Paid Firefighters

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.

Told by County Executive Janet S. Owens to trim his budget request, Fire Chief Roger C. Simonds Sr. has proposed making the Ferndale Fire Station the county's first all-volunteer operation in decades, according to the area's County Council member. "He's cutting six paid firefighters out of my district," said an unhappy Councilwoman Pamela G. Beidle, a Linthicum Democrat. The station, mostly staffed by volunteers, would lose the two paid firefighters who are on duty for each of the three shifts.

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.

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."

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.

Baltimore County is moving to beef up its ambulance services as volunteer fire companies struggle to come to grips with the sudden loss of members who also work as paid county firefighters.Additional reserve medic units are being assigned to the Westview, Randallstown, Essex and Towson fire stations starting next week. The idea is to have more help on hand during peak periods if volunteers have trouble responding to calls, said Battalion Chief Mark Hubbard, the department's spokesman.The move comes amid a dispute between county officials and 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.

For county firefighters Richard Meise and Keith Hamilton, it's been a busy day at the red-brick firehouse on Broadview Boulevard.In the first five hours of their 24-hour shift at Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, they have answered five ambulance calls -- a fractured ankle, an allergic reaction to medication, someone with dizziness, car accident victims.Because most of the volunteer firefighters work other jobs, many of the calls, especially during the day, are handled by paid county firefighters assigned to Engine Company 34. And Meise and Hamilton were the only ones on duty last Thursday.

25 years ago (week of Nov. 15-21, 1970)Howard County's paid firefighters received their union charter this week, forming the Howard County Professional Firefighters Local 2000. There are 26 paid firefighters at four county stations: Ellicott City, Elkridge, Clarksville and Savage.50 years ago (week of Nov. 18-24, 1945)In an effort to discourage county merchants from overcharging for their goods, an essay contest, "Price Control for Prosperity," was announced for all high school seniors. County Commissioners planned to send printed copies of the winning essay to every merchant in the county.

If anti-substance abuse campaigns started working and drug-related arrests made a deep, permanent decline, there wouldn't be much point in the police department continuing to devote resources to drug enforcement as it does now. It would have to shift focus to areas of greater need.Keep that hypothetical situation in mind when you realize that thanks to better building codes and enforcement, sprinkler systems, smoke detectors and education, the number of fires in Anne Arundel has been plummeting for years.