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Wilmington fire chief outlines recruitment, accreditation and EMS plans as union warns of staffing strain
Summary
Chief Keith Looney presented a broad review of the Wilmington Fire Department covering recruitment, promotions, accreditation and EMS on March 10; he said Saint Francis will stop providing ambulance service in July 2025 and the city is considering bringing EMS in‑house.
Chief Keith Looney reviewed the Wilmington Fire Department’s work on recruitment, training, accreditation, promotions and EMS at the Public Safety Committee meeting on March 10.
Looney said the department has not conducted a formal, department‑led diversity training program to date; the training unit has been tasked to schedule such training through Human Resources. He said personnel attended recent harassment training that included diversity, equity and inclusion elements conducted by an external legal firm.
On recruitment and hiring, Looney said the department recruits year‑round through wilmingtondefirecareers.com, visits to high schools and colleges, community resource fairs, social media, billboard advertising and a ride‑along program. He said an interest card on the city website generated “several hundred” submissions and that the most recent hiring cycle produced 56 applicants.
Looney said promotional written exams and assessments used a third‑party vendor (Fire & Police Selections, Inc.) and that past vendor testing followed federal uniform guidelines and produced greater diversity than older tests. He told the committee the department does not currently have the finances or staff to pursue accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence; he estimated an initial accreditation cost around $14,000 and said accreditation is a roughly two‑year effort that requires dedicated staff.
Regarding staffing levels, Looney said the department’s authorized strength has been reduced over time (he contrasted a prior headcount of 196 with an authorized strength of 156) and confirmed a vacant deputy chief (fire prevention) post is being filled. He also said the department has installed roughly 4,600 smoke detectors in the city over the past five years in collaboration with the American Red Cross and will notify council members ahead of neighborhood installations.
On emergency medical services, Looney told committee members that Saint Francis has given notice it will stop providing ambulance service to the city beginning July 2025. He said the city is “considering a plan to bring the service in house,” and that any proposal would be presented during the Wilmington Fire Department budget hearing in April. He said mutual aid arrangements are currently in place and service will continue without interruption while the city plans next steps.
Union reaction: John Cawthray, president of Local 1590 (the firefighters’ collective bargaining unit), said the department’s 24/48 shift schedule is causing fatigue and has driven departures. Cawthray said since July 2020 the department has lost 67 members, of whom 34 retired and the remainder left by other means; he said many who left went to other departments and that 28 of the departures were minorities. He told council the schedule change is the union’s largest concern and urged bargaining table negotiations.
Cawthray also said a plan to staff ambulances with fire personnel would increase on‑duty staffing burdens: “Now you're gonna supply 5 ambulances with 2 people, 10 extra people a tour,” he said, and added that the union would host an informational event on April 29 and has retained outside advocacy support to discuss the 24/48 shift’s impacts.
Council reaction: Several council members raised concerns about diversity in leadership, the lack of a dedicated recruitment officer (city administration said hiring new positions is limited under current budget constraints but that a citywide recruitment position could be considered in a later budget), and the need for a climate/employee survey. Council President Congo and Councilwoman Oliver urged the administration to treat workforce concerns as a higher priority and to include the union in planning for any EMS staffing changes.
Next steps: department recruitment and promotional testing processes continue, the administration will consider a climate survey and recruitment options in budget planning, the WFD will present any in‑house EMS proposal in the April budget hearing, and the union plans outreach on April 29.
