LEONARDTOWN — A review of the July house fire in Hollywood that killed a father who went back inside to find his child has led St. Mary’s County fire leaders to press the county commissioners for something the 911 center has requested for years: a person whose only job is answering emergency calls.
The St. Mary’s County Fireboard Association’s safety committee has completed a significant incident review of the July 5 fire on Thornbury Drive, the association’s representative told the county’s Emergency Services Board at its October meeting. One of the review’s recommendations is to add a dedicated 911 call-taker position in the Department of Emergency Services’ communications center.
The Department of Emergency Services has asked for more call-taker staffing in previous budget cycles, but those requests were not funded, he said. The association is asking the commissioners to find the money during the current fiscal year rather than waiting for the next budget, and to make the position a permanent part of the department’s staffing.
“Our 911 center is where nearly every emergency in this county begins,” he said. When a public safety staffing need has come up year after year, he said, it deserves more than another year of consideration.
The Emergency Services Board voted to have its secretary write a letter supporting the added call-taker staffing “as soon as possible.” Staff said the letter will go to the commissioners and the county administrator. The board sent a similar letter during the last budget cycle.
What the review found
The committee looked at the emergency response to the fire and identified “several areas where improvements could be made to better protect our citizens and emergency responders,” the representative said. He did not describe the other findings, and the report has not been released publicly. He also did not say whether call handling affected the outcome of the July fire.
He was careful to say the request is not a criticism of dispatchers. “They do an extremely difficult job, often under stressful circumstances,” he said, “and we need to make sure they have the staffing and the resources to do that job effectively.” He thanked Department of Emergency Services Director Utz, Deputy Director Shea and Assistant Communications Manager David Morris for helping the committee put the report together.
The fire broke out about 9:40 p.m. on July 5 in a two-story home in the 22800 block of Thornbury Drive. The child got out safely, but the father re-entered to look for the 10-year-old and was found dead on the second floor, the Chronicle reported at the time. Investigators suspected discarded sparklers in a trash can on a screened rear deck.
A center still filling seats
The request comes as the county is still working to staff its 911 center. Emergency Services staff told the board the center has two dispatcher vacancies, and four of the eight contract dispatchers the county requested are now onboarding. The county moved to shore up dispatcher staffing earlier this year.
Board members backed the request. One member said he has gained new respect for dispatchers by watching their training academies, which have run alongside the county’s EMS academies. “I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that I personally could never do that job,” he said.
The board does not meet again until Dec. 2.
