Movement in Morningside. Ambulance stays for now as PGFD & volunteers continue work on solution.
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All signs had been pointing toward an ugly showdown in Morningside, Maryland after the leadership of Morningside VFD ordered the removal of the Prince George’s County owned ambulance from the Station 827 by this morning. Earlier today, this message was posted on Morningside’s website:
Through our commitment to Public Safety we have not removed the Prince Georges County (PGFD) owned and operated Ambulance from the Morningside (MVFD) Fire Station today. Instead, we are once again reaching out to Prince Georges County Officials and imploring them to meet with us. In an effort to comply with the newly imposed staffing constraints and to provide a mutually beneficial resolution, we are again requesting that the Ambulance at the MVFD Station be converted to an All Response Medic Unit.
This request would not only guarantee an Ambulance in the Morningside Fire Station, it would also not require additional staffing that is mandated in the newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement between Prince Georges County and the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, Local 1619. Finally and most importantly, it would increase the level of service provided to the Morningside area.
It was followed a by this conversation on Twitter:
And then this statement via PGFD PIO Mark Brady:
Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor agreed to meet with Volunteer Chief Michael White as long as the Morningside ambulance continued to provide services to the citizens. After an exchange of text messages this morning Fire Chief Bashoor agreed to provide Volunteer Chief White with additional opportunities to meet and discuss the ambulance and staffing issues.
Fire Chief Bashoor stated, “We are pleased to announce that the ambulance transport unit assigned to the Morningside Volunteer Fire Department, (MVFD) remains in service. I have agreed to reopen direct discussions with the Morningside volunteer leadership this morning, after it became clear the ambulance would indeed remain in service. Further discussions will be held to attempt a long term resolution to this situation.” he concluded saying, “The County continues to provide career staffing and equipment to support the efforts of the MVFD.”
The fire department that serves the small community of Morningside in Prince George’s County will not remove a Prince George’s County ambulance from its station Monday, but the flap between the department and the county is not over.
The volunteer firefighters who staff Morningside’s station were expected to remove a county ambulance in a protest over the county’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
However, on Monday, Morningside’s staff said in a statement that they would keep the ambulance in service and continued to ask county fire officials to meet with them.
More as it becomes available.
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