Somerset County, MD, Fire Chiefs Ask EMS Crews to Assist Firefighters
Somerset County fire chiefs are asking county officials to let county EMS workers help on volunteer fire calls, saying the current policy keeps trained first responders from pitching in even when they are already on scene.
The change could be complicated, involving county policy, job duties, liability and chain-of-command questions. But county officials have not answered detailed questions about how that process would work or when a change could be made.
Firefighters say the issue is simple: They are short-staffed, and EMS workers are often there first.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, they’re on the scene before we are,” John Barnette, president of the Somerset County Fire Chiefs Association, told the Somerset County Commissioners on Tuesday. “I’m not saying we want their help — we need their help,” he said.
Barnette said he was told county policy prohibits county EMS workers from assisting fire companies. Somerset County took over EMS operations last year, and the relationship between county officials and volunteer fire companies has been frosty.
That was clear during a Feb. 24 special session, when fire officials raised concerns about transparency, accountability and communication between county EMS and volunteer fire companies. According to the minutes, Commission President Charles Laird agreed EMS leaders Ken Dixon and Cory Polidore “should have nothing to do with the fire companies” and should focus on county EMS.
The minutes also say Laird assured fire officials and EMS staff would “not interfere with the Fire Departments,” and later added, “Our EMS will no longer interfere with Fire Companies.”
Since then, Dixon is no longer leading the department, and Polidore has taken over.
Barnette said the fire chiefs voted unanimously on June 11 to ask commissioners for help.
“We feel it would be the most advantageous to ourselves and the people we serve if you could adjust the policy to allow the people to help us out,” he said. “I would safely say two-thirds of your [EMS] personnel are cross-trained as firefighters — I probably trained about half of them.”
Barnette pointed to a barn fire about two months ago on Peggy Neck Road. He said an ambulance arrived before a Station 5 fire truck, and the barn was already engulfed. EMS workers initially pitched in but later told him they could no longer assist, he recalled.
“We were told not to touch a hose,” they told Barnette, in his recounting.
“You’re well aware that we are short-staffed,” Barnette told commissioners. “To have trained people right there and they’re prohibited from helping us is a waste of a resource.”
Barnette said he was not asking EMS workers to enter burning buildings without proper gear or to abandon medical duties. But they could help with other tasks, from moving hoses to assisting at crash scenes.
“Anything I’m asking will not compromise their capability or ability to fulfil their medical obligations on the fire scenes,” he said.
Laird said the request marked a shift.
“That’s certainly a change in stance from when we started off with this thing, because everyone was worried to death that Somerset County EMS was going to get involved in the fire business,” he said.
“This would go a long way to fostering mutual cooperation between the two entities,” Barnette said.
Reached for comment Friday, Barnette said the commissioners would next review the policy with Polidore.
“And, in subsequent conversations I had with both, they’re going to do it. They’re going to allow them to help us,” Barnette said. “There’ll be limitations, but they will be allowed to assist us when needed.”
County commissioners and EMS officials did not respond this week to requests for comment.
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