Members of the communities we serve may have heard that a proposed name change for the “Maryland State Firemen’s Association” (MSFA), trying to move away from only referring to “FireMEN”, was voted down at the MSFA annual convention and conference held on Monday, June 20, 2022.

The Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) instructed our official BVFD delegate to the MSFA to vote for a more gender-inclusive name. Further, we feel the name should be inclusive of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics who are equally vital first responders throughout Maryland. Unfortunately, the outcome of the voting process did not align with the BVFD’s hopes and values.

Reportedly, only 41% of the delegates voted in favor of becoming the “Maryland State Firefighters Association” mostly citing “tradition” as the reluctance to change.

The membership of the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department is a diverse reflection of the
communities we serve and over one third of our personnel are female. In addition, the County Fire Chief in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, & Prince George’s Counties are all female. It is long past the point in history when “Firemen” is the appropriate term to represent all of the dedicated first responders.

The BVFD proudly recruits and welcomes applicants to serve regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or any other demographical factor. Learn more about joining at BVFD.com or about our mission, vision and values at https://www.bvfd.com/about/mission-vision/