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Wilmington Fire Department opens recruitment for 40th academy; smoke‑detector program installs 4,400 devices over five years
Summary
Fire Chief John Looney told the Public Safety Committee that applications opened Jan. 20 for the department’s 40th recruit academy, the department seeks to maintain an authorized uniform strength of 156 and runs a smoke‑detector program that has installed about 4,400 units in five years.
Chief John Looney of the Wilmington Fire Department told the City of Wilmington Public Safety Committee on Feb. 10 that the department has opened applications for the 40th recruit academy, with applications accepted through Feb. 28 and an anticipated academy start in April or May 2025.
Looney said the department’s authorized uniform strength is 156 and that the department was currently down three firefighters; to maintain staffing, the department typically hires “five over” and planned to hire eight candidates for the upcoming academy. He outlined the hiring steps — written test, physical agility, oral interview, medical and drug screening and background investigation — and said there is currently no residency requirement for applicants.
On recruitment outreach, Looney described an active interest-card program and targeted advertising: community centers, schools, colleges and billboards and social media. He said the department reinstated a ride‑along program and that the brigade’s training academy lasts 13 weeks (six weeks EMT training followed by seven weeks firefighter training). He provided diversity breakdowns for the last three academies (examples: the most recent classes included a mix of white, Black, Hispanic and Asian recruits) and said the department tries to start academies earlier in a cycle to keep overtime costs down.
Looney also described the department’s smoke‑detector and carbon‑monoxide program, managed by the Fire Prevention Division and Public Education Specialist Inspector Hank Rose. The smoke‑detector hotline is (302) 571‑4361; the department operates installations for homeowners who both own and reside in the property (the department does not provide detectors for rental properties under this program) and said suppression companies install detectors when scheduled or when crews observe missing detectors during responses.
Council members asked about diversity and the department’s staffing model. Councilman Owens asked whether the authorized strength should be increased to match rising service needs; Looney said that would be a discussion with the mayor’s office and administration. Miss Baskin (speaker who addressed the committee) reminded the group that the council previously passed an ordinance and a resolution establishing a residency assistance fund that can support relocation costs for recruits.
Ending: Looney said applications are available at the City of Wilmington homepage (wilmingtonde.gov) and at wilmingtondefirecareers.com; committee members asked for additional follow‑up data, and the chief said he would provide supplemental information at the next meeting.
