Sussex adopts first fire/ambulance agreement

After a year of negotiations among Sussex County staff, county fire and ambulance companies, and the Sussex County Volunteer Firefighters Association, an agreement has been worked out on how county grants are distributed to support fire and ambulance services.

Although grants have been awarded each year, there has never been a formalized agreement, said Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings during an Aug. 25 presentation to Sussex County Council.

It was Jennings who spearheaded the effort on behalf of the county. “It took a lot of back-and-forth to get where we are today,” she said.

This year, the county has budgeted $4.7 million, compared to $5 million in 2019. Jennings said the decrease is due to a drop in the number of commercial building permits, which were unusually high in 2019. A percentage of the value of building permits and realty transfer taxes is used to fund the grants.

Council approved the agreement 5-0. “This transparency will help with their fundraising, and it makes sure everything is on the same page,” said Councilman Irwin “I.G.” Burton of Lewes.

“This does not tell them how to spend the funding, but how to account for it,” said Council President Mike Vincent of Seaford, who is a lifetime member of the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department.

Jennings said representatives from each fire and ambulance company have provided input. In the end, Georgetown Volunteer Fire Co. and Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Co. were the only companies to vote against the agreement.

However, Jennings said she's assuming that all companies will participate in the grant program by submitting a signed agreement by Dec. 1.

“COVID has presented us with a lot of problems, and we really appreciate your help like you always do,” said SCVFA President Doug Hudson, who has the same name as Councilman Doug Hudson.

He said the agreement will provide transparency not only to county council but also the public.

He noted that fire and ambulance companies receive state and county funds, but that 50 percent of their funding comes from fundraising and private donations.

He also reminded council that according to the state auditor, volunteers saved Delaware taxpayers $212 million in 2019, a number reflecting the cost of all-paid local fire service.

Audit part of agreement

Under the agreement, companies will submit an annual report and will be audited by either county staff or an auditor they hire to ensure they meet established financial requirements, and polices and procedures set up by their own boards of directors. The policies include the budgeting process, finances including bank accounts, insurance coverage, procedures for receipt and allocation of funds, payroll, and equipment recording and tracking.

Nearly $4 million of the total is distributed by the SCVFA. Some funding is based on an agreed-to formula that takes into account numerous factors including numbers of emergency calls, numbers of paid full-time staff, capital projects and an inventory of the age and mileage of vehicles. Other funding is distributed equally to every company.

With all grants, Carlisle Fire Co. in Milford receives half of what other companies receive because the district is split between Sussex and Kent counties. Most grants are awarded semiannually.

Money is provided as follows: Rescue truck grants distributed equally to all companies with rescue trucks; aerial truck grants equally to all companies with aerial apparatus; ambulance and non-fire ambulance grants allocated equally; fire service special grants funded through interest on $10 million and distributed equally to fire and ambulance companies and the SCVFA; fire service discretionary grants allocated by SCVFA for emergency medical technician salaries distributed monthly by the county after submission of a salary report.

Where the money comes from

Money for the grants comes from realty transfer taxes and building permits – $1.7 million in 2020. One-quarter of 1 percent of the construction value of a building permit is designated for fire and ambulance companies. The first $950,000 of permit funding is distributed equally, and any amount over that is allocated based on where permits are issued.