GREENBELT, Md. — The clash over firefighter staffing in Prince George's County has intensified following a letter sent by Greenbelt officials claiming emergency response times are delayed in their city.
In a letter sent Oct. 2, Greenbelt Mayor Emmet Jordan and the city councilmembers wrote to Prince George's County Fire (PGFD) Chief Tiffany Green that they have received evidence, "indicating that the PGFD may not be properly tracking calls by their priority level or meeting the standards of coverage to which PGFD has committed."
Jordan says the alleged delayed response time is a result of the Green's plan to move dozens of firefighters from four stations to other parts of the county to address a critical staffing shortage and worker burnout.
Prince George's County Fire pulled 24 firefighters from Station 835 in Greenbelt, five from Station 839 in Bowie, six from Station 814 Berwyn Heights and 20 from Station 855 in Bunker Hill.
The local governments of Berwyn Heights, College Park and Greenbelt filed a lawsuit to try to stop the plan, saying it will make their communities less safe. That case is still ongoing.
"Summer is over, it's now October 4. So we want to get the career firefighters back. We don't have enough volunteer firefighters to do this on our own," Jordan told WUSA9.
In the letter, Greenbelt officials cite three incidents based on reports from residents:
- Sept. 1: A 3-year-old child was struck by a vehicle on Ridge Road. Residents claim that the response time exceeded 13 minutes for this critical emergency.
- Sept. 18: A medical emergency occurred on Garden Way, where the response time appears to have exceeded the 8-minute standard. A man experiencing anaphylaxis died in the incident.
- Sept. 23: A fire alarm was triggered at Green Ridge House, a senior housing complex in Greenbelt, residents claim the response time was 23 minutes.
"Given your office's lack of responsiveness to our repeated requests for data sharing, we have begun to question the accuracy of the reports and response times you have provided," Greenbelt officials wrote to Green.
Prince George's County Fire and EMS is pushing back on the allegations telling WUSA9 that out of the over 971 emergency response incidents in Greenbelt since the start of the Summer Staffing Plan, there has only been one incident in which they have not responded in the 8-minute goal.
"Other than one response time delay that was attributed to personnel violating department policy, the Fire/EMS Department has maintained an average response time of less than eight minutes in this area since June 30, 2024."
Prince George's County Fire/EMS Public Information Director Alan Doubleday provided information about the three incidents in question.
- Sept. 1: Firetruck 814 responded to the scene in 5 minutes. Medic Unit responded in 9 minutes.
- Sept. 18: Paramedic Ambulance 858 responded in 4 minutes. Paramedic Engine 848 responded in 7 minutes.
- Sept. 23: Fire Engine 828 responded in 14 minutes.
Doubleday says the delay into the last incident was prompted by the conduct of two West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department personnel. A formal investigation into the incident indicates that the responding personnel took too long to leave the station and did not use their emergency lights and sirens which resulted in a delayed response. The two firefighters have been suspended, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
"Our residents have been on pins and needles, some things have happened just communicating with the county through Chief Green, we are getting updated, periodic updates, not as regularly as we like, but frankly we would like better communication," Jordan said about the information being provided by PGFD.
Doubleday says their department has communicated with Greenbelt officials at least 18 times since June 4.
Fire Chief Green is working on a response to Greenbelt officials.