CUMBERLAND, Md. -- The McCoole Volunteer Fire Department has ceased operations and fire and emergency response calls in its service area are now being handled by other first-responders in that area, according to Dick DeVore, chief of emergency services for Allegany County.
"I received a call today from McCoole Chief Chuck Pearce that the McCoole Fire Department was shutting its doors and is effectively out of business," said DeVore on Monday afternoon.
The county official assured residents throughout McCoole and nearby areas that arrangements are in place to provide fire coverage without any interruption in service. DeVore said the McCoole ambulance service ceased operations sometime last year.
Pearce declined to comment on the matter when contacted late Monday afternoon by the Times-News, referring the inquiry to DeVore.
"This is new territory to us. We have never had a fire company tell us they were going out of business but we are working through it. I am sure it is extremely frustrating for McCoole's membership. It's unfortunate," said DeVore.
DeVore also said it was his understanding that the fire department would hold a special meeting "at some point to dissolve the department or close the doors. Until that is finalized, we have made arrangements for mutual-aid responses in their service area," he said.
Financial difficulties for the McCoole Volunteer Fire Department became known in April 2011 when the fire department faced possible foreclosure and reportedly got behind in paying its note with Marquette Bank in Cook County, Ill.
Pearce said at that time that the fire department had experienced nine consecutive years of increasing revenue before five or six straight years of declining revenue that led to the fire company's financial difficulties.
The McCoole Volunteer Fire Department logged 374 fire calls and 485 ambulance calls in 2010.
Copyright 2012 - Cumberland Times-News, Md.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
