<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441362774866_2549"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441362774866_2548">Will not get into the debate over "career vs volunteer." However - I would urge anyone who's able to do so to go to your local fire station and become a volunteer. As the old television ad used to say, "it's the toughest job you'll ever love." You'll learn lots of new skills, meet new people, AND help your community. </span></div> <br><div class="qtdSeparateBR"><br><br></div><div class="yahoo_quoted" style="display: block;"> <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div dir="ltr"> <font face="Arial" size="2"> On Thursday, September 3, 2015 6:31 PM, Spiro Dimakas <spiro.dimakas11@gmail.com> wrote:<br> </font> </div> <br><br> <div class="y_msg_container"><div id="yiv4762953582"><div dir="ltr"><h3 class="yiv4762953582" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font face="georgia, serif">Just thought everyone should take a read of this. Currently Riverdale Park is protected by a 100% volunteer fire department. The main station that provides the back-up firetruck and ambulance when they are unable to get out will be losing staffing and become 100% volunteer.</font></span></h3><div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font face="georgia, serif">Spiro Dimakas</font></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font face="georgia, serif">Resident</font></span></div><h3 class="yiv4762953582" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal;"><br></h3><h3 class="yiv4762953582" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal;"><br></h3><h3 class="yiv4762953582" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal;">Fire/EMS Department Efforts to Meet Budget Mandate</h3><div class="yiv4762953582" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); line-height: 1.6; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px;"><div class="yiv4762953582"></div></div><div class="yiv4762953582" id="yiv4762953582post-body-1684591960115887812" style="width: 578px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.4; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="mailto:mebrady@co.pg.md.us" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:mebrady@co.pg.md.us">mebrady@co.pg.md.us</a> @PGFDPIO</i></b></div><br><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">The Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department has identified additional strategies to help meet our budget mandate. Current efforts have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars through overtime reduction, reduction in recruit class sizes and the increased use of Volunteer Staffing Utilization.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">It has become clear that these efforts will fall well short of the reductions necessary to come within budget. The current staffing plan has been evaluated and reassignment of a limited number of career personnel has been identified as an effective fiscal measure to help meet budget reductions and shortfalls while continuing to provide service in an efficient manner.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">The staffing plan calls for the reassignment of 12 firefighters. The 12 firefighters will fill spots currently vacant and will reduce overtime costs.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">The 4 career personnel at the Riverdale Heights Fire/EMS Station will be reassigned. These firefighters work during the day, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm with volunteer firefighters handling services at all other times. Riverdale Heights will continue to do their best to provide fire and EMS services on a total volunteer basis around the clock. They will be 10<sup>th</sup> station to be all-volunteer out of a combined total of 45 fire/EMS stations in Prince George’s County. This reassignment will not occur until October 4, 2015.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">The Bowie – Old Town and Accokeek Fire/EMS Stations will have staffing adjusted by one firefighter per shift (4 shifts). This reassignment will equate to these two stations losing the ability to have dedicated staffing on the fire apparatus and ambulance. They are not losing those vital services; only the ability to provide dedicated staffing for each unit, which is safer for personnel to operate and improves response times. The change in staffing from 5 personnel to 4 per shift will not go into effect until September 20, 2015.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><br><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">The Fire/EMS Department will continue to respond to all emergency and non-emergency calls and, as always, we will do the very best we can to minimize service impacts.</div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal">Link to Story: <a href="http://pgfdpio.blogspot.com/2015/09/fireems-department-efforts-to-meet.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://pgfdpio.blogspot.com/2015/09/fireems-department-efforts-to-meet.html</a></div><div class="yiv4762953582MsoNormal"><br></div></div></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>TownTalk mailing list<br>To post to the list, send mail to <a href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org" ymailto="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a><br><a href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org" ymailto="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> is for automated subscription processing only<br><a href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk" target="_blank">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a><br><br>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit <a href="http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info/" target="_blank">http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info</a><br><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></div></body></html>