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Salisbury Fire Department reports rising call volume, opioid and skilled‑nursing work and accepts state grant increase
Summary
The fire chief told council that calls for service rose about 8.9% year‑over‑year in the first half of 2025; EMS calls are a principal driver, skilled‑nursing calls accounted for roughly 12.8% of EMS volume, and council accepted by consensus an increase to a prior state grant to cover additional allowable indirect costs.
The Salisbury Fire Department reported to the City Council on July 28 that total calls for service rose in the first half of 2025 and that EMS demand is stretching the department’s availability during peak daytime hours.
The fire chief told council that total calls increased by 723 calls (about an 8.9% rise) compared with the previous year; of those additional calls, 155 were fire‑related and 565 were EMS calls. The department uses “unit responses” (individual vehicle responses per incident) to measure wear‑and‑tear and operational cost; one incident frequently generates multiple unit responses when engines and trucks both respond.
EMS and system pressures: the chief said EMS call volume has increased relative to recent trends (the department had previously averaged smaller year‑over‑year increases) and that unavailability of units during high‑demand hours has pushed average EMS unit response time slightly above six minutes. The department described multiple drivers for increased demand: population growth inside and outside city limits, increases in calls from the county portion of its fire district, and mutual‑aid patterns when neighboring jurisdictions have shortages. The city’s SWIFT/MDCN program (a joint nurse‑practitioner/community‑paramedic effort with TidalHealth) enrolled 19 patients and responded to lower‑acuity calls (the MDCN program was reported to have responded to 512 calls so far in 2025) to reduce ambulance takedowns.
Skilled‑nursing‑facility workload: the chief said calls to skilled‑nursing facilities represented about 12.8% of EMS call volume in the period and identified these calls as a substantial cost driver; staff noted work with facility administrators on alternative care models and monthly call reviews. The department said it is exploring additional responses used elsewhere—such as expanded community paramedicine, telehealth or other on‑site interventions—to limit low‑acuity transports and keep ambulances in service.
Clinical outcomes and programs: the department reported a return‑of‑spontaneous‑circulation (ROSC) rate of 21.8% for cardiac arrest cases (the department’s goal was 20%). In the first half of 2025, crews attempted resuscitation on 78 of 133 cardiac arrests; 17 patients were successfully resuscitated and later discharged. Opioid‑related responses held steady year‑over‑year at 45 calls; the chief described a recently awarded grant and a newly hired part‑time, grant‑funded opioid program coordinator who will expand outreach and school‑based prevention.
Inspections and prevention: the fire marshal’s office completed 992 building inspections and 59 plan reviews in the first six months, generating revenue well above the office’s original projection (the chief said the office had projected $84,000 but generated approximately $275,000 so far in 2025). The office also conducted investigations and safety reviews for special events including July 4 plans.
Staffing and health: the department reported it has completed hiring to fill several vacancies, placing five recruits into field training, and completed a grant‑funded cancer and blood‑testing program that identified seven people for follow‑up tests. The department said cancer remains the leading long‑term cause of death in the fire service.
Grant amendment: the chief told council that a state grant originally described as $542,000 had been increased (the presenter said the award now totals $623,300) after passage of two state bills allowing use of funds for indirect costs; the department asked council to authorize acceptance of the additional roughly $81,000. Council conveyed consensus to move forward and authorized the mayor to sign the amended grant agreement as presented by staff.
What council asked staff to do next: staff said they will finalize grant paperwork and budget entries following mayoral signature, continue work on options to manage EMS peak demand (including consideration of a fifth EMS unit), and pursue further discussions with county partners about longer‑term service agreements.
