Anne Arundel?s police and firefighter ranks will need to expand to protect 22,000 new employees coming to Fort Meade in the next three years, officials say.
“Public safety needs more people and money, not land or buildings, and what it will boil down to is costs,” said Tim Reyburn, member of the public safety committee of the county?s Base Realignment and Closure task force.
“All of these new commuters are going to put a big strain on the county?s emergency services.”
Anne Arundel?s police and fire departments say they are adequately staffed today.
But to handle the BRAC influx, the county fire department will likely need 30 additional people, mainly for perceived demand for medical help.
“[Fire] Chief [David] Stokes and senior staff believe that additional resources will need to be placed in the western area of county, where [BRAC] is believed to have the biggest impact,” fire department spokesman Battalion Chief Michael Cox said.
New ambulances and extensions of fire stations near the fort ? particularly Maryland City, Harmans, Dorsey and Jessup ? may be needed to handle the staffing increase.
As for the police department, police spokeswoman Sgt. Sara Schriver said it was too early to say, but “we will certainly assess the situation.”
Costs of expansion is a concern of Bob Leib, the county?s BRAC coordinator, especially if the economic conditions persists when the BRAC influx hits full gear between 2011 and 2015.
For example, if the police department increased its western district by 11 officers, it would cost the county $1.3 million the first year, and roughly $1 million the following year, according to the county?s BRAC task force.
The task force has recommended in the county?s draft BRAC report to use grant funding to determine the exact need of emergency services and how much it will cost.
“We don?t want to limit ourselves to a short-term view of a long-term problem, and a short-term answer that has leads to increased costs,” Leib said.
Leib said the regional BRAC committee for Fort Meade, which includes several other counties, may take up the public safety issue. A regional effort may drive in more money.
“God forbid something happens at Fort Meade or the [National Security Agency], it would have ramifications beyond just this county,” Leib said.
