Paid Firefighters

Baltimore County yesterday barred career firefighters from working free in volunteer fire units, after the firefighters union filed a federal labor complaint demanding that the county either pay for such work or ban it."It's a shame it came to this," said Michael K. Day Sr., second vice president of the Baltimore County Firefighters Union Local 1311, whose members are angry at County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger for perceived ill treatment despite their support in the 1994 election.

After 16 months of frustration, hundreds of paid Baltimore County firefighters can again fight fires as members of volunteer companies in their home county, under a new directive from the county executive's office."

Fearing that the ranks of volunteer fire departments throughout Maryland could be depleted, representatives of those companies are protesting a newly enforced policy that requires paid firefighters to choose between a union card and their part-time volunteer work. The policy, long on the books of the International Association of Fire Fighters, prohibits union members from volunteering in counties with a paid fire department represented by the union. The rule has been enforced in recent months by union locals in Howard and Prince George's counties - a move that volunteer firefighters say runs counter to President Bush's call for citizens to give time to their communities.

County fire chief Stephen D. Halford acknowledged yesterday that there are "risks" inherent in a 2-week-old policy that takes paid firefighters off their fire engines and puts them into ambulances.The new policy recognizes that for more than a decade most of the calls received by the department have been for emergency medical services. In 1994, the percentage of medical calls was 71 percent.Chief Halford told the Anne Arundel County Council during a briefing on the new policy that it will guarantee 24-hour ambulance coverage throughout the county and free up the county's 13 specialized paramedic units to respond to more life-threatening emergencies, including heart attacks.

COUNTY executive Janet S. Owens buried her head in her hands as she spoke. She lamented that volunteer firefighters were becoming a thing of the past in the county's rural south. This was several months ago, and things haven't improved. The old guard of volunteers has no one to whom to pass the baton -- or the fire hose. Newcomers to South County don't need the firehouse for social life, and riding fire engines doesn't thrill them. No need for alarm, however. The dwindling number of volunteers simply represents a change of lifestyle.

The County Council last night rejected a resolution that would have placed a charter amendment on the November ballot that would have mandated changes in the Fire Department, including greater control over volunteer fire companies.Council members who voted against the proposed amendment -- which would have adopted many of the recommendations of a 10-member advisory group appointed by County Executive Robert R. Neall -- said they did so to avoid putting a divisive issue on the ballot that would pit paid firefighters against their volunteer counterparts.

A week ago Wednesday, county Fire Administrator Paul C. Haigley received barely polite applause from volunteer firefighters receiving training awards during a banquet in Odenton."

When firefighters in Savage pull out of their box-shaped brick station on Lincoln Street, they must drive on narrow residential roads and over three trapezoid-shaped speed bumps to get to their area's main artery, U.S. 1. Installed over firefighters' opposition, the bumps have snapped springs on every one of the station's firetrucks, taking them out of service for days and costing thousands of dollars to repair. Howard County plans to move the Savage station and two others closer to main roadways and population centers - and away from speed bumps - during the next three years.

Kevin Wallett has been around volunteer firefighters his entire life. The 30-year-old captain of Owings Mills Volunteer Fire Company is the son of the fire company's former president. Becoming a volunteer was a natural decision."There was never a doubt in my mind about volunteering. It is something I enjoy doing," said Wallett, a 14-year veteran at Owings Mills.Wallett is among the many people around Baltimore County who view the volunteer fire station as the center of the community and volunteering as a way of life.

Ferndale's volunteer firefighters are worried about the possibility of becoming Anne Arundel's only all-volunteer fire company - a distinction they say they don't want. According to volunteers there, a proposal to remove six paid firefighters from the station could eventually force the closure of the company that's been in operation since 1942. The volunteers also worry that the plan could hurt emergency service in north Anne Arundel County. Ferndale's volunteer president Jackie Olson said the majority of their emergency response is to other areas in north county.