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Emergency services asks for accreditation manager, EMS program manager and CAD support; commissioners ask for realignment review
Summary
Emergency Services requested several new positions and technology support—an EMS operational program manager, an accreditation manager, CAD/CAD‑tech funding and a third radio technician—but commissioners asked that all requested FTEs be reviewed in a county‑wide realignment before final approval.
St. Mary’s County Emergency Services briefed the commissioners March 5 on staffing and systems needs tied to professionalization and planned technology upgrades.
Doctor Dan Geary, the jurisdictional medical director, and Emergency Services leadership described three core needs: an EMS operational program manager to build ALS oversight and program structure; a full‑time accreditation manager to write and implement policies and quality‑assurance processes; and additional technical staff to support a new computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) system and radio systems. Staff also requested a third radio/communications technician and other support roles tied to dispatch and accreditation.
Emergency Services leaders said the accreditation workload is heavy and current staff are performing the work on top of supervisory duties; they asked for a dedicated accreditation manager to complete policy writing, implementation and verification. The CAD and radio‑systems requests reflected a multi‑year technology rollout: staff asked for a CAD technician to maintain and support the new system and for another radio technician because current staff are stretched and some work remains undone.
Commissioners did not reject the requests but asked that every requested FTE be reviewed as part of a broader county realignment of existing vacancies. Several commissioners reiterated that the county currently has roughly 26 vacant positions and asked staff to examine whether those vacancies could be reclassified or repurposed to meet critical needs across departments. Commissioners also asked staff to identify nonrecurring items that could be funded from existing fund balance for FY2020 while preserving recurring funds for next year.
Ending: Emergency Services will participate in the county‑wide vacancy realignment review and return with revised recommendations and cost‑breakouts for recurring versus one‑time items.
