To Fire Chief Tiffany Green and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks,

We the citizens of Beltsville and it's surrounding areas are extremely concerned about your plan to remove our career firefighters from Beltsville Station 31 for an indeterminate amount of time for repairs that we believe can be done while still housing our career staff.

We feel keeping career and volunteer firefighters in Beltsville Station 31 is essential to protecting the community. Reassigning career personnel for an undetermined period ultimately leaves residents exposed and minimizes staff availability at the station. Eliminating paid staffing at BVFD will extend response times to emergency calls in this community. The relocation of the federal Bureau of Printing and Engraving to Beltsville as well as the nearby Agricultural Farm and industrial areas emphasizes the importance of maintaining a robust and professional fire department locally in Beltsville. The relocation of the Beaureu of Engraving and Printing will provide an additional 1,286 full-time jobs, with at least 850 on-site workers operating in three shifts around the clock. This will increase future demands on emergency services. The need for skilled and dedicated emergency responders will inevitably rise with the increased population and the continuous operations of this new facility, which is just two miles from BVFD.

We, the Beltsville community urge:

● Reconsideration of this decision to prioritize the safety of all firefighter personnel and residents.

● Keeping the career firefighters in BVFD during the evaluation of health and safety improvements, providing residential trailers for them if needed.

● and confirming that the county is committed to keeping BVFD open and working with BVFD to improve it.