325 Cypress Street Salisbury, MD 21801 (410) 548-3120 January 22, 2018 Bob Culver Wicomico County Executive 125 North Division Street Salisbury, MD 21801 County Executive Culver: We are writing to you during this budget planning season requesting funding for our Volunteer Fire Companies. Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. has been serving Wicomico County since 1872. We were the first fire department in the County. Salisbury Fire Company 2, Inc. has been serving the County since 1930. Our request is to receive funding for our services being provided to the County residents and taxpayers living within the City of Salisbury limits. These County residents and businesses make up 1/3 of the County’s total population and 21% of the County tax base. They are serviced by the joint efforts of our corporations and the City of Salisbury Fire Department. We are asking for funding equal to that of our fellow fire companies in the County who are given a jurisdiction to protect. Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. is asking for the full fire and ems funding of $332,785 (see attached schedule for Funding) and Salisbury Fire Company 2, Inc. is asking for $132,785 for fire service (see attached schedule for Funding). This combined amount of $465,570 is only 9.1% of the current FY’18 County Fire and EMS Budget of $5,131,885. This FY’18 budget provides funding for 2/3’s of the County population and 79% of the tax base, while ignoring 1/3 of the population and 21% of the tax base. Our companies have assisted in delivering service for 2,350 fire calls in FY’17 to the County residents within the City of Salisbury limits. Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. EMS volunteers ran 706 EMS calls in FY’17. Our two corporations provided 15,391 hours of service staffing capital pieces to respond to the County residents in need of help directly from the station, rather than from an at home response, providing a better service to the County residents. For comparison Willards volunteer fire company ran 95 fire and

239 EMS calls in calendar year 2017. Powellville volunteer fire company ran 34 fire and 74 EMS calls in the same year. Hebron volunteer fire department ran 329 fire and 745 EMS calls in 2017. Delmar volunteer fire department ran 488 fire and 1,666 EMS calls in two counties. The Fire Service Agreement for 2017 between Wicomico County and the City of Salisbury was for services provided to the non-incorporated areas of the Salisbury Fire district. Those funds are based upon an agreed formula for service. We are asking for funding for the services we provide to the County taxpayers inside the incorporated limits of the City, as the Fire Service Agreement does not support or fund any calls in this area. We have been paid directly by the County ever since the County funded volunteer fire companies until FY’17. This set a precedence that the County recognized our companies under Chapter 39 section A of the County Charter. We respectfully request a written reply with your decision of funding for our companies by February 1, 2018. In Service,

Walter H. Townsend, III. President Salisbury Fire Department, Inc.

Richard Rathel President Salisbury Fire Company 2, Inc.

Cc: Wayne Strasburg, Weston Young, and John Cannon

Schedule for Funding: Salisbury Fire Company 2, Inc. Fire grant Sinking Fund Respiratory protection Total

$100,000 $30,000 $2,785 $132,785

Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. Fire grant Sinking Fund Ambulance grant EMT grant Respiratory protection Total

$100,000 $30,000 $100,000 $100,000 $2,785 $332,785

Combined total

$465,570

We are not asking for any worker’s compensation for we are covered by the City of Salisbury nor your death benefit plan because we have our own LOSAP and life insurance plan with the City of Salisbury. Salisbury Fire Department, Inc. pays for advanced training for volunteers to obtain NREMT-P, continuing education, support equipment like LUCAS devices, Vein Finders, AED’s, and payments for new ambulances as needed. The City pays the career EMS providers, we supplement them with our volunteer EMS, again who handled 706 runs in FY’17. These figures come from the FY’18 budget and we request any changes afforded our counter parts in the County on these line items.