For the first time in nearly four decades, only one paid firefighter will be assigned to the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department per shift.

Effective this week, three of the county paid firefighters assigned to the HVFD will be transferred to the Landover Hills station to assist in Fire and EMS staffing there. The fourth shift firefighter will be assigned to daywork (M-F, 7-3) as the Acting Technician, leaving one paid firefighter on each of the four 24-hour shifts.

The minimum around-the-clock paid staffing at the HVFD has been one for the last year, but two firefighters had been assigned on all shifts to the station, with the other being detailed out to other stations when needed.

The move comes as volunteer staffing at the Hyattsville VFD continues to stay at a constant level, especially during the school year with 12 live-in members and the committment of the non-live-in membership.

In 1962, the City of Hyattsville paid for two firefighters on duty at all times to staff the Belcrest Road station after the HVFD placed its American LaFrance tiller truck in service. In 1969, when the Farragut Street station was merged with the Belcrest Road station, there were five firefighters per shift to ensure that both the engine and truck were able to respond at all times. At the time, the city was funding half of the paid force.

Fire Chief Donald B. Moltrup recalls, "We had three engines at that station [in additon to the ladder truck and EMS units] and we usually were able to "dump the house" on first due calls."

In the early 1970's the city of Hyattsville dropped its contract with Prince George's County and the paid 24-hour staffing was dropped to two per shift, where it remained for nearly 20 years.

In the early 1990's, when volunteer resources were low and additional staffing was needed, a shift officer (Lieutenant or Captain) was assigned by the county to the HVFD's station. That position was removed from the HVFD a few years later.

Since then, with the rise of both our live-in program and overall membership, the second firefighter has remained but was regularly detailed to other stations during the evening hours when volunteer staffing peaks, often at more than a dozen volunteers on duty at a given time.

With the county's need to staff other stations which need paid firefighters to ensure prompt and staffed response, the second county firefighter assigned to the HVFD was eliminated effective Sunday, September 19.

Firefighters Chris Harris (A-Shift), Dan Schraeder (B), John Inman (C) and Darryn Symes (D), will remain at the HVFD. Inman was a volunteer at the HVFD in the mid-1980's and Symes has been assigned to Station 1 for more than a decade. Schraeder has been at the HVFD for about two years and his twin brother is also a Prince George's County firefighter. Harris is in his second tour of duty at the HVFD. He is a Instructor for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and brings a strong training and specialized rescue background to the HVFD.

Staffing will remain the same during weekdays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a paid Fire Captain (Jack Dickens), Fire Technician, two daywork Firefighters or Emergency Response Technicians (Firefighter/Paramedics), and the shift firefighter.

The HVFD has an active duty night and bunkroom (live-in) program and typically a volunteer Fire/EMS officer (Sergeant or above) is only duty at all times during the evening, overnight and weekend hours. The HVFD is usually able to respond with at least one engine, special service (truck or rescue squad) and EMS unit on most working incidents during those hours.

To supplement the existing membership, the HVFD is always looking for new volunteers as Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians and in support roles behind the scenes, such as in our Administrative section, which has just moved into new offices at the City of Hyattsville building.