An Explanation of your Fire and Rescue Services

Understanding Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) can be confusing. Please allow this to serve as an explanation of how you receive fire, rescue, and emergency medical services in Glen Echo.

The Glen Echo Fire Department (GEFD) is staffed by both career Montgomery County employees and our volunteers. We refer to them collectively as personnel. At all times there are five career staff on duty; a sufficient number to provide required minimum staffing on one of our engine companies and our ambulance. Our volunteers supplement that staffing, are required to stand duty one night a week, and have the same required training standards as the career staff.

By combining our collective volunteer resources with the career staff, we provide better coverage through higher staffing levels. For example, if two of our volunteers are on duty to staff the ambulance, the engine can be staffed with five career personnel instead of three. You, as citizens, deserve the best possible services that can be delivered with our resources. You are guaranteed coverage, which may not be the case with departments that are staffed solely with volunteers.

Other departments provide complementary services in our area. Advanced Life Support, or paramedic coverage, is provided by neighboring departments, as are both heavy rescue services and coverage by truck companies. We remain your primary provider.

We are governed by the Conduit Road Fire Board, which is comprised of representatives of the citizens' associations in our first due area. This unique governance structure allows us to stay in much better touch with the community we serve.

As a Department, we are constantly striving to innovate and improve upon the level of service you, as citizens, are delivered. While we do receive tax funds from Montgomery County, we rely on your contributions in order to provide the best coverage possible.

In the future, we want to provide paramedic coverage out of our station in order to decrease response times from neighboring departments and increase the probability of better outcomes for medical emergencies. This is a significant financial undertaking. Equipping a vehicle with paramedic equipment would cost approximately $60,000. A pending cooperative building renovation is estimated at nearly 5 million dollars. Our needs are great. Help us help you.

The future is bright. Our volunteer numbers are increasing and our career staff is gifted. We embrace the future and look forward to serving you better and better in the years to come.

Jeffrey R. Hearle, President
Conduit Road Fire Board
Glen Echo Fire Department