Mission Statement

The mission of the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service (MCFRS) is to create and enhance public safety through measures to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.

MCFRS consists of the Office of the Fire Chief; Division of Operations; Division of Human Resources; Division of Fiscal Management; Division of Support Services; Division of Volunteer Services; the Fire and Emergency Services Commission; and 19 Local Fire and Rescue Departments (LFRD). MCFRS operates 37 fire and rescue stations and several satellite offices.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is $292,436,391, an increase of $25,641,237 or 9.61 percent from the FY24 Approved Budget of $266,795,154. Personnel Costs comprise 84.29 percent of the budget for 1,370 full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 1,372.01 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 15.71 percent of the FY25 budget.

The Debt Service for the Fire Tax District Fund is appropriated in the Debt Service Fund and is, therefore, not displayed in this section. To pay for the Debt Service, a transfer of funds from the Fire Tax District Fund to the Debt Service Fund of $9,311,730 for General Obligation debt and $6,511,050 for other debt is required.

In addition, this department's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires Current Revenue funding.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following is emphasized:

• Safe Neighborhoods

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY24 estimates reflect funding based on the FY24 approved budget. The FY25 and FY26 figures are performance targets based on the FY25 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY26.

Initiatives

• Provision of enhanced cancer screenings options that include the early detection of multiple types of cancers via blood testing, and ultrasound diagnostic of cancer for career firefighters.
• Improve staffing within the Fire & Explosive Investigations Unit (FEI) in a manner that efficiently accounts for rigorous training requirements and promotes longterm savings.
• Increase support to the local fire rescue department (LFRD) with the addition of staffing at Station 40 to address failure to respond metrics.
• Fully deployed a High School Cadet Training Program in collaboration with MCPS. The cadet program now includes Emergency Medical Technician Trainining geared towards prepairing Cadets for successful performance on national licensure requirements, and preparation for professional Fire Fighter careers.
• Provision of vaccine boosters for career firefighters against COVID-19.
• Maximize the impact of existing resources through adjustments to the Emergency Medical Services disposition unit and redeploying staff from an advanced life support chase car to establish a new EMS Duty Officer to improve health outcomes in diverse areas of the County.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Added a Clinical Disposition Officer (EMS700) in FY24 to manage the flow of EMS transport units into crowded emergency departments and avoid overloading any one hospital with patients whenever possible. EMS700 also improves care navigation for patients with specialty needs such as strokes, traumatic injuries, heart attacks, palliative care, and pediatrics.

  
  

• Added an additional EMS Duty Officer (EMS702) to the Bethesda area in FY24, increasing the supervisory coverage in the field. This directly improves the geographic coverage of the entire county and reduces staffing stress for each of the three supervisors. This additional supervisor improves relationships with our field clinicians and hospital partners and increases supervisory attendance to high acuity patients, such as those suffering cardiac arrests or significant trauma.

  
  

• Placed a reserve ambulance at Station 33 and allowed the local fire-rescue departments to staff the unit in response to patient transportation demand surges.

  
  

• Redeployed several EMS resources in FY24 to improve EMS capacity/coverage, including an ambulance (A725C) from Station 25 to Station 18 (A718); the chase car (ALS741) from Rescue 1 to Station 1 (ALS701); and a daywork (Monday - Friday) medic unit (M732).

• Improved the quality of care to EMS patients by providing access to new equipment (IV pumps) and processes (norepinephrine administration) that could potentially improve outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. These improvements reduce the cognitive workload of the clinician and eliminate error points in patient care.

• Early in 2023, MCFRS enhanced outreach and education efforts beginning with the Fire Chief's "call to action," a non-sprinklered high-rise safety campaign. Implemented additional enhancements through process changes, including more robust information and data-sharing between the Community Risk Reduction Section and Operations in support of After-the-Fire initiatives and the addition of the Community Action Lieutenant at the beginning of FY24. Applied a "whole-of-government" approach to a significant high-rise fire incident through the creation of a learning team, which brought together several County departments to analyze the community and explore methods to enhance public safety.

  
  

Program Descriptions

  Office of the Fire Chief

The Office of the Fire Chief (OFC) has the ultimate responsibility for the overall management, direction, planning, and coordination of all MCFRS programs and operations. The OFC manages the overall service needs and delivery requirements of MCFRS, including fire and rescue master planning and resource deployment plans; oversees community risk...

  Operations

The Operations Division is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of critical emergency medical services (EMS), fire suppression, hazardous materials, and technical rescue mitigation to the residents and visitors of Montgomery County.The overall responsibility for Fire and Rescue Service operations lies directly with the Fire Chief. The Division Chief...

  Human Resources Division

The Division of Human Resources is a comprehensive support function of MCFRS focused on the management and maximization of potential for human capital. The division is comprised of various sub-functions. The Administrative Services Section is responsible for personnel and labor related issues, including coordination with County...

  Volunteer Services

The Division of Volunteer Services (DVS) manages and provides support and volunteer advocacy, oversight, mediation, and enforcement of MCFRS policies, coordination and technical assistance, incentives, and administrative services to support the Local Fire and Rescue Departments (LFRD) within MCFRS. This program promotes consistent and balanced integration of the activities of...

  Support Services

The Division of Support Services provides central administrative and management service and direction for support functions across the department. Core services include the Capital Improvements Program, logistics, fleet services, facilities, technology services, and safety. The logistics function consists of Fleet Support, Fleet Maintenance, Property and Supply, Emergency Medical...

  Fiscal Management

The Division of Fiscal Management is responsible for the overall management of the MCFRS operating budget; the management and administration of State and Federal funding; management oversight of the EMS reimbursement program; accounts payable and receivable; and contract management and development. The Budget and Grants Section handles budget development;...