Detroit Fire Department reports faster EMS response times, new equipment and plans for firehouse replacements

Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Sams told the Detroit City Council that the Detroit Fire Department has cut average medical response times and increased daily ambulance capacity while rolling out new equipment and community programs.

The department reported an average of about 42 ambulances in service per day, said Sams, and has reduced the average reflex time from 8 minutes, 12 seconds in February 2022 to 7 minutes, 23 seconds in February 2024. "Because of those negotiations and conversations and discussions, we were able to get an increase over the last 2 fiscal years in amount of $25,000,000," Sams said, thanking the Budget Department for recent funding increases.

Sams outlined a suite of operational metrics and initiatives that city leaders said matter to residents: EMS answered roughly 450 medical calls daily and transported more than 300 patients a day, fire operations responded to nearly 200 fire-related runs a day, and structure fires in the most recent period were down about 20% compared with the earlier baseline. The department said it aims to increase Detroit Fire Department–staffed ambulances to 30 this year as academy classes graduate.

The presentation emphasized training and equipment. The department said it has trained more than 5,000 personnel in 583 sessions and that about 75% of members now hold an EMT license or higher. DFD reported the first in-house paramedic class since 1997 is underway. New equipment and systems listed included community…