HAGERSTOWN – The Washington County Division of Emergency Services welcomed 21 new professional firefighters with the recent graduation of Firefighter Academy Recruit Classes 6 and 7 during a ceremony at the Kepler Theatre at Hagerstown Community College.
The graduation is a significant step in addressing the county’s shortage of firefighters and emergency services specialists.
Family members, friends, and distinguished guests came together to honor the graduates, who have completed their training and are now ready to serve the people of Washington County and the surrounding areas.
The evening featured remarks from Jeffrey A. Cline, vice president of the county Board of Commissioners, along with a keynote address by celebrated retired firefighter Al Benjamin of FDNY Rescue Co. #1.
Highlights included a formal badge-pinning ceremony and the swearing-in of the recruits. Graduates from Class 6 include Charles Burleson, Derek Crippen, Bryan Geneese, Lucas Godwin, Alex Hasri, Colten Matheny, Troy Moyers, Jeremiah Pattison, John Sharpe, and Richard Smith.
Graduates from Class 7 include Cody Boward, Caleb Crowe, Nicholas Cullum, Steven Dove, Robert Gordon, Joshua Grim, Matthew Hagy, Richard Hebb, Brandon Lynch, Thomas Morrison, Adrian Rivera, and Christian Sherwood.
“The Division of Emergency Services extends its highest commendation to these graduates of Classes,” R. David Hays, director of the Department of Emergency Services (DES), said at the ceremony. “These men and women have demonstrated unwavering dedication, strength, and a commitment to public service.”
Like many counties in Maryland, Washington faces staffing challenges in its fire and emergency medical services. With a predominantly volunteer-based fire protection system, there are 29 volunteer fire and rescue companies serving 147,000 county residents across 430 square miles.
These companies work hand-in-hand with DES on responses ranging from structure fires and vehicle accidents to hazardous material incidents and medical emergencies.
Part of a national trend, departments face issues such as declining recruitment, high attrition and competition from other career opportunities. Here, volunteer numbers have struggled to keep pace with call volumes, which have increased due to population growth, suburban expansion and a rise in EMS-related incidents.
The result is that many stations operate with inconsistent staffing, leading to longer response times, reliance on mutual aid from neighboring departments and increased burnout among existing members, a situation shared by many jurisdictions.
To address gaps, the county implemented a regional staffing plan in 2020, deploying career firefighters to four strategic locations for quicker initial response, but this has not fully resolved the underlying volunteer shortages.
These recruits represent a DES effort to inject professional staff into the system, bolstering capacity. As career hires, they matriculated through the county’s Public Safety Training Center in partnership with Hagerstown Community College, bringing specialized skills in firefighting, rescue operations, and emergency services.
The influx also helps morale and sustainability by lightening the load on volunteers, who can then focus on support roles or specialized calls rather than routine staffing. The hybrid model, which retains volunteers while professionalizing core operations, aligns with the county’s strategy to “build unity” through academy training.
