Milford fire leaders report high EMS demand, apparatus delays and plan for new substation

Milford fire leaders gave the city council a year-end operational update, saying the department faced heavy emergency medical demand in 2024, has delayed apparatus deliveries and is pursuing a leased substation site that would shift coverage for part of the city.

Sean Hinton, chief of the Milford Fire Department, told the council the department ran 712 fire-related calls in 2024 and 5,364 medical emergencies. He said Milford EMS handled 4,638 of those medical calls and mutual-aid partners handled 726. Within the city limits, Hinton said the department ran 460 fire responses (253 in Kent County and 207 in Sussex County) and 3,689 EMS calls.

"We have two full-time staff on, 24/7, 365 days out of the year," Hinton said, describing daytime staffing that allows an EMS supervisor to put a third EMS unit on duty when needed. He said the department logged 29 officer responses last year — calls taken by rotating officers in a command vehicle to avoid repeatedly calling volunteers — and that fire police have spent hours assisting the Milford Police Department with traffic control during power outages.

The department has been coping with equipment delays, Hinton said. A new engine originally expected at the start of the year has been pushed back to approximately April or May; a new ambulance is expected in May or early summer. Hinton described an on-scene stretcher malfunction that required getting a third ambulance back into service within about 10 minutes.

Hinton said the department’s command vehicle (a Tahoe) is equipped for medical-assist work and carries an EMS bag; the EMS supervisor can use a utility vehicle with an EMS bag when volunteers are not available.

Council members asked whether the department bills insurers for certain responses. Hinton said Milford is pursuing "rescue billing" through an outside vendor but past efforts yielded little net revenue; the city is exploring different vendors to improve collections.

Fire company leadership described community outreach and membership changes. Louis Sachs, president of the Milford Fire Company, said the company added 11 new members and recognized long-serving volunteers, auxiliary scholarship recipients and local award winners. He said the department sold one older apparatus to Trough Creek Valley Volunteer Fire Company in Pennsylvania and has several community events planned and completed, including holiday activities and public-safety demonstrations.

Sachs described a multiyear effort to lease two pole-barn buildings behind Mohawk Electric as a substation to improve coverage on the far side of Route 1. He said the company will present the site to the Delaware State Fire Prevention Commission later this month and must meet Section 709 guidelines; some requirements are straightforward, he said, while others could be expensive and might require a waiver from the commission.

"We are in the process of going through the appropriate approvals — the State Fire Prevention Commission — later this month to start the process of their approval and what the guidelines are for what's called 709 that they have to meet at that building," Sachs said.

Council members and the fire leadership said they plan to coordinate with city staff, the city manager and the planning department if the site gains commission approval. Sachs said a substation could help retain and recruit volunteers who live on that side of town by shortening response times and travel across congested corridors.

Both leaders emphasized training and mutual aid. Hinton said the department has increased joint training between volunteers and paid EMS staff to reduce delays and improve on-scene teamwork. Sachs described the company’s recent response to a line-of-duty death for a neighboring department and the company’s participation in regional honors.

The meeting was a committee session and involved no council votes. Fire leaders invited council members to a meet-and-greet and training night scheduled for 7 p.m. the day after the briefing.