Wicomico County is making budget decisions that will have a huge impact on local volunteer fire companies and everyone's access to emergency services. There has been a lot of talk but no action in terms of budgeting by the County Executive's Office. More attention must be paid before we enter the next budget crisis and services are cut without much planning.
We address the future of Emergency Services in Wicomico County in this episode. At last week's county council meeting, the Director of Emergency Services and Fire Chief's Association reported the results of their “SWOT” (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis that was completed a year ago. Three approaches were discussed to improve emergency services and reduce response times by paramedics and EMTs. But many challenges are associated with each of the three options, including attracting and training qualified personnel to perform the job, pay rates that are below par, and the high costs of the needed capital improvements, equipment and recurring expenses. The county government has put us in a bind by not taking action sooner to fulfill its obligation of protecting the public safety. The new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) will be presented at the December 16 County Council meeting, but it remains to be seen if the necessary investments in our Emergency Services system will even be included. Let's hope so because lives depend on it.
