January 3rd, 2018 by WCBC Radio
In the past year, Allegany County and the city of Cumberland have discussed the idea of the county absorbing the city’s EMS operations as a cost savings measure- and to create a more efficient system. Currently the arrangement between the two is handled through mutual aid agreements and is based on the same funding formula the county gives to its volunteer fire companies. The financial support to city public safety is about $196,000 annually. According to the numbers, the city collects about $8.2 million in taxes annually and pays out more than $11 million for city police, fire and EMS services- obviously creating some challenges. City officials are hoping the county would take over all or part of the Cumberland's EMS service- but there are some hurdles that would have to be cleared. Cumberland is one of the few municipalities in Maryland to pay for fulltime firefighters, and there are EMT and firemen intertwined. The city public safety personnel are also under union representation. County Commissioners President Jake Shade tells WCBC News that the effort to consolidate EMS services will continue this year…
.jpg)
