The Sussex County Volunteer Firemen’s Association (SCFA) held its seventh annual joint installation dinner on Oct. 25, establishing leadership for the SCFA and three affiliated fire services and bidding President Rich Toulson happy trails.
Oct. 25 was a kind of payday, too — Toulson and Milton Fire Chief (and County Council Member) Lynn Rogers passed out more than $500,000 to representatives from Sussex County’s 21 fire companies.
These were primarily equipment grants — “enhancement funding,” as Rogers pointed out.
The fire companies receive a very thin slice from county building permit fees (one quarter of one percent).
Awards varied from roughly $8,000 up to nearly $50,000, based on what services each company offers and what equipment they maintain, Rogers explained.
“If you have a ladder truck, you get so much. If you support [paramedic services], you get so much,” he said. Rogers said the size of fire company budgets tends to shadow population growth.
Toulson conducted regular business at the meeting but also took time to recognize colleagues in his final address. He congratulated everyone on a successful year, noting a healthy increase in county funding.
According to Toulson, Sussex County government has disbursed $23 million to the fire companies since 1988. However, he suggested funding increases like the one they’d received in 2005 would likely prove harder and harder to come by.
Later, Rogers said the fire companies had been “starving” for increased funding — especially in light of the increasing number of alarms they were responding to. But he echoed Toulson’s comment, suggesting the local companies should try to conserve for new construction some of the extra money they were receiving during this boom time.
“We’ve accomplished a lot, but there are still some problems where we haven’t even scratched the surface,” Toulson concluded. He noted the constant challenge in recruiting new firefighters and — even more difficult — in retaining them.
However, he had some recent success to report in that morning’s (Oct. 25) passage of a county ordinance securing 911 addressing for Sussex County. Toulson recognized everyone who’d come before county council to show their support for the ordinance, and noted Sussex County Fire Chief’s Association (SCFCA) Immediate Past President Wilbert Powell’s advocacy especially.
Toulson presented gifts to some of the DVFA and SCVFA officers he’d worked with during his term, and received a few himself, following the various swearings-in.
• DVFA President Ken Pyle inducted new SCVFA President Walt Reynolds and his officers.
• Delaware State Police (DSP) Corp. Matthew Warrington swore in the Sussex County Fire Police Association officers, with John Hall taking over the top spot.
• DVFA Second President Ron Marvel handled inductions for two organizations. Jill Brittingham now serves as president for the Sussex County Volunteer Ambulance Association, and Mike LaCurts is president for the SCFCA.