COMPREHENSIVE COUNTYWIDE FIRE SERVICE ASSESSMENT

June 29, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DELAWARE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVES COMPREHENSIVE COUNTYWIDE FIRE SERVICE ASSESSMENT

Delhi, New York– The Delaware County Office of Emergency Services and the Delaware County Fire Advisory Board are pleased to announce that the Delaware County Board of Supervisors has approved funding for a comprehensive countywide Fire Services Assessment to be conducted by Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI).

The approval follows recommendations from the Delaware County Fire Advisory Board’s Recruitment and Retention Committee and reflects the support of an overwhelming majority of Delaware County Fire Chiefs who recognize the growing challenges facing Delaware County’s volunteer fire service.

Delaware County’s fire service is unique in many respects. It protects a highly rural region located in the Catskill Mountains, serves communities with comparatively low median household incomes, and relies entirely upon twenty-eight volunteer fire departments to provide fire and rescue protection to residents and visitors alike. Collectively, these departments responded to more than 4,200 fire-related incidents in 2025.

County leaders acknowledge that the number of active volunteer firefighters throughout Delaware County has steadily declined and is rapidly approaching crisis status. Recognizing the need for a proactive and data-driven approach to address these concerns, the Delaware County Fire Advisory Board established a Recruitment and Retention Committee to identify strategies to preserve and strengthen volunteer fire protection services for future generations.

Working collaboratively with the Fire Advisory Board, the Delaware County Office of Emergency Services issued a Request for Proposals seeking qualified public safety consulting firms to perform a comprehensive assessment of the County’s volunteer fire service. Two proposals were received, and following evaluation, Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) was selected to conduct the study.

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors approved Resolution No. 96 authorizing the transfer of $73,828 to retain ESCI to perform the assessment.

ESCI, established in 1976 and serving as the consulting firm of the International Association of Fire Chiefs since 2008, is nationally recognized as a leader in public safety consulting and has completed hundreds of emergency service assessments throughout the United States and Canada.

The study will provide a high-level, countywide evaluation of all twenty-eight volunteer fire
departments and will examine:
● Operational firefighting capabilities, including interior, exterior, and support staffing levels;
● Officer development, leadership depth, and succession planning;
● Response performance utilizing Delaware County 911 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data
and NFIRS/NERIS reporting;
● Apparatus, turnout gear, and SCBA inventories, age, and replacement needs;
● Department budgets, capital planning efforts, and fiscal sustainability;
● Recruitment and retention programs, membership participation, and long-term volunteer
sustainability;
● Opportunities to improve service delivery and maintain operational readiness through
practical, actionable recommendations.

The assessment will be conducted primarily through electronic data collection, GIS analysis, virtual stakeholder meetings, and interviews with fire chiefs, emergency services personnel, local officials, and members of the Fire Advisory Board. ESCI anticipates the project will take approximately nine months to complete following project initiation and data collection.