St. Mary’s County DES presents $31 million FY27 request, highlights grants and radio upgrades

Department of Emergency Services Director Jen Utz presented DES’s FY27 budget request to the St. Mary’s County Emergency Services Board on Feb. 11, saying the submission (filed Jan. 8) is under review by the county CFO and administration before appearing before the commissioners in March.

Utz listed the principal elements of the request: continuation of existing grants (including Maryland 911 Board funding, EMPG and Homeland Security funding and other recurring awards), new grant applications (including a BRIC — Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities — application and animal-services grants for a spay/neuter position), 19 proposed new department positions, and capital requests. On equipment, Utz identified a planned replacement of ambulance Unit 189 (a 2014 Freightliner) and a request to replace and expand radio equipment: a Harris core radio-system update and 165 EMS portable radios plus spares, with EMS radio replacements following last year’s police and fire upgrades.

Utz said the request includes consideration for decentralizing hazmat capability by replacing the current hazmat vehicle with two smaller chase vehicles and noted multiple EQ (equipment) forms submitted by volunteer fire and rescue squads asking for pagers, portable radios and other items. She also said the FY27 package includes an increase in operating funds requested by St. Mary’s County ALS; the board was asked to have St. Mary’s County ALS leadership attend the commissioners’ presentation to support that line item.

Utz gave the total FY27 request as $31,000,003.25 as read into the record. She emphasized that the request is at a review stage and that individual grants and capital items are still subject to county administration and commissioners’ approval. Board members asked clarifying questions about the MEMS/MEMS grants and noted the priority of public-safety call-taker positions; Utz agreed those positions would strengthen dispatch capacity.