LEONARDTOWN, Md. — On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County unanimously approved the submitted eligibility lists of award recipients from the St. Mary’s County volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, and advanced life support companies as part of the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for 2024.
LOSAP is a county- or municipal-funded program that provides a monthly or regular cash award (varies by location) after serving a specific number of years with a volunteer fire, rescue, or EMS department.
The commissioners also floated the idea of a new LOSAP+ program, which would reward personnel serving in St. Mary’s County emergency service departments who have not reached the usual 20-year service threshold for this award program with tax credits or a stipend. The stipend would be determined by the volume of calls an emergency service worker fields. As Commissioner Hewitt noted, “This is for somebody who hasn’t done [20 years] but is actively running calls.”
The maximum potential benefit would be $3,000. For example, the highest tier, which would result in a $3,000 stipend, would be reserved for personnel who respond to more than 200 calls or 40% of the station calls for service.
“For example, the Ridge VFD only had 285 total calls in 2024. For someone in that Station to get the maximum benefit they would have to run 40% or 114 calls,” Commissioner Hewitt told The BayNet.
By comparison, neighboring counties have implemented similar plans as part of their efforts to encourage higher participation in their volunteer emergency services departments. Calvert County offers $2,500 in tax credits, and Charles County provides $500.
While this is not a change that has been officially proposed, the commissioners requested that a financial study be conducted to determine what the cost of the LOSAP+ program might be to the county. They also suggested that a pilot program could be implemented before discussion of any long-term policy changes.
However, there is optimism about the positive results that LOSAP+ might bring to the various volunteer emergency services departments, many of which are dealing with funding and infrastructure issues, as The BayNet previously reported.
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Wish I could be involved in something like this, however it isn’t for everyone. Anything like this just puts my belly in knots, just no way for me to stomach seeing some of these accidents or people. Gore isn’t for me. Hats off and much appreciation to the ones that volunteer their time. Thank you all.