MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
mebrady@co.pg.md.us @PGFDPIO
The leadership of the Prince George’s County
Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department and the Morningside Volunteer
Fire Department (MVFD) met to discuss the stations staffing deployment.
On November 11 the MVFD announced that they will move forward with becoming an all volunteer fire/EMS Department and provide staffing for all services
provided by their station, including emergency medical transport services.
Volunteer Chief Michael J. White Sr. stated, “This
monumental commitment by the membership of the MVFD does not comelightly and
after careful analysis of volunteer participation and service demand has been
whole-heartily welcomed into the organization.”
The redeployment of career staffing comes as a
result of an agreement between the International Association of Fire Fighters
(IAFF) Local 1619 and Prince George’s County that stipulates the end of
2-career firefighter shift stations. Stations with that type of staffing
would need to take four career firefighters around the clock or only have at
least 4 career staff work Monday through Friday from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm.
County Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor, Deputy Fire
Chiefs Ben Barksdale and Frank Underwood met with Volunteer Chief White, MVFD
President David Hansen and volunteer Board of Directors on Thursday
evening. Chief Bashoor wanted to discuss Morningside’s commitment to go
all volunteer and ensure they understood the enormous task they are taking
on. At the meeting, Chief Bashoor agreed to MVFD's proposed implementation
date of Sunday December 29, 2013.
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| Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor |
“I fully understand and support their decision to
become an all volunteer station,” stated Fire Chief Bashoor. “The Morningside
VFD has developed a more robust cadre of volunteers over the past 13
months. I am especially proud of their commitment to staff the basic life
support ambulance as well as suppression and rescue services they have been
providing with the utmost of skill and professionalism.”
Of the 45 Fire/EMS Stations in Prince George’s
County, Morningside will become the 9th all volunteer station. All other
stations are either all career staffed or have a combination of career and
volunteer staffing. The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is the
largest and busiest combination, career and volunteer, Fire/EMS Departments in
the Country.
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