Embedded Files
The Mission
The Mission
The mission of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is to
create and enhance public safety through measures to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.
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To meet the mission, we must consider the County holistically and
balance finite resources towards improved safety and wellbeing.
Per Capita Cardiac Arrests
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This per capita cardiac arrest map for calendar year 2024 shows that the demand we face is not evenly distributed, suggesting that resources should not be evenly distributed.
The yellow tracts are those with high social vulnerability. The darker the color on each map, the higher the rate of occurrence per capita.
Problem Statements
Problem Statements
Problem One
MCFRS needs at least three additional transport units to meet current demand.
Problem Two
There is a disparity in the distribution of the response burden across the enterprise.
The Principles
The Principles
People come first and for them, we will do the right thing.
Respect the fiscal, political, collegial, and other boundaries placed on our work.
Be prepared to serve and protect our communities.
Be professional, studious, and adapt to our context.
Maintain a capacity to respond.
The Approach
The Approach
Using existing resources, rearrange the response space in a way that
reduces the response burden disparity,
does not cause harm, and
does not increase the financial burden to the County.
Historical Perspective
Historical Perspective
MCFRS has a history of adjusting its deployment model in response to shifting demand. In the last few years alone, we have made shifts. We moved career personnel from FS11 to FS15 to address unit response reliability at FS15. We moved the ALS chase car from the BCC-Rescue Squad to FS01 and then closed that unit and used the positions to create a transport unit. We re-allocated the budgeted positions for the Emergency Medical Services Disposition Officer and used those positions, along with ALS701, to create additional transport unit capacity. These are all examples of the system adapting to its environment.
Decision Making
Decision Making
MCFRS is a complex system. In this context, complexity refers primarily to ambiguity and uncertainty. Ambiguity means that reasonable people looking at the same information might walk away with different perceptions. Uncertainty means that there are things that we can't know and can't predict; those things still have impacts on the system. How we have chosen to manage in the presence of ambiguity and uncertainty is by using data to inform decision making without throwing away the inherently valuable and organic understanding of the system that one develops over years of service. We also continue to see multiple small, parallel, safe-to-fail experiments, as ways to develop deeper understanding of the system. We can model the system all day, but we can never know it fully until it comes into contact with real life.
For these reasons, our decisions are guided by a combination of data, our principles, the mandates of Chapter 21, the County Executive's priority outcomes, and equity concerns, among other factors. No decision is based on just a single piece of information or collection of information in a table or on a map.
The decision space is ambiguous, it is uncertain, and it is crowded. We must ensure that the result of any decision focuses on what is right for impacted communities first, but also on what increases organizational resilience.
Reacting to System Stress
Reacting to System Stress
When our system stress indicators expose ongoing resource strain, we must consider ways to relieve the strain, generally prioritizing methods as follows:
Maximize existing resources
Place new resources at existing worksites where there is capacity
Expand/remodel existing worksites.
Plan and incorporate new worksites into the CIP.
The idea of maximizing existing resources speaks to all aspects of resource deployment which include but are not limited to modifying response packages, adding new resources like aerial staffing or transport unit, and expanding existing worksites.
MCFRS is also fundamentally aware that the resilience of the workforce is a critical piece of our future. We acknowledge that no plan will work well unless the workforce is mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to respond. As an organization, we will continue our current efforts to build out our mental health and general wellness capacity as indicated (Master Plan, p. 43).
Where the question is "how do we get to the other side without getting wet" both the tunnel and the bridge are equally valid answers. However, the graphic succinctly demonstrates the negative impact of misalignment. Misalignment wastes limited resources, causes unnecessary anxiety, and increases systemic brittleness.
Brittleness Reduction
Brittleness is a property of our system that represents our inability to adapt when presented with new challenges. There are three main sources of brittleness in systems: (a) outdated approaches; (b) working at cross-purposes, and; (c) decompensation. The proposed system changes are, in many ways, an effort to reduce brittleness. These changes update our current approaches, and by adding critical resources, reduce system-wide decompensation. The last hurdle is working at cross-purposes. This can be accomplished by focusing on the mission, as opposed to individual concerns.
System Basics
System Basics
REMINDER: The response system is rarely static. Units are constantly coming in and out of service and they move around the County for various reasons, like maintenance and training. While historical data allows us to make reasonable guesses about where the concentration of calls for service will be, we cannot predict, and we have no control over where the next incident is going to be. Given such a dynamic system, there are a lots of possible combinations of events that will stress the system. One example is when summer storms roll through the County. The system is very quickly inundated with calls for service. While most are minor and handled quickly, the system still gets stressed.
The Focal Points of the System
The Focal Points of the System
Focal Point One: Emergency Medical Services
Focal Point One: Emergency Medical Services
MCFRS is a complex system. This complexity, combined with a historical deficit in how units are staffed, leaves us in a situation where our current staffing factor cannot be applied one-to-one against historical staffing. Further, our volunteer participation is such that some units are only staffed by paid staff during weekday hours, relying on a mixture of paid and volunteer staffing during other hours. The changes discussed below can only be considered holistically, and then from a County perspective.
Demand for emergency medical services continues to dominate the conversation about service delivery and there is no sign that the demand is going to diminish over time.
The graphic to the left shows the increase in demand and also shows that the increase is relatively proportional across all acuity types.
Transport UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with more than 2500 runs per year ALL HOURS
Transport UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with more than 2500 runs per year ALL HOURS
Transport UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with more than 2500 runs per year PEAK HOURS
Transport UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with more than 2500 runs per year PEAK HOURS
The significance of the emergency medical service demand can be illustrated by the number of times 30 out of our 43 emergency medical services transport units are committed. When this level of system strain is reached, there are only 13 transport units available in our 500 sq. mile county.
This map demonstrates the concentration of emergency medical service demand in the core of the county and along its eastern border with Prince George's County.
Notice that the proposed location of additional emergency medical services transport units is solidly in the areas of obvious demand.
There is an equity component to the discussion. In the places where social vulnerability is the highest, there is a correlation to increased demand for emergency medical services. You will see that the area where we propose adding emergency medical services transport resources is a swath of high social vulnerability census tracts.
Because MCFRS uses social vulnerability as a proxy for racial equity, it is necessarily interested in improving service delivery in these more vulnerable areas.
Call To Action
The evidence indicates brittleness in the department’s transport capacity, signaling that it is time to increase the number of transport units to reduce the burden on the system, address crew fatigue, and improve the resilience of the department. However, both space and fiscal capacity are limited. MCFRS believes that three additional transport units are needed to meet current demand.
To deliver value to the right place at the right time, the organization must be able to identify the need (what and where it is), develop/assemble the resources necessary, and then take action to address it (MCFRS Master Plan, p. 38).
Focal Point Two: Community Risk Reduction
Focal Point Two: Community Risk Reduction
For MCFRS, community risk reduction is more than passing out plastic fire helmets and checking car seats. Community risk reduction is a core part of the resilience framework. The Master Plan articulates that education (teaching people about the hazards they face) and preparation (teaching people how to respond when they encounter those hazards) are just as important as fire engines. In this way, community risk reduction is the primary component of the hazard controls that form our definition of safety.
Community Risk Reduction
Community Risk Reduction
one manager, four civilian staff
Community Action
Community Action
one Lieutenant, one firefighter (FY26 planned)
Mobile Integrated Health
Mobile Integrated Health
one manager, two paramedics, one social worker, one nurse
Success Story: Following the Fire Chief's appearance on NBC Washington, on March 5, we received so many requests from viewers for smoke alarm checks. Best news? 96-year-old -- first time caller -- NO WORKING SMOKE ALARMS in her home. Partnerships that save lives!
MCFRS has demonstrated a commitment to increasing funding and staffing for education and preparation, adding three FTEs over the past two years and with the proposed FY26 budget, increasing the Community Risk Reduction operating budget by $100,000 and adding one an additional firefighter to the Community Action Team FTE.
Where a change to our operational posture increases our effectiveness in community risk reduction, it increases public safety. Community risk reduction meets the community where it is and provides them with tools for increased resilience.
The Evolution in Service
The Evolution in Service
Response times are still important, but they are not the most important thing. The most important thing is being able to deliver emergency medical services units to transport urgent calls, deliver water quickly to burning surfaces, and deliver time critical interventions reliably across the county.
We have evolved past the "load & go" days of emergency medical services. We now bring high quality medicine to your doorstep. We have also progressed beyond the idea that all calls for service are equally emergent. We leverage outcome data to match our response plans to outcomes. Right now, we are sending some units without lights and sirens to some lower acuity incidents. A non-trivial number of our calls for service do not require an urgent response.
The Response Load Disparity
The Response Load Disparity
This chart shows the change over time of emergency medical services transport units. With the exception of A701/B/C and A708/B/C/D, there is very little change for the higher utilization units. With hospital locations and turnover times, it is harder for busy transport units to run more calls.
This chart shows the change over time in engine responses. The two green bars are PE701 and PE732. What this chart demonstrates is how much of the response load is landing on these two engines. Notice that the change over time is more dramatic for the engines than the transport units. This is likely because transports take up more time than engine responses.
Example of Imbalance
For calendar year 2023 thru calendar year 2024, all units from FS09 accounts for 1,406 unit responses (PE709, A709, & W709). By way of comparison, PE732 accounted for 4,432 responses in CY24 alone.
Engine UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with an average of more than 2500 runs/year ALL HOURS
Engine UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with an average of more than 2500 runs/year ALL HOURS
Note: Engine UHU, despite call volume, does not get as high as transport unit UHU. FRS has not officially stated a benchmark UHU for engines, but believes the threshold is between .15 - .20.
Engine UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with an average of more than 2500 runs/year PEAK HOURS
Engine UHU, January 1 - June 30, 2025 for units with an average of more than 2500 runs/year PEAK HOURS
The Proposed Operational Changes
The Proposed Operational Changes
The proposed operational changes are reasonable responses to the problems we face:
Problem One: MCFRS needs at least three additional transport units to meet current demand, and
Problem Two: There is a disparity in the distribution of the response burden across the enterprise.
The positions freed in the proposed changes net two additional emergency medical services transport units in areas with demonstrated high need.
Add BLS transport unit at FS21
Add ALS transport unit at FS25
Add BLS transport unit at FS26 (using FY26 budget process. This placement is temporary and subject to adjustment when FS43 opens)
Add a 4th person to T716, giving us a total of 4 trucks staffed with 4-personnel.
Enhance Mobile Integrated Health (education & preparation) [beneficial side effect]
Remember from earlier that the demand for emergency medical services is significant in the corridor described by FS25, FS21, FS23, and FS26. The proposed changes add an emergency medical services unit at two of those four stations at no additional cost. The third unit is accounted for in the County Executive's recommended FY26 budget. Unfortunately, FS23, though a prime candidate for an additional transport unit, has no space to accommodate one.
Resource Adjustment: 1 | Stop staffing RS717 | Leave the unit in place for volunteer deployment
The department argues that this move has two primary benefits: (a) It provides for guaranteed staffing for A717 (instead of cross-staffing after 1700 hours on weekdays), and (b) the presence of T734 diminishes the impact of an "extrication gap." Further, the department is placing an extrication-capable engine at FS17, eliminating what little extrication gap there was. [RS717 data]
RS717 CY2024:
From the 388 total responses:
72 responses (18.6%) were in Co. 17's area.
No equipment was used 275 (78%) times.
163 responses (42%) were vehicle collision related.
The hydraulic rescue tool was used 7 (1%) times.
Of the 7 times a hydraulic rescue tool was used, only 3 of those times were in 17's first due area.
EMS equipment was used 28 (7.2%) times.
23 responses (6%) were cleared as a building fire.
This chart compares the total calendar year 2024 responses of RS717 against the type of call and the equipment used on those calls. This information is based on the incident reports completed by the officer of the unit. What this chart shows is that on a large percentage of calls the crew did not use any equipment. This indicates that the need was not for the equipment or the specialized capabilities of the vehicle. Further, the low utilization of the hydraulic rescue tools (jaws of life) indicates that this unit is not being used often for its extrication capability.
This chart considers the impact of cross-staffing at FS17. Cross-staffing is the situation where a single crew is responsible for the response of multiple vehicles. In the case of FS17 the current staffing model fully staffs all units (Ambulance, Engine, and Rescue Squad) Mon-Fri from 7am. to 5pm with nine personnel. For all other hours the number of vehicles stays the same but the number of personnel drops to six.
A "fail" is when a given vehicle is dispatched but does not respond. There are various reasons for a failure to respond including a lack of staffing and mechanical issues. The low "fail" rate at FS17 can be explained by the low demand and by sufficient volunteer participation.
Analysis
Our information provides reasonable measure that RS717 is a low-utilization unit. Further, most responses, 71% resulted in "no equipment used. The primary justification for the Rescue Squad is its role during vehicle collisions. It is telling that on greater than 96% of the collision related responses, there is no documentation of hydraulic tool use. There is also little indication that this rescue squad brings value in terms of providing time-critical emergency medical interventions (TCI). This assertion is supported by the fact that only 28 encounters documented the use of EMS equipment. If RS717 was acting as a second level TCI delivery vehicle we would expect this number to be much higher.
Resource Adjustment 2: PE709 | Stop staffing PE709 | Leave the unit in place.
The department argues that this move does not create a "gap in coverage." There are approximately 121 individual address points (see map) in the area where FS09 is currently the closest apparatus. The proximity of new FS35 is more than capable of covering the area. Further, all the existing apparatus remains in place, allowing volunteer participation to help close the intermittent gaps.
PE709 had 1267 total responses over a two-year period (2023 & 2024). Of those responses, 514 were mutual aid calls (outside of Montgomery County), 753 were in Montgomery County. Of the 753 calls in Montgomery County, 227 were for collisions on I-270. All told, PE709 accounted for 526 calls for service in two years in Montgomery County (that were not on I-270). This averages to less than 1 call per day.
A map of the 121 distinct address points in the area covered by PE709.
Analysis
The year over year demand for FS09 clearly demonstrates that this unit is infrequently used in Montgomery County. While the impact of any change in service can be argued, this change has a relatively low impact. Further, the presence of the new Clarksburg Fire Station (FS35) just a few miles south of FS09 is suitably positioned to cover the densest concentrations of address points in FS09's area.
Resource Adjustment 3: AT724 | De-Staff AT724.
De-staffing is not problematic. AT724 is mostly a bedroom community; single family dwellings dominate the area. Further, aerial coverage is overlapping with T725, AT718, T715, and T716. This is even more true with T725, T715 & T716 having four-person staffing. This adjustment is a valid solution to problem one because it helps to add emergency medical services transport capacity without having an adverse impact on our ability to deliver time critical interventions in the greater Colesville area.
This chart shows that of the emergency medical services incidents handled by AT724, the majority are lower acuity BLS and ALS1 incidents.
Analysis
The data from the three year period (CY2022 - CY2024), shows that AT724 ran a total of 43 reported structure fires in their response district during this time frame; only 16 of those were cleared as a structure fire. Further, the lack of emergency medical calls indicates that AT724 is not often called upon to deliver time critical medical interventions in the absence of the other FS24 units. Even without AT724 the system can accommodate the emergency medical services demand in the area. This indicates that the de-staffing of AT724 will not lead to adverse impacts on nearby communities. The move leaves the paramedic engine, the ambulance, and the "bravo" ambulance (a second EMS unit staffed by volunteers) in place.
Other Moves that Improve Organizational Resilience & Service Delivery
Without Adding Transport Units
Other Moves that Improve Organizational Resilience & Service Delivery
Without Adding Transport Units
Move RS703 to FS32
Improve conditions at FS32 and balance call distribution burden without additional cost and without diminishing time critical intervention delivery capacity in the downtown core of Rockville.
Of the ~66% emergency medical calls, ~66% of those are ALS1, or lower acuity advanced life support incidents. Although there is an ALS transport unit at FS32 (during weekday hours), PE732 still responds on ALS1 calls to provide the balance of the three person effective response force (ERF).
What the charts cannot show is the actual impact on people from responding to this volume of incidents. There are simple models to calculate the relative efficiency of a given unit (mUHU), but they also cannot account for physiological and psychological stressors.
The tables below show the nature of the responses of FS03 and FS32. The predominant demand for FS03 is routine BLS response (the lowest acuity emergency medical cases) and when all emergency medical incidents are considered, it is evident that the predominant demand is for emergency medical services. Interestingly, the predominant demand for PE732 is routine fire responses. While not the primary motivation for the move of RS703 to FS32, having the rescue squad placed at FS32 diminishes the need for special service apparatus to respond into FS32's area for automatic fire alarms. These tables clearly indicate that where the volunteers at FS03 are placing additional transport units in service, they are adding significant value to the response system.
A Proposed Solution
Move RS703 to FS732. This move increases the capacity to respond of one of the busiest response districts in the County and reduces the response burden disparity. When considered in the totality of the proposed changes, this change is cost-neutral from a financial perspective. With respect to the extrication capabilities provided by the Rescue Squad, the new arrangement, while it does not improve access to extrication service, cannot be said to impair the provision of extrication services. The net impact is improved operational resilience at one of our busiest worksites.
A Valid Concern
FS03 has one of the more active, operational LFRDs. It is no small concern that the proposal takes away potential riding positions for volunteers. However, the proposed changes and departmental thinking prioritize emergency medical services transport units and engine response, so much so that the only time critical intervention for fire incidents is dependent on first engine arrival. Thanks to robust volunteer participation, the FS03 volunteers add critical system capacity by staffing a second engine and additional emergency medical units.
Racial Equity
MCFRS uses social vulnerability as a proxy for racial equity. (Master Plan, p. 22). Currently FS03 has two high SVI census tracts in its primary response district. The department is proposing to move the rescue squad to FS32, which has no high SVI census tracts.
However, it cannot be said that this redistribution has a net negative impact on the two high SVI census tracts in FS03's area. This is because FS03 also houses an engine, two transport units, and an aerial tower, and has the capacity to add even more services intermittently, based on volunteer participation.
Considered from a perspective of time critical interventions, FS03 still has the ability to provide many layers of time critical intervention to the high SVI areas, even in the absence of RS703. FS03 arguably has the most robust volunteer cadre in the County, making them able to easily cover any perceived deficit.
Note
Consider earlier in CY25, MCFRS moved two career personnel from FS11, redeploying those positions to FS15 to reduce the incidence of failures to respond for A715. The RS703 move is similar to the FS11 move in that it leverages strong volunteer presence against the need for more personnel.
Note
Not unlike FS32, the calls for FS01 are highly concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the worksite. The majority of the engine's calls are also for low acuity fire and emergency medical services incidents. Because PE701 is the only heavy apparatus at FS01, their response on low acuity emergency medical incidents represents over-consumption*.
With respect to SVI, FS01's area does not have any high SVI census tracts, nor do FS19's. However, FS01 shares their property with one of the largest social welfare locations in the county, Progress Place, and has a large unhoused population. Furthermore, downtown Silver Spring is a hotspot for nightlife, and the associated issues that come with that.
Move AT719 to FS01
Improve conditions at FS01 and moderately improve response to non-sprinklered residential highrises by placing the tower in the middle of the highest density of non-sprinklered residential highrises.
A Proposed Solution
Move AT719 to FS01. This move increases the capacity to respond of one of the busiest response districts in the County and reduces the response burden disparity. When considered in the totality of the proposed changes, this change is cost-neutral from a financial perspective. With respect to the elevated platform, the new arrangement improves the proximity of that elevated platform to higher risk, non-sprinklered residential highrises. The net impacts are improved operational resilience and improved safety in high risk occupancies.
Future Considerations/Alternatives
Future Considerations/Alternatives
MCFRS looks forward to any suggestion that helps to move the conversation forward. We appreciate any help with executing the mission and addressing the problems that we face.
Updates
5/2/2025: Original text: "Because PE701 is the only heavy apparatus at FS01, their response on low acuity emergency medical incidents represents over-production." New text: Because PE701 is the only heavy apparatus at FS01, their response on low acuity emergency medical incidents represents over-consumption*. Explanation. The phrase over production was used incorrectly.
7/21/2025: Updated with transport UHU data and engine UHU data for the first six months of 2025.
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