Commuting Cheaper Than Residency for Md. Firefighters

It's cheaper for Capt. Will Hamer to drive 75 miles each way to work than to live in Anne Arundel County.

When Hamer started with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in the late 1970s, he would walk to the firehouse across the street from his Linthicum home.

Now, he drives from Charles Town, W.Va., every four days.

Hamer moved to Charles Town in the early 1980s, attracted by the lower cost of housing.

"When I took this job, this was my home. I took this job to serve the citizens I grew up with," he said. "When I moved, it was basically a financial decision. I realized I could get much more for my money."

Hamer's story is common in the department. With the cost of housing tens of thousands of dollars higher in the county than in surrounding states and jurisdictions, as well as a schedule that allows for longer travel time, firefighters find long-distance commutes an attractive option.

Out of the 740 career firefighters in Anne Arundel County, 64.5 percent live elsewhere. Hamer is one of the 17.5 percent of firefighters who live out of state. Of those, Hamer is one of four who live in West Virginia, according to data provided by the fire department.

Eighty-six of the department's firefighters live in Pennsylvania. Twenty-six live in Delaware. Others live in Washington, D.C., Virginia, New Jersey and New York.

One firefighter drives about 500 miles from a home in South Carolina.

Nearly half of the firefighters - 47 percent - live in Maryland, but outside the county. The numbers show a dramatic difference from police officers, more than 80 percent of whom live in the county.

The number of firefighters in the department who live outside the county has remained constant over the past five years, fire department spokesman Division Chief Keith Swindle said.

The numbers do not include the county's 500 volunteer firefighters.

Hamer said his commute is not that bad. He said it's a drive of only about an hour and 15 minutes, mostly on major highways.

Some have longer commutes just by driving from one end of the county to the other, he said.

Schedule and pay

The one-day-on, three-days-off schedule that allows county firefighters to live so far away could soon change.

The county is negotiating with local firefighters' unions to return to the one-day-on, two-day-off schedule in use before December 2006, said Craig Oldershaw, the president of the union that represents the bulk of the county's firefighters.

"We have a lot of members who started work here, who lived here and, because of cost of living and taxes, move out of the county for a larger piece of property, a lower tax base - they get to keep more of their money," Oldershaw said.

The median price for a home in Anne Arundel is $274,000, according to the Real Estate Business Intelligence website, which tracks home sales. That's 44 percent more than the $190,000 median sale price in neighboring Baltimore County and 66 percent more than the $165,000 median cost of a home in Prince George's County.

In Hamer's home county - Jefferson County, W.Va. - the median sale price for a home is $171,000. In Pennsylvania counties just over the Maryland line, the median prices range from $100,000 and $130,000.

There are single-family homes and townhomes in that price range in Anne Arundel, but most firefighters have chosen to live elsewhere.

In Anne Arundel, the starting annual salary for firefighters is just over $36,000, while in Howard County the starting salary is more than $45,000, according to spokesmen for both departments.

In Prince George's County, starting salaries are more than $40,800 for firefighters and $44,800 for firefighter paramedics, said Mark Brady, a spokesman for that county's fire department.

But starting salaries for firefighters in Anne Arundel are slightly higher than in neighboring Baltimore County, where starting pay is just over $34,000, Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman Louise Rogers said.

"If the county paid in ways more commensurate with staying, our members would certainly live here," Oldershaw said.

Changing shift

If one of the days they have to recuperate after a shift is removed, firefighters would end up working more hours each month.

While the County Council isn't involved in the negotiations with the unions, it would have to approve any contract changes.

Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-Crownsville, predicted the shift change could come as soon as this year.

"At some point I do believe the fire department shift schedule will change," Benoit said. "I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen this year - it's coming."

Council Chairman Jerry Walker, R-Gambrills, said that if the shift change "saves us money, then I say we support it, and I definitely will."

But firefighters should be compensated for the extra time worked, Walker said.

Oldershaw said that if the county reverts to its old shift schedule, it could result in more firefighters moving to the county - or drive them to look for work elsewhere.

Loss of revenue

The lack of affordable workforce housing is costing the county some of its potential tax base, said Bob Burdon, CEO of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. He sees the number of firefighters who live outside the county as an example of this.

"As much as possible, we'd like to see those tax dollars stay in the county and recirculate back in the local economy," Burdon said. "Why are they not choosing to live in Anne Arundel County? I think it comes back to affordability."

The county police force's residency situation is drastically different. Out of the 650 sworn officers in the department, 82.3 percent live in the county, 16 percent live elsewhere in Maryland and just 1.3 percent - nine officers - live out of state, police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said. Police officers work a six-day schedule with three days off.

In Baltimore County - where 925 sworn firefighters work a two-days-on, two-nights-on schedule with four days off - about 50 percent of firefighters live in the county, department spokeswoman Elise Armacost said; 38.7 percent live elsewhere in Maryland and 11.2 percent live out of state.

In Howard County - where firefighters work a one-day-on, two-days-off schedule - 20.7 percent of the 420 sworn firefighters live in the county. Sixty-three percent of Howard firefighters live elsewhere in Maryland, while 16.1 percent live out of state, fire department spokeswoman Jackie Cutler said.

Used to routine

Hamer said that as a 34-year-veteran of the Anne Arundel department with only a year and a half to go until retirement, the possible shift change would not be severe enough to drive him to retire early or look for work elsewhere.

But the third day for recuperation does help him deal with the fatigue that comes with the job, especially as he has gotten older, he said.

"I've gotten very accustomed to the schedule," Hamer said. "I guess I'd have to find a new routine."

Hamer said he had few regrets about the decision to move, which allowed him to provide more for his son, who is now 21.

"I gave him a much better quality of life (in West Virginia) and much more that we could afford to do and much more that I could expose him to," he said.

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