Firefighter union leaders on Monday accused Anne Arundel County of creating "dangerous situations" for firefighters and county residents because of staffing shortages in the fire department. In a press conference outside the Arundel Center in Annapolis, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1563 president Joe Addivinola said firefighters arriving on the scene of blazes in Shady Side on Thursday and Deale on Saturday had to rely on help from bystanders to start fighting the fires before backup crews showed up. "Right now we're at dangerous situations; we're understaffed," Addivinola said. "We truly think this is a state of emergency and we need more personnel on staff." Fire department and county officials rebuffed the criticism, noting help was close behind in both instances.