Positions at Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department cut following county budget vote

Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department cutting positions

A Montgomery County firehouse is cutting a number of positions following a vote on the budget that will save nearly $1 million. But the change is raising concerns about emergency response time for some residents.

HYATTSTOWN, Md. - A Montgomery County firehouse is cutting a number of positions following a vote on the budget that will save nearly $1 million. But the change is raising concerns about emergency response time for some residents.

What we know:

The Hyattstown Fire Department will lose all of its career firefighter positions, leaving them with just volunteer staff. The Montgomery County Council voted 7 to 4 in favor of this cut.

With this cut, three positions will be removed, meaning there will no longer be career firefighters at the station 24/7.

There are currently 10 active volunteers at this station, which is located in the northern section of the county, who are left to operate 100% of the equipment.

Leaders say the career staff will be re-deployed to other stations in the county, saving this firehouse a little over $950,000.

Local perspective:

Eric Bernard, the executive director of the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association says in his experience he's never seen a county remove all career firefighters from a department.

"We think this cut of career personnel in the Hyattstown area is a huge mistake and we are going to work with our elected officials, fire chief and chief of Hyattstown to make this right and figure out a way that we can do this within budget. The public should not be concerned, fire and rescue and emergency medical services department is there, will always be there. This is a slight bump in the road," Bernard said. 

Another concern from the community is increased response times but the county says the new station in nearby Clarksburg that's less than four miles away will assist with calls.

What they're saying:

FOX 5 did get a chance to speak with the fire chief of the Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department earlier this week before the vote was made. His main concern is how the department will survive and serve the community with these cuts.

"It is exasperating to me, it just wears me down and a little demoralizing sometimes," Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Gross said.

As of now this change goes  into effect in July but we are told there is time for the council to reconsider or make adjustments to the cuts.