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Annapolis Fire Department reports low fire loss in 2024, previews new engine and strategic plan
Summary
Fire officials told the public safety committee that 2024 had a low fire‑loss year, the new Forest Drive engine should enter service in June and the department is drafting a strategic plan for council review later this year.
Annapolis Fire Department leaders reported to the Public Safety Committee that the city recorded a relatively low fire loss in 2024, that a new pumper truck for Forest Drive is nearing final inspection and that the department is drafting a strategic plan to present to city leadership.
Fire Chief Doug Romali told the committee that March call volumes were in line with seasonal averages and that emergency medical services make up roughly 70% of the department’s workload. Chief Romali said Ward 6 accounted for about 11% of the department’s responses in 2024, with 925 calls for service in that ward last year.
Chief Romali and Deputy Chief Matt Lopez said the new pumper for the Forest Drive station is in production and expected to go through final inspection at the end of the month; the department expects the apparatus in service in June. The department noted that current apparatus costs have risen: the new pumper was procured for about $725,000 under the council‑approved budget two years ago and would cost more if ordered today.
Deputy Chief Lopez outlined the strategic plan timeline and said internal focus groups and an external public survey are under way; the department plans to deliver a draft to the chief by September for presentation to the council later in the year. The plan will cover anticipated staffing, equipment and community‑education needs.
Committee members asked about apparatus maintenance and staffing. Chief Romali said routine mechanical work is handled by the city fleet maintenance shop on Hudson Street and that firefighters perform basic in‑house repairs but rely on fleet mechanics for major work. He also reported four new firefighter‑paramedic trainees currently in county fire school and two members completing paramedic training.
Fire leaders told the committee they will increase public education and outreach—programs range from smoke‑alarm distribution and hands‑only CPR to overdose response education—and that the fire and police public information officers will coordinate messaging more closely. The department said it is monitoring federal changes that have paused some grant programs and National Fire Academy activity and is assessing possible impacts on training and grant‑funded projects, including a city fireboat procurement that relies on U.S. and Canadian suppliers.
