Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) responses to calls from the Greenbelt area are slower than they were two years earlier, when Greenbelt’s Fire Department was staffed with career firefighters, new data shows. Data showing response times during the first six months of this year compared to the first six months of 2024, prior to the career firefighters’ removal, was provided to the Greenbelt News Review on September 8, in response to our Maryland Public Information Act request filed July 2.
Response Times Increased
Response times increased despite lower call volume. PGFD responded to 41 fewer incidents during January-June 2026 than during the same period in 2024, but the response time was 34 seconds slower on average. Even after excluding Basic Life Support (BLS), which have the longest response times, and non-emergency calls, average responses times were still 22 seconds slower than in 2024.
Average response times trended slightly downward during the first half of 2026. The average response time was 8:21 minutes in January and February of this year, above PGFD’s stated goal of eight minutes or less for urban areas. By May and June, the average response time improved to 7:58 minutes, just under this threshold.
Changes in call mix do not explain the increase in response times. BLS calls, which have the longest average response times (9:40 in 2026), declined by 37 total incidents, the greatest change within any category, and represented a smaller percentage of total calls in 2026 (29.5 percent in 2026 compared to 31.9 percent in 2024). Despite that shift, average response times increased in four of five categories.
ALS, BLS Times Significant
The increased response times for Advanced Life Support (ALS) incidents may be the most significant public safety finding. The close-to-one-minute increase in response time is particularly noteworthy, because ALS calls generally involve paramedic-level care.
BLS incidents also warrant attention. Despite the decrease in volume, this is still the largest category in 2026, accounting for 29.5 percent of total incidents, and its average response time increased by over one minute.
The upcoming staffing changes make the EMS trends especially relevant. The increased response times for ALS and BLS in 2026 happened when Greenbelt still had locally based 24/7 EMS coverage. The planned removal of that coverage (see the September 10 issue) may result in further increases over these baselines.
Greenbelt, along with Berwyn Heights and College Park, is currently engaged in litigation against the county over the removal of the career firefighters. For more information, see the article on page 1.
