WALDORF, Md. – In a surprise announcement on August 2, 2024, James W. King, president of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD), announced the resignation of Chief John Durrer, which he offered to the board of directors of the WVFD on August 1.
The resignation of Durrer, who had served four years as chief and had been a member of the WVFD for 47 years, came as a surprise to the community and was announced by a memo published on the Facebook page for the organization, signed by King.
The resignation is the latest in a string of events that has seen the WVFD in the spotlight this summer. A recent report aired on Channel 7 News in Washington detailed serious claims based on a leaked internal report regarding the June 5, 2024, incident at a house fire at 5612 Needlefish Court in Waldorf.
The incident report, produced by the WVFD itself in what it calls a “Significant Incident Response Team (SIRT) Report,” breaks down the details of the June 5 incident in dramatic fashion, painting a picture of fire teams on the scene of the dangerous house fire ignoring coordination and reporting procedures and even a possible altercation between different units on the scene.
A quote from the closing statement section of the SIRT report is jolting to read in black and white: “We feel as though the time and effort that the SIRT has put into the many reports over the past approximately two years have fallen on deaf ears. Many of the departments do not and will not change their horrible and careless tactics.”
Regarding this leaked report, the department said publicly that these reports are used to hold itself accountable for services and processes. As recently as July 30, the department released a statement via the same Facebook page, also signed by WVFD president James W. King, that assured the public that “Although these reports are only one step in the process, the WVFD, to ensure continued public trust, has commissioned an independent third-party review of the allegations outlined in the June 5, 2024, SIRT Report.”
With the announcement on August 2 of the resignation of Chief Durrer, stated to have been tendered to the board of directors on August 1, this process appears to be having a quick impact on the department.
It is widely speculated by some that the pending Charter Government referendum, if adopted on election day, could empower Charles County’s future government to create municipal fire and police departments, which has the community of emergency response workers and local politicians talking about these issues widely.
Proponents of the charter point out the charter document does not contain these proposals, but critics of the charter, including many in the WVFD and local police associations, speculate that the charter, if adopted, would allow this to happen in an accelerated fashion.
This development, and the announcement in the August 2 press release that an election for a new fire chief will take place in the next 30 days, are sure to make this the talk of the town in the coming weeks.
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