This month Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad will be fully staffed with career firefighters for the first time since they were pulled on June 30, 2024. City officials now anticipate Greenbelt will also celebrate the return of career firefighters, likely in February.
“Fire and EMS services remain a top priority for the City of Greenbelt. Since the staffing announcement earlier in 2024, we have continued to advocate for the restoration of full staffing at our local fire stations to ensure timely and reliable emergency response for all residents,” City Manager Josué Salmerón told the News Review. “Following my recent meeting with senior leadership at Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, I am pleased to share encouraging updates regarding recruitment and staffing
progress within the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. Most of the vacant positions have now been filled with new recruits who are completing their training and field experience through the county’s fire academy and fire stations. As these recruits become fully certified and field-ready, they will be assigned to stations throughout the county, including Greenbelt and Berwyn Heights.”
Last summer, firefighters were removed from stations in Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights, Bowie-Belair and Bunker Hill in what was initially called a summer staffing plan. “Beginning in November 2025, the Berwyn Heights Fire Station will receive a six-person day work crew (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) to staff both a fire apparatus and an ambulance. This marks an important step in improving daytime coverage and emergency readiness for our area,” said Salmerón. As we reported on January 8 this year, since 24 career firefighters were pulled from Greenbelt’s station, Berwyn Heights had become the most frequent responder to Greenbelt calls, thus their full staffing this month is additional cause for celebration in Greenbelt as well as neighboring areas that benefit from their coverage.
The return to a full complement of six career firefighters at the Berwyn Heights station is also a hopeful step under the new Prince George’s County Fire Department leadership. Prince George’s County Fire Department’s new Fire Chief Thelmetria Michaelides was sworn in on October 21 after her appointment by County Executive Aisha Braveboy. Former Fire Chief Tiffany Green was appointed assistant deputy chief administrative officer for Public Safety and Homeland Security but later was suspended pending an investigation relating to her time as Fire Chief.
“The Greenbelt Fire Station is expected to return to full 24/7 staffing around February 2026, once the department’s new firefighters and EMTs complete the training necessary to operate independently. This progress reflects the strong leadership and transparent communication under Fire Chief Michaelides, which has been a welcome change and a clear improvement over past staffing projections,” said Salmerón.
“The City will continue to work closely with the Fire/EMS Department and the County Executive’s Office to ensure that public safety remains at the forefront of county priorities. I am confident that, through collaboration and accountability, we will see full restoration of staffing at the Greenbelt Fire Station in early 2026.”
