Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue Commissioners Meeting - November 20, 2025

The Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue Commissioners held its regular monthly meeting on November 20, 2025, both in person and online. Chairman Lynn Gilroy presided, with members Bill Deere (Vice Chairman, EMS Association), Natasha Suber Perry (Governor's appointee), Quincy Colby (County commissioner appointee), Robert Ansel (County commissioner appointee), and Commissioner Ralph Patterson (representing county commissioners) attending. The board approved previous minutes, reviewed financial reports, received updates on apparatus and facility projects, and approved the November 2025 distribution of funds to volunteer fire and EMS departments, including a withholding penalty for one department's late financial reporting.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes (October 16, 2025): The board unanimously approved the minutes as printed.

LOSAP Report (October 2025)

Vice Chairman Bill Deere presented the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) report. As of October 31, 2025, total funds were $23,614,089.45, a net increase of $50,399.47 from the end of September. The change in value before Wilmington Trust expenses was $153,170.76. Wilmington Trust expenses included $96,268.14 in benefits paid, two death benefits of $5,000 each, two distribution payments of $682.50, and fees of $87.65. Interest earned was $100,184.78. The board noted that no transfer from the investment portfolio was needed to pay beneficiaries, a positive trend.

Monthly Expenditures (Letter of Information)

Bill Deere submitted the monthly pre-approved expenditures for October 2025, including coordinator account ($8,999.00), mobile display terminal account ($4,953.23), administrative costs, fuel, and various escrow accounts. Total expenditures from ESCO accounts were approved by the fire and EMS executive committees and presented for information.

Department Updates (Letters of Information)

Several volunteer fire departments provided updates on apparatus and facility projects:

• Bryans Road VFD: Replacement of Command Unit 11 completed at a total cost of $84,820.17 (1.9% over approved budget), now in service.
• Dentsville EMS (Company 15): New pole barn building project – building plans submitted to county for review; site plans in final approval stage; cost estimate expected within two weeks.
• Indian Head VFD: Replacement of Engine 9-4 – vehicle delivered October 21, 2025, and sent to vendor for outfitting.
• Indian Head VFD: Replacement of Command Unit 9 – originally ordered as 2025 model but cutoff changed; reordered as 2026 model with no price increase. President Ricky Bowie later announced the vehicle was delivered to the station on the morning of the meeting.
• Newburg VRSF: Ambulance 14 in production, tentative completion end of December; Ambulance 148 still awaiting production date, old unit remains out of service.
• 10th District VFD: Rescue Squad 8 placed in service October 13 at a final cost of $1,270,614 ($3,755 under approved amount due to prepay savings and deletions). Engine 82 engineering meeting held; estimated build start January 15, 2026, completion March 15, 2026.
• Bryans Road VFD: Seeking approval to acquire a UTV from Hughesville VFD upon receipt of Hughesville's new UTV; details to be finalized.
• La Plata VFD: Established a committee to explore renovation/expansion of their station (built 2001); formal request expected upon completion of assessment.
• Potomac Heights VFD: Letter of intent to reconstruct station kitchen destroyed by fire in June 2025; insurance claims processed; committee forming to obtain bids.
• Waldorf VFD: Exploring replacement of Car 3 (2016 Ford F150, 110,421 miles); funds from fire and EMS; current Car 3 to be donated to Ladies Auxiliary.

Standards Compliance Reports

Both the EMS Association (President Bertie Spaulding) and the Firemen's Association confirmed that apparatus and station equipment standards inspections for 2025 have been completed for all volunteer companies, with the exception of a few units out of service for mechanical issues. The board noted that Department of Emergency Services (DES) ALS units are also inspected by DES separately.

Volunteer Coordinator Report

Coordinator William Smith (via written report) highlighted: $2,600 received in donations to the Chief Daniel Stevens Educational Scholarship Fund; working on FEMA SAFER grant; monitoring FEMA notifications for 125 sets of PPE; Chris Kringle event schedule sent; cadet program updates (21 cadets in classes 29/30; two failed module one exam eligible for retest; EMT course in progress); recruiting for next year in progress; reminder for MIFRI instructor opportunities.

Capital Projects Reminder

Chairman Gilroy listed upcoming capital projects due in December, including Bryans Road Truck 11 replacement and solar project, Ambulance 608 MICU replacement, mobile display terminals, Hughesville UTV replacement, Waldorf Engine 32, Ambulance 127 and 39/399, Westlake Station 12 remodel and bay door replacement.

November 2025 Distribution Plan

Chairman Gilroy presented the distribution plan for funds collected through October 31, 2025. Total of $1,120,555 to the investment portfolio. Additionally, $1,011,000 from ESCO accounts will be disbursed to various budgeted line items (e.g., secretary/admin, cadet program, mobile display terminals, etc.). After these disbursements, the remaining funds for volunteer departments were: $6,186,740 for fire departments and $3,034,865 for EMS departments. The board noted that Fire Company 10 (and EMS Company 10) failed to meet the Chapter 54-6 requirement to submit financial reports, being 11 days late. Therefore, the distribution to Company 10 (fire and EMS) would be withheld for 11 calendar days.

Key Outcomes

• Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved (motion by Mr. Deere, second by Ms. Suber Perry).
• Reappointment to LOSAP Board: Bill Deere was reappointed to the LOSAP board by unanimous vote (motion by Chairman Gilroy, second by Ms. Suber Perry).
• Approval of November Distribution Plan: Motion to approve the distribution plan and withhold funds from Company 10 (fire and EMS) for 11 days due to late financial reporting. Motion carried unanimously (motion by Chairman Gilroy, second by Ms. Suber Perry).
• Adjournment: Meeting adjourned by unanimous vote.