Greenbelt leaders raise concerns over delayed fire, EMS response times

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - Greenbelt city leaders say there are concerns over response times for fire services and EMS months after the implementation of a plan to address staffing shortages.

A letter from the Greenbelt City Mayor Emmett Jordan and other city council members was sent this week to PGFD Fire Chief Tiffany Green, pointing to three specific incidents reported by residents. PGFD "may not be properly tracking calls by their priority level or meeting the standards of coverage to which PGFD has committed", according to the letter.

The incidents highlighted in the letter:

• September 18, 2024: A medical emergency occurred on Gardenway, where the response time appears to have exceeded the 8-minute standard. The gentleman experiencing anaphylactic shock passed away, the letter states.
• September 1, 2024: A 3-year-old child was struck by a vehicle on Ridge Road, with response times exceeding 13 minutes for this critical emergency.
• September 23, 2024: A fire alarm was triggered at Green Ridge House, our city’s senior housing complex, and PGFD classified the call as nonpriority, resulting in a delayed response time of 23 minutes.

"While we understand that PGFD’s records may differ, we welcome any data that can clarify these discrepancies so we can better understand the response times. Given your office's lack of responsiveness to our repeated requests for data sharing, we have begun to question the accuracy of the reports and response times you have provided," the letter states.

Speaking with FOX 5 on Friday, Mayor Jordan said the plan implemented this summer to reassign dozens of career firefighters to help with shortages throughout the county means the municipalities of Greenbelt and Berwyn Heights are short of about 30 firefighters.

"We’ve got more than $2 million worth of equipment, and we don’t have enough volunteer firefighters to do it on our own. So, it’s been a combined fire department for many years in Prince George’s County, career firefighters working with the volunteers. I think that’s a pretty good model. It’s worked well in the past," Mayor Jordan said. "We want access to the data. We want the firefighters back. We want that level of service we had before. Prince Georgians deserve…you know, we paid for the service."

In response, a spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Fire Department said the department is drafting a response letter to the city council. 

There was one response time delay attributed to violating department policy, according to the fire department. Other than that, the department tells FPX 5 fire and EMS have maintained an average response time of less than eight minutes in this area since June 30, 2024.  

"Additionally, the Fire/EMS Department has formally communicated with the City of Greenbelt no less than 18 times since June 4, 2024.  To date, we have provided all data to the City of Greenbelt that was requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)," an emailed response to FOX 5 reads.

Prince George’s County Fire Department also responded to each incident highlighted in the city’s letter:

September 18, 2024: Incident to Gardenway, dispatched as a cardiac arrest with alleged response time exceeding 10 minutes.

Paramedic Ambulance 858

Dispatched at 1609 hours.

Arrived on scene at 1613 hours.

Response Time: 4 minutes.

Paramedic Engine 848

Dispatched at 1609 hours.

Arrived on scene at 1616 hours.

Response time: 7 minutes.

September 1, 2024: A 3-year-old child was struck by a vehicle on Ridge Road, with alleged response times exceeding 13 minutes for this critical emergency. 

Truck 814

Dispatched at 2118 hours.

Arrived on scene at 2123 hours.

Response time: 5 minutes.

Medic Unit 812

Dispatched at 2118 hours.

On scene 2127 hours.

Response Time: 9 minutes.

September 23, 2024: A fire alarm was triggered at Green Ridge House, our city's senior housing complex, and PGFD classified the call as nonpriority, resulting in a delayed response time of 23 minutes. 

Engine 828

Dispatched at 10:26:53 hours.

On scene at 10:41:27 hours.

Response time: 14 minutes.

Regarding the incident at Green Ridge House, the department said a formal investigation has been launched.

"Based on the initial findings of the investigation, personnel from Engine 828 failed to meet the turnout time requirement (General Order 06-14) and inappropriately proceeded to the incident without the use of emergency lights and sirens (General Order 06-05), which resulted in a delayed response. The two West Lanham Hills firefighters have been suspended, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation," a department spokesperson said in an email.

The department also noted that since June 30, 2024, which was the start of the Summer Staffing Plan, over 971 emergency response incidents have been dispatched in Greenbelt. They said the Green Ridge House incident is the only one in which responding Fire/EMS units have failed to meet the 8-minute adequate response time goals.