Queen Anne's County Fire & EMS Commission reviews 2024 operations, swears in new chairman

The Queen Anne's County Fire and EMS Commission presented a year-end review for 2024 and formally swore in Raymond Aaron as the new commission chairman during the Jan. 28 county commissioners meeting.

Bill Faust, outgoing chairman of the Queen Anne's County Fire & EMS Commission, delivered the annual review on behalf of the volunteer companies and commission leadership. Faust summarized operational activity, training and community outreach and thanked county leadership for support.

Key points from the year-end review

- Total call volume: Commission reported 7,345 calls countywide in 2024 as reported by the Department of Emergency Services (DES). - Daily distribution: Sunday 988; Monday 1,062; Tuesday 1,083; Wednesday 1,052; Thursday 1,089; Friday 1,020; Saturday 1,051. (Commission presentation.) - Monthly counts: January 614; February 550; March 574; April 568; May 648; June 644; July 659; August 616; September 562; October 651; November 644; December 618. (Commission presentation.) - Training: Commissioners reported approximately 3,000 total training hours including formal courses through MFRI and the National Fire Academy and company-level training. - Community engagement and fundraising: More than 20 fundraising events in 2024 and more than 1,000 volunteer hours supporting those events, plus station tours, school visits and fair participation. - Operational updates: The commission approved an updated alert timing (six minutes for first and second alerts) and revised related standard operating procedures; continued refinement of battalion chief procedures, mass-casualty-incident (MCI) response procedures and countywide incident command sheets. - Technology and reporting: The commission described work with county IT to resolve issues with the CrewForce app and preparations to implement updates for the 2026 National Fire Incident Reporting System reporting standard. - Equipment and recruitment: Recruitment trailers and vehicle wraps for public outreach were funded in 2024; the commission said it is pursuing grants for turnout gear and additional AEDs.

Swearing-in and leadership transition

Bill Faust said the Jan. 28 meeting marked his last year as commission chairman; he thanked volunteers and supporters and introduced Raymond Aaron as his successor. The county conducted a formal swearing-in ceremony for Aaron; both took the oath of office for commission leadership and custody of records. Commissioners and meeting attendees offered congratulatory remarks.

What commissioners said

Commission President Chris Corcorino and other commissioners thanked Faust for his service. Commissioners praised local volunteer companies’ recruiting efforts, including cadet programs. Several commissioners emphasized the county’s reliance on the volunteer system and noted the potential local cost of converting to a fully career fire service.

Speakers and attributions in this article are limited to those who presented or spoke during the commission’s report and swearing-in ceremony.