[Scan-DC] MOGO: Four-person staffing on emergency apparatus and expansion of paramedic coverage has begun

[Alan Henney]

-----Original Message-----
From: Piringer, Peter
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:33 PM
Subject: New Fire-Rescue Staffing and Service Plan Begun.doc

additional fire/rescue staffing on several emergency response units
begins and upgrades to EMS system initiated to reduce response times
for paramedics ......

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   April 5, 2007

Emergency Medical Response Upgrades

and

Fire-Rescue Staffing Improvements Initiated


Four-person staffing on emergency apparatus and expansion of paramedic
coverage has begun


In order to reduce response times for paramedics to life-threatening
emergencies and improve firefighter safety on the scenes of fires and
other emergencies, thus significantly enhancing firefighting
operations extinguishing those fires, effective this week, the first
phase of a four-person staffing plan has been implemented within the
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.  The fiscal year ’07 budget
provides this additional staffing for eight units.

County Executive Isiah Leggett’s fiscal year ’08 proposed budget
recommendations support continuation of Montgomery County Fire Chief
Tom Carr’s plans to move towards four-person staffing on all fire and
rescue response units, as well as broadening Fire Code Enforcement
capabilities by adding more inspectors and supporting the federal
SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant which
provides funding for additional firefighter positions.

Fire stations in phase one that are designated to have four-person
staffing are Gaithersburg, FS8; Gaithersburg – Derwood, FS28;
Germantown, FS29; Rockville, FS3; Rockville – Twinbrook, FS23;
Rockville – North Potomac, FS31; Kensington – Aspen Hill, FS25;  Upper
Montgomery, FS14; Laytonsville, FS17; Clarksburg, FS35 and Chevy
Chase, FS7.  Units in all of the aforementioned fire stations will
operate with at least one paramedic assigned, making them an ‘AFRA’ or
ALS (advanced life support) First Responder Apparatus (AFRA).

After about one year of “piloting” a team of one paramedic and one
emergency medical technician or the “1+1” ALS (advanced life support –
paramedic) delivery model, it was determined that this is a more
effective use of paramedics and provided greater coverage.  This “1+1”
ALS delivery strategy will be extended to significant areas of the
County, thus reducing paramedic response times.

As part of this rebalancing of staffing, Gaithersburg, FS8, the
busiest fire station in the County will now have four units staffed
with paramedics, including two ALS transport units and two fire/rescue
first response units (AFRA), in addition to one basic life support
ambulance and one “Flex” ambulance unit.  Germantown, FS 29, will be
staffed with two paramedics one on an ALS transport unit, and one on a
fire/rescue first response (AFRA) unit, as well as an additional basic
life support ambulance unit.

It is anticipated that in September 2007, four (4) additional units
will be brought up to four-person staffing levels when firefighters
hired in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security funded
grant of $1.2 million for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response (SAFER) grant will graduate from Recruit class #30.  The
SAFER grant funded twelve (12) firefighter positions.

Thirty-seven (37) like-pumpers are being ordered to carry the
all-hazard mission of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
(MCFRS) into the future, the first of which is expected to be
delivered soon. The cost per unit will be about $435425,000 each. The
first unit will serve not only as a ‘model’ pumper, but will function
as the ‘hands-on’ training and systems evaluation rig while
construction begins on the remaining 36 units.

We expect delivery of approximately six (6) units every four (4)
months so that in about 24 months from now every first-line MCFRS
engine company will be operating with a full featured, precisely
equipped modern pumper fire engine.


            The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and the
Montgomery County Department of Police are also participating in the
Federal First Responder Access Credentialing (FRAC) pilot program.
This program, which provides an ID card to first responders who may
need to enter a disaster scene through access points controlled by
federal, state or local authorities, is part of an effort to test
national credentialing system for emergency service workers.  The
access card will allow the controlling authorities to authenticate the
identity of the card holder, verify their affiliation and Emergency
Support Function (ESF) and determine their authorization to enter a
controlled incident scene based on their ESF.  Cards are being
distributed to selected career and volunteer members.


The Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is a full
spectrum life safety agency protecting nearly 1 million people who
live and work in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction.  Under the
direction of County Fire Chief Tom Carr, the MCFRS is a combination
system (career/volunteer) in the suburban Washington, D.C. area,
operating with an annual budget of about $195 million. The MCFRS
annually handles about 100,000 emergency calls for service and is
staffed by nearly 1200 career uniformed personnel and professional
civilian staff and an equal number of volunteers, nearly half of whom
are actively involved in emergency response.