Financial study may be commissioned for county`s fire/EMS organizations

Oct. 29--CUMBERLAND -- After major cases of financial problems at two Allegany County fire departments, the county may commission a study of financial accountability practices within volunteer fire and emergency medical services organizations.

Both the Baltimore Pike and McCoole volunteer fire departments ran into serious financial troubles over the past two years. The McCoole fire station was to be sold off over the summer, but officials did not find a buyer.

A request for proposals (RFP) to prepare a financial accountability study is on the agenda of the Allegany County Commission for Thursday's regular business meeting at county offices on Kelly Road at 5 p.m. Information about a potential RFP is scheduled to be presented by Richard L. DeVore, the county's director of emergency services.

The McCoole department was set up as an independent corporation and ended up more than $1 million in debt and the station in foreclosure. The cause of the department's collapse remains under investigation by authorities. The McCoole department was essentially closed down by the county Department of Emergency Services in April.

At the Baltimore Pike department, embezzlement by two then-members of the department caused financial problems for that organization. The Baltimore Pike department is well into a rebuilding process, county officials have said. The Baltimore Pike Volunteer Fire Company received a $244,700 grant in April to help build two engine room bays to replace a damaged floor in the existing station.

Also on the agenda is acceptance of a bid for the AllCoNet Backbone Microwave Upgrade project. The request for bids was issued in September. Conxx System bid $599,869.22 on the project and will likely be awarded the project Thursday.

"The ... microwave link upgrade will include the replacement of Harris Stratex links that are no longer commercially available ... or near 100 percent utilization," Beth Thomas, the county's coordinator of information technology, has said. It's been about 10 years since an upgrade of the microwave links.

"The project will increase core network capability ... improve the reliability of the network and maintain critical broadband infrastructure," said Thomas. The changes will speed up data transmission.

There were tight requirements on bidders for the project.

AllCoNet also serves more than 40 businesses and a large residential market.

Matthew Bieniek can be contacted at mbieniek@times-news.com.

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