Prince George’s County Fire Reassigning Firefighters Due to “Critical Staffing Shortages” and “Excessive Mandatory Callbacks and Holdovers”

Prince George’s County Fire Chief Tiffany Green has announced a plan to reassign paid personnel from four of the county’s fire stations in an effort to reduce anticipated “critical staffing shortages” and “excessive mandatory callbacks and holdovers.” This reassignment comes on the heels of the firefighter’s unions voicing concerns related to its firefighter’s mental health and burnout due to excessive overtime. According to union officials, the already short-staffed combination fire department simply doesn’t have enough personnel to fill upcoming temporary vacancies within its ranks as peak vacation season ramps up. In the meantime, volunteer firefighters are being asked to fill in at these four stations.

According to ABC7 News, the department is currently understaffed by a total of 251 firefighters and medics. Last year the department spent $30 million in overtime. Last summer the department’s firefighters and medics logged a total of 21,484 hours of mandatory overtime to cover the peak vacation season. The reassignment impacts a total of 55 daytime and shift personnel assigned to the Greenbelt, Bowie-Belair, Berwyn Heights, and Bunker Hill stations. Click here for more on the story from ABC 7 News.

Here is a copy of the Chief’s order.