LA PLATA — A Charles County volunteer fire company that orders a new ladder truck today may not see it until 2030 or 2031.
Supply chain delays have stretched delivery times to three to four years for a pumper and four to five years for a ladder truck, the chairman of the county’s Board of Fire and Rescue told the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 20. Prices keep climbing too, he said, by as much as 5%, and the board tries to lock in costs in its purchase contracts.
Ambulances, which had been taking three years or more, are starting to stabilize, said the chairman, Gilroy, who delivered the board’s annual report by phone. “It has been a challenge to make sure that we plan for those units now,” he said.
The delays have been a theme of the board’s last several reports. They shape how companies replace aging equipment: a truck has to be ordered years before the old one wears out. This month the fire board has been weighing looser rules for buying trucks, including whether to waive a 30-day layover period on apparatus purchases.
What the board does
Under Chapter 54 of the county code, the Board of Fire and Rescue reviews and approves capital spending by the volunteer fire and EMS companies, including buildings and apparatus. It approves the twice-a-year distribution of county fire and EMS tax money, the most recent of which it just completed for November, and reviews each company’s annual report to confirm it is financially stable. It also oversees the length of service awards program, the retirement benefit for volunteers. Earlier this month the board sped $1.15 million into the volunteer retirement fund.
The full report is posted on the commissioners’ BoardDocs agenda for the meeting.
A new station and a first in solar
The past year’s biggest structural change was in Waldorf. The Westlake station, previously Station 12 of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department, became fully operational as its own department after the two separated, Gilroy said.
The Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad completed a solar energy project, the first at any fire or EMS station in the county, he said. The project was approved by SMECO, and grant money of almost $300,000 helped pay for it. The board will watch whether it works well enough to repeat at other stations.
Other projects in the report included:
- Indian Head Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad repaired its engine bay floor and replaced its kitchen floor for more than $24,000. Its new brush truck and command unit are in service.
- Westlake installed an upgraded alerting system in March 2025 and is renovating its apparatus bay doors, bathrooms and kitchen.
- The Charles County Volunteer Fire Association, the companies and county communications staff replaced every mobile computer terminal in county fire and EMS apparatus, finished in March 2025.
- The Newburg Volunteer Rescue Squad put a new EMS utility unit in service; a new ambulance has been ordered but not yet delivered.
- Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad has an ambulance on order and is replacing a boat damaged in an incident about a year and a half ago.
Two companies are also planning storage buildings. One project has county permits and an approved site plan, with stormwater management in final stages, but no final cost estimate yet, Gilroy said. Another company’s planned 30-by-40-foot pole barn is estimated at $65,000.
Leadership change ahead
Gilroy closed the briefing by telling commissioners his term ends in December and he will step down, with new leadership taking over in January. “It’s been a pleasure to serve,” he said, while acknowledging the challenges that come with the job.
Commissioners asked no questions. Three of the five were present for the briefing after a midday break; Commissioners Stewart and Patterson were absent at roll call.
The report comes as the volunteer system’s costs draw more attention across Southern Maryland. In Charles, volunteers have pushed to lift the income cap on their property tax break, and in Calvert, five companies just received county apparatus grants to help pay for new equipment.
