Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue Commissioners Meeting – May 21, 2026

The Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue Commissioners held its May meeting on May 21, 2026, chaired by Lynn Gilroy (Charles County Volunteer Firemen's Association). Also present were Vice Chairman Bill Deere (Charles County Association of Emergency Medical Services), Governor's appointee Matasha Suba Perry, and county commissioner appointees Quincy Colby and Robert Ansel. The board approved the April minutes, reviewed the April 2026 LOSAP investment report, accepted letters of information for escrow expenditures and apparatus/facility projects across county volunteer companies, received the volunteer coordinator's report, and approved the May 2026 fire and EMS distribution. No agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based solely on the meeting transcript.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the April 16, 2026 meeting as printed by unanimous voice vote; the chair also voted in the affirmative.
• Reviewed the LOSAP Investment Report for April 2026. Total funds on April 30 were $25,260,083.46 (Principal Financial $24,553,611.13; Wellington Trust $726,472.33), up from $24,154,640.33 at the end of March. Wilmington Trust made 325 total disbursements and paid out $102,241.89 in benefits and expenses, including $96,269 in benefits, one $5,000 death benefit, one reissue distribution of $172.50, three distribution payments of $862.50, and two stopped distribution payments totaling $450. Wellington Trust showed a loss (transcript: '$99,35.30'), and Principal Financial paid $2,881.44 in fees. The board noted no new state funds are expected until November and that the fund remains in 'pretty good shape.' (The transcript also lists total funds once as $25,260,008.46, a minor internal inconsistency.)

Letters of Information – Escrow Capital Expenditures (April 2026)

• William Smith, Fire/EMS Coordinator, submitted April 2026 expenses from pre-approved escrow accounts: quarter coordinators account $9,160.09; mobile display terminal account $566.86; fire and rescue secretary account $1,556.99; association credit card $2,274.98; Company 17 vehicle fuel invoices ($168.66, $264.93, $241.84, and $71.30 for Fire Car 17, EMS Car 17, and EMS Utility 17A); recruitment and retention account items including a Clear Channel recruitment billboard of $13,935 (covered by a FEMA grant), a Sanders Insurance workers' compensation premium adjustment of $258, and Technology Reflections annual website services of $1,349; and special operations equipment totaling $17,761.30 (star tactical helmets, lock kits, gloves, titanium litter, litter tie-in kits, and CMC Arizona vortex equipment). All were approved by the fire and EMS executive committees and presented as a letter of information.

Letters of Information – Apparatus and Facility Project Updates

• Newburgh Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department (President Andrew C. Spaulding) – Final report on EMS Utility 14 replacement: the vehicle will be placed in service within the next week after standards are completed; final cost $83,898 (Sports Chevrolet $55,978; East Coast Emergency Lighting $10,034.10; Nelson Emergency Vehicle Lighting $15,370.38; Potomac Signs striping $2,000; radio/tablet mounting $319; registration and titling $200), within the approved $84,728.56.
• Newburgh – Ambulance 148 re-chassis update (letter dated May 5): Horton is running behind; new estimated completion is late October 2026, about one month later than planned.
• Potomac Heights Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad (President Molly Valentine) – First quarterly update on the ambulance replacement approved by the board on February 19, 2026; contract signed with DPC Emergency Equipment Inc. on March 3, 2026, with a $10,000 deposit; delivery estimated at 30 months.
• Benedict Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad (President Calvin Damar) – Replacement Ambulance 5-8 is in phase one of the body build at Horton; donated Command Unit 5 is scheduled for East Coast Collision on May 6 for painting and body work, with graphics applied after return.
• Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad (transcript: 'Browns Row'/'Brian's Row'; President Joseph Gonar) – UTV 11 passed standards; training is underway; expected in service within weeks; $4,027.76 in equipment purchased with operations and maintenance funds, including DOT-approved helmets, a handheld GPS device, a five-pound dry chemical extinguisher ($137.25), and UTV lettering ($388.50).
• An unnamed company reported no progress on its approved outbuilding until a county permit was issued on April 29; ground improvements and construction were anticipated to begin the first week of May. Chairman Gilroy remarked that 'the bureaucracy' delayed the project.
• Indian Head Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad (President Rick Bowie) – Command Unit 9 (Chevrolet Tahoe SSV) and Engine 9-4 (2026 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD crew cab) were placed in service on April 25 after standards checks; complete financial reports will be provided at next month's executive committee meeting.
• Dentsville Volunteer EMS Fire and Auxiliary (President Leon Hayes) – Phase two of the pole barn project: the department will act as its own general contractor to eliminate third-party overhead and markup, using trade-specific bidding. Approvals have been obtained from the Department of the Environment, Charles County site plan steps one and two, and the health department; final county approval is expected in 30–45 days, followed by bonding and permitting. Gilroy noted other departments (e.g., Hughesville) have self-contracted successfully; it is 'a daunting task,' but 'they're up to it.'
• 10th District Volunteer Fire Department (President Wally Dan) – Engine E2 final inspection was completed at Pierce on April 13; delivery anticipated around mid-May; the process has taken about a year.
• Charles County Volunteer Rescue Squad (President Heather Smith) – Parking lot resealing, patching, and maintenance with a lowest bid of $18,160. Smith argued the work is a necessary maintenance expense, not a capital project under section 4 of the capital acquisition policy, and is below the $50,000 threshold for board approval of non-capital fire tax expenditures; she offered to seek capital approval if the board interprets the policy otherwise. Bill Deere noted some departments have previously been required to seek approval, but the executive committee voted to allow this as a non-capital process. The board accepted the letter of information as a matter of record; no vote was required. Deere noted a full replacement of the lot would be treated differently.

Volunteer Coordinator's Report

• Coordinator William Smith's report was entered into the record: thanks to the Board of County Commissioners for increasing the first responder property tax incentive from $500 to $2,500, effective July 2026; a future Annapolis delegation meeting after election season will seek removal of the salary cap; the new accounting firm (Lombardo Airs and Company) is in place; procurement is underway for an enclosed trailer for the donated UTV from Company 8, to be stored at Company 58 and used at the county fair, Christmas, and July 4th events; United Shore United Bank closed out the old credit card; the Chief Daniel J. Stevens Educational Scholarship has been renamed the Chief Daniel J. Stevens Memorial Educational Scholarship; cadet graduate Jaina Knox Miller will receive her reimbursement at the cadet banquet; Mike Schaefer is the new Southern Maryland Regional Training Center coordinator.
• Cadet program details: 21 cadets in classes 29 and 30; fourth quarter interims posted May 7; Firefighter 2 on schedule to end May 29; all EMCT students passed, with eight students and four volunteers now certified national registry EMTs; separating EMT and fire classes has worked with the two-year program; class 31 has 10 applications with interviews on May 27; 25 students are projected to start in the fall; returning class 30 students will take EMT for the entire school year, with a 911 telecommunications class possibly starting at the same time.
• The cadet banquet is scheduled for the evening of May 22 at 6:30 at Company 7 (Potomac Heights), with awards at 7:30.

Upcoming Capital Project Reports

• Reports due next month include: Bryans Road replacement of Truck 11; the Stolar Energy Project; Waldorf replacement of Engine 32; Westlake replacement of Ambulance 127; replacement ambulances 39 and 399; the Station 12 remodel; and bay door replacement. Companies will be notified by email.

May 2026 Fire and EMS Distribution

• Chairman Gilroy explained the annual fire tax cycle: funds are collected and distributed in November after the summer budget process, which is scheduled for August 1, 2026. The '508 funds' (state funds for the reporting system, required by state law to be kept separate) total $443,497: $295,664.71 for the fire share and $147,832.29 for the EMS share; all of it must be distributed.
• The balance being distributed is $6,364,103.85: the fire share is $4,242,738.02 (89.88% of the 2025–26 budget vs. the predicted 90%) and the EMS share is $2,121,365.83 (85.4% vs. the predicted 85.90%). The board noted the distribution is about half a percent short because 'we cannot distribute what we don't collect.' The numbers were verified by county fiscal services.
• Funds are expected to be sent the last Friday of the month or early the following week due to holidays; treasurers and presidents were asked to report non-receipt promptly. A motion to approve the May distribution was made, seconded by Perry, and approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of the April 16, 2026 meeting approved unanimously.
• May 2026 fire and EMS distribution (including 508 funds) approved unanimously.
• All letters of information accepted as matters of record; the Charles County Rescue Squad parking lot resealing was allowed as a non-capital maintenance expense below the $50,000 threshold.
• Final financial reports for Indian Head Command Unit 9 and Engine 9-4 are due at the next executive committee meeting; Newburgh EMS Utility 14 to enter service within the week; 10th District Engine E2 delivery expected mid-May; Dentsville proceeding with pole barn phase two as its own general contractor.
• The board expressed condolences on the passing of John Gatton Sr., a longtime member of the Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad, past president of a Southern Maryland organization, and officeholder in the Maryland State Firemen's Association; members were asked to keep his family in their prayers.
• Motion to adjourn carried unanimously.