HAGERSTOWN — A detailed Dec. 2 work session on Hagerstown’s fire and emergency medical services prompted city leaders to reexamine both the structure of the department and the fairness of regional emergency response expectations, especially as debates over the county’s tax differential continue.
Fire Chief John DiBacco and Deputy Chief Adam Hopkins presented an extensive overview of how the department operates within and beyond city limits. They outlined staffing challenges, funding gaps and the strain caused by automatic aid responses that routinely send city units into surrounding communities.
Staffing, structure and citywide demands
Hagerstown’s fire department employs seventy-nine funded career firefighters and maintains sixteen personnel on duty around the clock. Each apparatus carries two firefighters, a staffing level officials said falls short of national standards that recommend four.
The department operates five engines, two ladder trucks and a battalion chief. Only one fire station is owned by the city, while the others are owned by volunteer companies. Six volunteer companies operate within city limits, supplying equipment and furnishings, while the town provides apparatus and paid staffing.
Countywide, twenty-seven volunteer companies operate under Washington County’s system. The county’s Division of Emergency Services provides full-time or part-time staffing at sixteen of those stations. Many Hagerstown firefighters also work part-time for the county or volunteer outside the city, underscoring the interconnected nature of the region’s fire service.
County support and funding disparities
Fire officials said the county provides hose and ladder testing, aerial and pump inspections, medical supplies and radio equipment. The city receives about $78,000 in state funding distributed through the county. However, the county does not reimburse the city for the fuel or maintenance of its apparatus, costs that approach $300,000 each year. Volunteer companies inside the city also do not receive the $25,000 annual staffing stipend provided to other county volunteer stations.
Staff suggested that any revised agreement between the city and county should address these disparities, including potential reimbursement for apparatus costs and equitable support for volunteer companies.
Mutual aid patterns and response limitations
Hopkins explained how calls are dispatched through the 911 center. The system sends the closest available unit, regardless of jurisdiction, a process that frequently deploys city engines to Funkstown, Halfway, and other nearby communities. Under a 2020 mutual aid agreement, Hagerstown is limited to sending no more than two engines, one ladder truck and one battalion chief outside city boundaries.
In the past two years, the department responded to nearly 9,000 calls, with about 15% occurring outside city limits. Most required only one unit, but responders often face unclear jurisdiction lines, especially on interstates and roadways.
Council raises concerns about tax fairness
The presentation led to pointed questions from Councilmember Alshshire, who argued that the current system places an unfair financial burden on city residents. He said city taxpayers fund a $10 million fire service that county residents rely upon without receiving appropriate credit through a tax differential.
Alshshire said the mutual aid agreement weakens the city’s bargaining power with the county because it obligates Hagerstown to respond as the closest resource, even when such responses impose high costs on the town.
He questioned whether the city should scale back out-of-city responses until the county acknowledges the value of the city’s fire service in its tax policies. He also said the county could not maintain adequate fire protection without Hagerstown’s system.
Fire officials stress life safety over jurisdiction
Chief DiBacco cautioned against reducing responses, emphasizing that life safety depends on the closest unit arriving quickly. He said boundary lines are often irregular and difficult to determine in real time, and dispatchers rely on proximity rather than jurisdiction.
While acknowledging funding inequities, DiBacco said restricting service was not the appropriate solution. He encouraged the city to renegotiate the agreement or pursue direct discussions with the county over fair compensation for operational costs.
Next steps
Council members agreed that county relations have improved, but said the lack of a tax differential remains unresolved. They discussed whether future negotiations should include reimbursement for apparatus and equitable stipends for volunteer companies.
