Montgomery County commission approves countywide special operations team, seeks startup funding

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission on Tuesday voted to establish a countywide special operations team focused initially on swift-water and dive response, with plans to expand into rope and other technical rescue disciplines.

Unidentified Speaker 8, who outlined the proposal to the commission, said the team would begin small and phase in capabilities. "We're proposing, initially, a 24 member team," the speaker said, describing membership as open to any county member in good standing who meets awareness‑level training requirements. The team would standardize equipment and place a set of rope and dive gear on a response vehicle or trailer to improve interoperability.

Commissioners and volunteer leaders pressed for concrete cost estimates. The presenter described inspection and testing needs across agencies, a full rope equipment kit at about $15,000, an estimated comms kit near $25,000, and a vendor‑led technician training course priced at about $35,000; the presenter summarized those figures as totaling "about $80,000." One participant urged caution on the transcript's abbreviated figure for inspections (spoken as "about $5" in the meeting transcript); the exact amount for inspections was not specified in the discussion.

Members discussed how departments would maintain boats and large assets and suggested a one‑time startup request to the county budget with a separate line for ongoing training and maintenance. One commissioner suggested asking the board for $100,000 to ensure initial purchases and the first year of training and upkeep.

After discussion, the commission formally moved and seconded a motion to proceed with the special operations team. The group approved the motion by voice vote; the transcript records members responding "Aye," but does not include a roll‑call tally.

The commission asked staff to prepare budget language and to include the special operations request in the county budget process for board consideration. The proponents outlined a tentative 2025 timeline: identify members and draft protocols in early 2025, begin joint spring training, and, if funded, purchase equipment in summer 2025 and begin operational responses while expanding certified disciplines in subsequent years.

The commission's approval does not itself commit county funding; the next step is submission of a budget request to the county board for one‑time startup funds and an ongoing line for training and maintenance.