ESC Claims, unqualified political appointee to have undue influence on our emergency services for too long
The role of the St. Mary’s County Emergency Services Committee in the emergency services system in St. Mary’s County is to act as a conduit between Fire and EMS volunteers and the county government.
The following press release is distributed under the authority of Daniel Davis, Chair of the ESC.
On November 1, 2017 the Emergency Services Committee met to discuss both recent issues in the public safety radio system and the underlying political landscape that exacerbates the problems faced by emergency services volunteers in the county. In that meeting the membership met in consultation with the operational leadership of every volunteer emergency service provider in the county. After careful deliberation and communication, the members directed the chairman to send a letter to the Board of commissioners calling for an outside investigation of the Department of Emergency Services and Technology and a full audit of the following:
- The selection process for the current radio system
- The protocols and procedures for managing the radio system
- The specific actions of ES&T staff before, during and after the events on 10/24/2017
- The organizational structure and effectiveness of ES&T
- The fitness of Bob Kelly to lead ES&T
That letter was hand delivered to the Commissioners on Friday, November 3, 2017.
The leadership of all county volunteer departments have received a briefing on the concerns addressed in the ESC letter.
We are reaching out to our communities to ask for support. Our commissioners have allowed an unqualified political appointee to have undue influence on our emergency services for too long. Only with public support will they be willing to address these issues and make needed changes to the county government to allow for improvement and growth in our system.
Below is the text of Chairman Davis’s letter.
Members of the Board of Commissioners,
On October 24, 2017 a family in Lexington Park suffered the greatest loss imaginable: the death of a child. While statistics stand against any different outcome in that situation the response to that family’s 911 call was complicated by the leadership of Bob Kelly as the Director of Emergency Services and Technology. Mr Kelly’s adversarial relationship with fire and EMS volunteers has broken down the working relationships necessary to ensure adequate emergency services and hobbles the system’s ability to respond effectively. The specifics of this incident highlight the many underlying problems that exist because of this poor relationship.
Since taking over the combined departments Mr Kelly has created a work environment for county employees that is so toxic they are afraid to come forward, even with the protection of the whistleblower law in place. He has managed to extend his influence inside the government to such a point that no measure of protection for employees seems to be enough to buffer them from reprisal. Mr. Kelly’s many intertwining relationships with government officials and other department managers has made him seem “untouchable” when issues arise. His micromanagement has extended even into the internal investigation the County Administrator undertook starting October 25. When employees were asked if Mr Kelly could be allowed in their interviews the message was implicit that Mr Kelly would be given access to their testimony, whether he was present or not. This intimidation tactic is typical of the kind of complaint we have heard from ES&T employees during his tenure and it further taints the county’s investigation.
The commissioners are well aware that leadership in various volunteer departments in the county have been calling for changes in emergency services both privately and publicly for years. To publicly call our concerns about Mr. Kelly “finger-pointing” dismisses these longstanding and well documented issues. Concerns that Mr Kelly refused to participate in the 2011 EMS SWOT process were communicated by the ambulance and rescue squad association. The Fire Board Association sent a letter detailing the issues Mr Kelly exacerbates in 2012, in 2015 leaders of the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad approached Commissioner Morgan with concerns that were never addressed and again approached Commissioner O’Connor in January of 2017 with similar concerns. In July of 2017 the LPVRS Chief specifically called on the commissioners to re-evaluate their political appointee with no experience in emergency services in public comments which were also emailed to the commissioners. Subsequent conversations with County Administrator Dr Bridgette resulted in no definitive action, even when both removing Mr Kelly and redividing the two government agencies were suggested.
Emergency Services volunteers in St Mary’s county have long been able to identify Mr Kelly and his management and interference at ES&T as a weakness in our system. Heretofore you have been unable or unwilling to hear and address those concerns. The odds are that nothing was changing the outcome for the child who died October 24. But that does not change that it took a child losing his life for county government to even start to hear what we’ve been saying for so long. We implore you not to become so focused on this one incident that you ignore the years of warnings and damage in the emergency response system for which you are responsible.
Mr Kelly has long enjoyed the political patronage of Commissioner Morgan. The winding relationships that tie them both together with other figures in government including Commissioner Jarboe and former Deputy Director Steve Cooper are well known in the volunteer community. The fact that these relationships have protected someone wholly unqualified should be an embarrassment.
The Emergency Services Committee for St Mary’s County is officially requesting an outside investigation and auditing of the Department of Emergency Services and Technology to include the selection process for the current radio system, the protocols and procedures set up for managing the radio system, the specific actions of ES&T staff before, during and after the events in the early morning hours of October 24, 2017, the internal county investigation into the same events, the organization and structure of ES&T and an evaluation of Mr. Kelly’s fitness to lead that department. We strongly believe that Mr. Kelly should be suspended from his duties while this process is allowed to go forward. We know that only through an honest external evaluation of our system as it exists can we make progress toward improving our service to the public. It is our duty to ensure that the safety net is in place for our constituents.
Furthermore, we believe that the structures that are currently in place that connect the volunteers to the county government must also evolve. We will be discussing what changes must be made for us to continue to give our communities peace of mind that we will be there when they call for help and will make recommendations for changes in the structure of our system as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Daniel Davis, Chair
St. Mary’s County Emergency Services Committee
Below is a template for citizens to express support for the Fire and EMS volunteers who faithfully provide a multi-million-dollar service value to the county.
St. Mary’s County Commissioners
P.O. Box 653
Leonardtown, Maryland 20653
Commissioners:
As a resident of St. Mary’s county I am urging you as my elected officials to support our Fire and EMS volunteers. My family and I depend on emergency services volunteers to help us in times of crisis. I recognize that these volunteer professionals give their time freely to our communities, sometimes at great personal cost, because they care about me and those around me. They also represent a significant savings for me as a resident of St. Mary’s County.
I believe that the combination of the county IT department with Emergency Services was a mistake and made me less safe. I support my local Fire and EMS volunteers in urging you to take immediate action to address the ongoing issues with the management at ES&T. In addition to that I am personally calling for an outside investigation of the Department of Emergency Services and Technology and full audit of the following:
- The selection process for the current radio system
- The protocols and procedures for managing the radio system
- The specific actions of ES&T staff before, during and after the events on 10/24/2017
- The organizational structure and effectiveness of ES&T
- The fitness of Bob Kelly to lead ES&T
I ask that you support your emergency services volunteers. They are a vital component of the safety net for my family, friends, neighbors and visitors. These volunteer professionals deserve your support and attention.
Sincerely,
Please include your city of residence.
