Letter To The Editor: Anne Arundel County Treatment Of 911 Responders On 9/11

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Earleigh Heights Volunteer Firefighters provide a great service to Anne Arundel County. As a county resident, I would think the county would want to work with the volunteers, but instead it seems to make it as difficult as possible.

The fire station built in 1957 is old, outdated and not adequate for the newer fire trucks. Also, the rescue vehicle that stores the “jaws for life” is old, breaks down frequently, and costs more to maintain than it is worth. A new building and vehicles would be better to support the fire department’s mission of putting out fires and saving lives.

As a volunteer company, it must raise most of its needed funds. The fundraisers and rental space do not provide sufficient funds for new facility and equipment.

The station would like to have the property rezoned commercial for buildable pads to lease to provide a steady income for new building and equipment. The other three corners at the intersection are zoned commercial. The department owns the 9 acres.

This sounds like a simple problem to rectify. The rezoning request was denied by the Office of Planning & Zoning, the administrative hearing officer, and now the Board of Appeals has dismissed it on a technicality on, of all days, 9/11. It appears the Anne Arundel County government is trying to make this venture as expensive as they can and certainly does not show any support to our firefighters. This is a disgrace.

Susan Woolridge
Severna Park

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