350 Firefighters Short: Anne Arundel County Below National Safety Standards

Editor’s note: This column was submitted by Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Fighters Local 1563.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is operating approximately 350 firefighters below the national minimum standard for safe staffing, according to a recently completed independent Standards of Coverage study.

Members of Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Fighters Local 1563 delivered that message at multiple county budget town hall meetings during January and February, urging County Executive Steuart Pittman and members of the county council to prioritize public safety funding in the upcoming budget.

The independent study evaluated emergency response demand, call volume, current staffing levels, and projected population growth. Union leaders say the findings confirmed what firefighters and paramedics experience daily: staffing levels are not keeping pace with the county’s growing service demands.

“Safe staffing is not a workforce issue — it’s a public safety issue,” said Local 1563 Second Vice President Beth Oldershaw. “It directly affects response times, operational safety, and our ability to effectively protect lives and property when residents call 911.”

Anne Arundel County continues to see sustained growth in both population and emergency calls for service. Firefighters say that without additional personnel, strain on response capacity will increase, potentially impacting how quickly help arrives during emergencies.

Local 1563 emphasized that it is seeking collaboration with Fire Chief Trisha Wolford and county leadership to identify responsible, long-term solutions. Among those solutions is encouraging the county to apply for the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, which is specifically designed to help fire departments hire and retain firefighters.

Union officials say securing SAFER funding would represent a significant step toward closing the staffing gap and strengthening emergency response capabilities countywide.