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Washington County emergency services detail storm and wildland responses; volunteers logged thousands of man‑hours
Summary
County emergency services and volunteer wildland teams reported large-scale local and mutual‑aid responses after April storms and fires in neighboring counties; officials thanked volunteers and outlined resource needs including funding and PPE maintenance.
Washington County’s emergency services leaders briefed the commissioners on large storm response demands and recent mutual‑aid deployments for wildland fires, describing heavy call volumes and tens to hundreds of personnel-hours devoted to response.
Director of Emergency Services David Hayes said the April 19 storm produced more than 1,000 calls for service across roughly 24 hours and required “all hands” from volunteer and career responders; he thanked the 9-1-1 center and volunteer departments for sustained staffing. Volunteer wildland teams were dispatched to Cumberland County, Pa., to fight two large fires; Washington County units spent several days on mutual aid assignments.
Wildland team leader Ollie Griffith described the scope: crews assisted on a fire that burned 2,323 acres and a second that burned roughly 471 acres; combined mutual‑aid man‑hours from Washington County wildland teams exceeded 424 man‑hours on that deployment and volunteers have provided more than 1,000 mutual‑aid man‑hours across seven counties since March. Griffith said funding is “really tough” for volunteer corporations and much of the work is supported through company-raised funds.
Why this matters: The county’s emergency briefing underscores reliance on volunteers and interjurisdictional mutual aid for wildfire and storm response, and officials asked the board to consider support options. Hayes and Griffith asked the commission to consider additional funding to sustain wildland capabilities and noted safety risks for sawyers and crews working at night.
The board acknowledged the contributions of mutual‑aid partners, including Potomac Edison’s mutual assistance after the storm, and thanked first responders for prolonged shifts. Commissioners and staff did not adopt new funding at the session but recorded the operational brief and volunteer funding needs for follow-up.
