PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA – Neabsco District Supervisor Victor S. Angry, a longtime advocate for public safety and a volunteer firefighter, is urging his colleagues on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, to take a more fiscally responsible approach to the Fire & Rescue budget to ensure long-term sustainability and the continued strength of emergency services.

The FY2026 proposal includes a10.8% budget increase, continuing a five-year trend that totals a 44% increase. Yet performance metrics like response times have declined:

•     Basic Life Support (BLS) response within 4 minutes dropped from 40% to 21%.

•     Fire suppression arrival within 4 minutes fell from 34% to 14%.

Prince William County residents now pay $492.29 per capita for fire services – compared to $368.84 in Loudoun County and just $223.60 in Fairfax County.

Additional concerns highlighted by Supervisor Angry include:

•     $11.1 million in staffing costs to implement a 50-hour workweek – which will require 90 new positions.

•     A 55% decline in volunteer membership since (year).

•     A station expansion plan based on population projections that exceed regional forecasts by nearly 28% by 2050.

To ensure fiscal responsibility, Supervisor Angry recommends reassessing collective bargaining implementation, reconsidering planned station expansions, pausing the current apparatus replacement program until a more cost-effective approach is developed, and reinvest in volunteer participation.

 “We can provide top-tier emergency services without overburdening taxpayers,” Angry concluded. “We owe it to both our community and our fire personnel to get this right.”