Rehoboth Beach Vol. Fire Co. sees busiest July on record
Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company Chief Chuck Snyder said he had warned the department’s members this summer would be busy, but he wasn’t expecting it to be this busy.
“It’s been even busier than we anticipated it to be and we don’t expect it to get any better next summer,” said Snyder, while sitting in his command vehicle Sept. 1.
According to a report submitted by Snyder to city commissioners for a meeting Aug. 19, there were 559 total fire and ambulance responses made by the department in July – 108 fire calls and 451 ambulance calls. That’s the busiest month in the history of the department, he said.
Snyder didn’t have the final numbers for the month of August, but he did know the department made 453 ambulance calls. August will probably end up surpassing the number of calls in July, he said.
In addition to Snyder’s report tallying the number of calls, he submitted a second letter to the commissioners in advance of a discussion on parking issues within the city. Commissioners are scheduled to begin discussing those issues during a workshop Tuesday, Sept. 6, but the report was included as part of the online documents for the Aug. 19 meeting.
In the letter, Snyder calls for the city to implement a noon delivery deadline for the large delivery trucks. Also, he said, trucks should be instructed not to block all the travel lanes on a street when unloading.
“We fully understand Rehoboth Beach is a destination and many people come here. It is our business and livelihoods, but RBVFC must also be able to provide the emergency service when someone’s need arises,” said Snyder in his letter.
Snyder doesn’t just ask for a change in commercial deliveries. He also asks for more assistance from Rehoboth Beach Police Department officers.
“We feel Rehoboth police summer bike units and patrol units could make sure vehicles do not block all travel lanes on all streets when they do unload,” said Snyder. “RBVFC would also like traffic-directing help on those streets affected by an emergency response as soon as possible.”
Mayor Stan Mills said delivery trucks in the business district isn’t a new issue.
“Our tight commercial area, business needs for deliveries and seasonal traffic have always combined to make business deliveries without impeding traffic a challenge,” said Mills in an email Aug. 24. “This is an ongoing challenge, and we’ll continue to look for ways to effectively address traffic and safety concerns.”
As to the request for more help from the police department, Mills said he’s sure the police department will be reaching out to the fire department to discuss how police may be able to help emergency response vehicles reach their destinations with minimal lost time due to traffic jams.
