New video: PGFD investigates, volunteers respond, union escalates after 3 stations fail during fatal fire
Deadly fire puts focus on un-staffed volunteer stations
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Previous coverage of this story with radio traffic
Things escalated quickly after IAFF Local 1619 brought up staffing issues following a deadly fire Saturday night in Prince George’s County, Maryland (additional video from the fire is above). PGFD has announced it will do an internal review after three of the closest fire companies to the burning home on Inlet Street in New Carrollton weren’t alerted to the call because they did not have staffing. The union has escalated its campaign to bring attention to the staffing issues, including creating a video urging citizens to contact local elected officials (see below). At the same time, the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association has issued a statement highlighting the fact that the fire was mostly handled by fully-staffed volunteer departments (see below).
For those outside of Prince George’s County, an explanation of a few things. The three companies that didn’t respond to Inlet Street were first due Station 848 (West Lanham Hills VFD), Station 828 (West Lanham Hills VFD) and Station 813 (Riverdale Heights). All three stations were not dispatched to the call because they didn’t alert the Prince George’s County’s 911 center to say they had staffing. PGFD only alerts volunteer companies that have duty crews at the station.
The volunteer participation at some Prince George’s County firehouses is quite robust, as evidenced by some of the other companies that responded to Inlet Street, including the ladder truck crew that made the rescues (Truck 809 from Bladensburg VFD).
Some other volunteer firehouses are more like ghost companies, with duty crews available so infrequently, it’s somewhat rare to hear them dispatched. In many ways those fire stations just give the citizens the illusion of safety. You may recall the story I posted on the Boulevard Heights VFD (Station 817) and its failure to respond to a house fire across the street from the firehouse.
Derrick Ward & Gina Cooke, WRC-TV/NBC4:
The first unit to arrive to the scene of the fire arrived at 6:11 p.m., seven minutes after the first dispatch call at 6:04 p.m., the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department said in a statement Sunday.
Fire officials say the department’s goal is to have the first unit on the scene within 5 minutes and 20 seconds. The department has a “secondary goal” to have 15 firefighters on the scene within 12 minutes of dispatch.
Firefighters rescued the first person from the basement at 6:16 p.m. and the second person was rescued two minutes later, according to the department.
“I wouldn’t say there was a delay. The closest available unit was able to respond appropriately and mitigate the incident. Our goal was to have 15 firefighters on the scene of a call within 12 minutes and we were able to accomplish that,” Deputy Chief Brian Frankel said Sunday.
Frankel said there are systems in place to cover for the volunteer stations when they are not staffed, but the department did say an internal review of staffing needs is underway.
Pantelis believes several volunteer fire stations in the county, including the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department should be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
WTOP reached out to the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department for comment.
Frankel said the county is working to make sure there is staffing where it’s needed to help volunteer departments that struggle to maintain volunteers, but didn’t say that was the reason that prevented the West Lanham Hills from keeping their station’s staffed.
