cobb Island was determined to be the best alternate location. Response times continue to be monitored to ascertain the actual impact of the relocation.”
Ryan DeGruy, president of the Professional Paramedics & EMTs of Charles County, a local affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said that the most serious allegations reported by county EMS staff stationed at Newburg included NVRSFD members allegedly setting off explosives in the parking lot, leaving firearms unattended around the station and brandishing firearms in a manner that county employees felt was unsafe.
DeGruy said that the alleged incidents also included harassment and intimidation of county EMS staff “going back years.”
“There has been just a whole list of issues that makes it completely unsafe for our crews to be there,” DeGruy told the Maryland Independent. “I can’t speak to how the county made their specific decision [to relocate the ALS unit], but it was our view that it was unacceptable for our crews to remain in that facility any longer.”
Other allegations included NVRSFD members disrupting the sleep of county EMS staff and leaving the premises unsecured when not occupied.
DeGruy, whose union represents 72 of the county’s 82 eligible full-time paramedics and emergency medical technicians below the rank of lieutenant, emphasized that he did not believe the alleged actions at Newburg were representative of behavior at other volunteer fire and EMS departments in Charles County.
DeGruy also applauded the county government’s efforts to address the situation.
Newburg EMS chief Andrew Spalding, who handles public affairs for NVRSFD, told the Maryland Independent that the station’s response to the allegations is that they are false.
Spalding said the NVRSFD leadership raised the allegations at their meetings with Belton. “At that point [the first meeting] we had started hearing different stories, so we went, so to speak, straight to the horse’s mouth,” Spalding said, noting that the decision to move the ALS unit had been taken by Belton’s predecessor, Michael Mallinoff.
Spalding said that he is “optimistic” that the situation will be resolved and the ALS unit returned to Newburg. “That’s solely my opinion,” he noted.
“Mr. Belton has been very open and receptive to our meetings,” said NVRSFD fire chief George Edelen. “I feel that he is looking at things [in an] open-minded [way] and I’m optimistic that he’s going to do the right thing.
“Putting ourselves in his position, he has to be accountable for what he does or doesn’t do,” Edelen said. “He has to make sure that he looks at everything and makes a proper decision. And I respect that.”
Edelen said that the move has not had a negative impact on the station’s initial response to fire and basic life-support calls.
At the meetings with Belton, NVRSFD also raised concerns about the impact on response times resulting from moving the ALS unit to Cobb Island.
Spalding said that units based in Newburg are able to respond to nearby calls within five to seven minutes. Units based in Cobb Island, or in Dahlgren, Va., that also respond to south-county calls, are typically able to respond to the Newburg area no sooner than 10 minutes after receiving a call. Units based in La Plata have taken up to 17 minutes to arrive there, he said.
“So you have essentially tripled, almost quadrupled the response time of an advanced life-support [unit] arriving on the scene,” Spalding said.
The Newburg and Cobb Island fire stations are the only stations serving the county’s southside region, as defined by the Charles County Department of Emergency Services.
According to Charles County Department of Emergency Services data, county EMS personnel responded to 75 percent of the calls to Newburg that required the dispatch of basic or advanced lifesaving equipment between July 2017 and June 2018.
DeGruy emphasized that he believed residents’ lives “are not being jeopardized” by the move, noting that two basic life-support ambulances are still stationed at Newburg, and both the Bel Alton and Cobb Island volunteer fire departments each have a basic life support ambulance as well.
However, DeGruy said, concern over a potential gap in coverage resulting from the move highlights a need for more EMS personnel, which he said is “desperately needed” in Charles County.
County spokespeople have confirmed that two meetings have taken place between Belton and the NVRSFD leadership, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, and Monday, March 11.
In a statement to the Maryland Independent, Belton said that he believed the meetings with NVRSFD leadership are “a good first step toward facilitating a more positive relationship between both parties.”
“Public safety is the number one priority for both the County and NVRSFD,” Belton said in the statement. “Both parties remain committed to providing quality ALS service to our County residents, as we work to address all concerns.”