Maryland’s National Harbor complex no longer has a 24-hour fire company at its dock. Budget problems force PGFD to redeploy staffing.

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Read more on how PGFD is cutting overtime

In recent days the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has been redeploying its dedicated staffing at Station 858 during the evening hours. The station operates the fire boat at National Harbor, the new massive convention and tourist complex on the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The firefighters at National Harbor also have a utility vehicle to respond to land-based fire and EMS calls.

When Fire Boat Lawrence Woltz was dedicated to the memory of the county’s first fire chief in July, 2008, the plan called for 24-hour staffing on site. The need for fully staffing the boat was revisited after Acting Chief Eugene Jones took over the department in early February. One of Chief Jones’ mandates is to reduce overtime spending.

The developers of National Harbor, the Peterson Companies, provided $500,000 of the $700,000 price tag for the boat. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady tells STATter911.com the money from the firm was a “non-conditional donation”.

According to Brady the plan is to soon have the fire boat crews assigned to Station 821, about four miles away, at 7600 Livingston Road. The firefighters would respond to the dock if the boat is needed.

A similar arrangement is in place with Fire Boat 201 operated by the Alexandria Fire Department across the Potomac River. Both boats are considered the primary suppliers of the dry standpipe system for the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge carrying I-95 over the river. They are backed up by a boat from Fairfax County, about 12-miles to the south and fire boats in the District of Columbia about 7-miles to the north.

On February 27, when we first contacted the department about the new arrangement at National Harbor, Mark Brady provided the following detailed response by email:

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has researched and reviewed plans that will allow us to operate with effective resource utilization, while continuing to provide best possible fire and emergency medical services to our citizens, residents and visitors. This Departmental review has at times been arduous; nevertheless, it is a ‘work in motion’ with many decisions still to come.

Our review determined that staffing at Station #858, the National Harbor/Marine Division, could be more effectively utilized to provide coverage at other Fire/EMS stations during periods of minimal activity,i.e., non-construction hours and cold weather. For now, Station #858 staffs 3-4 persons and operates daily until 1900 hours. After this time, personnel are sent to provide coverage at other Fire/EMS stations. In addition, depending on the day-to-day staffing levels at Station#858, a daily decision is made to either maintain staffing there or send the personnel to other stations. Both, weather conditions and the potential for water-related incidents are factored into this decision. It is anticipated that as warmer weather emerges and activity at the National Harbor increases, staffing will return to normal. Future plans include expanded training for Firefighter/Medics at nearby stations. The objective is to establish a larger staffing pool, thereby ensuring that adequate staffing for the Fire Boat is readily available at all times.

Staffing at Station #858 is responsible for both the Fire Boat and responses to the National Harbor complex for fire and EMS activity. As we have seen previously, Station #858 staffing personnel have played a key role in providing each of these services, which positively impacted the outcome of the call. When Station #858 is unavailable, nearby Fire/EMS stations will continue to respond and handle these incidents as they occur. For water-related incidents, the Department has on hand other ‘rescue style’ craft-based at the Water Rescue and Recovery Team facility; the Fort Washington Fire/EMS Station; and the boat operated by the County Police-that will be deployed when necessary. Mutual aid jurisdictions will be utilized whenever the need arises, which has always been the practice.

The Fire/EMS Department is also looking at other area jurisdictions that have fire boats and how they provide staffing. With the exception of the District of Columbia and Baltimore City, it appears that other jurisdictions have a land-based crew that provides staffing for their fire boats while also providing staffing at a Fire/EMS station.