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Karen Coakley

News You Can Use November 2024

Updated: Nov 25






URGENT: Fire and Ambulance Response Times and Staffing at Risk!

Prince George’s County Fire Chief has made significant staffing cuts at several fire stations, including those in Beltsville, Calverton, Vansville, Laurel, College Park, Greenbelt, and Berwyn Heights. This impacts residents, business owners, and employees—our lives, homes, and businesses are at risk.

What Happened: On July 1st, Fire Chief Green removed County Fire and EMT services from key stations along the Route 1 and Maryland 201 corridor. Stations in Bunker Hill and Berwyn Heights lost all County Fire and EMT services. Greenbelt now only has EMT (ambulance) coverage between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. As of now, there are only three fully staffed stations from College Park to Laurel.

Why This Matters: Chief Green's staffing cuts are officially affecting the northern part of Prince George’s County. His decision was meant to address mandatory overtime and shift personnel to "higher demand areas" during summer vacations. However, this leaves our community exposed and under-protected.

Adding to the confusion, Chief Green still wants to install temporary trailers at Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) Station 31, despite a county assessment stating there are no health or safety hazards at the station. Why spend money on unnecessary trailers when the station is safe?

Call to Action: If you live or work along the Route 1 and Route 201 corridor—from Washington, DC, to the Howard, Anne Arundel, and Montgomery County borders—we need to stand together. Our communities, businesses, homes, and lives matter.

We are demanding:

1. Keep PGFD career firefighters and EMT fully staffed at Beltsville Volunteer Fire Station 31.

2. Restore staffing at Greenbelt, Berwyn, and Bunker Hill.

3. Develop a plan to enhance volunteer stations across the county, as a fully paid department is financially unsustainable.

Take Action Now: Call and write to your local representatives to make your voice heard.

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks

301-952-4131


Fire Chief Tiffany Green

301-883-5200

TDGreen@co.pg.md.us


Council Chairperson Jolene Ivey

301-952-3864


Councilmember Tom Dernoga

301-952-3887


At Large Member Calvin Hawkins

301-952-2136


Senator Jim Rosapepe

Jim.Rosapepe@senate.state.md.us


Delegate Ben Barnes

Ben.Barnes@house.state.md.us


Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk

Joseline.Pena.Melnyk@house.state.md.us


Delegate Mary Lehman

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