Detroit council hears Fire Department budget; members request capital plan and studies

Fire Commissioner Chuck Sims told the Detroit City Council during the first Fire Department budget hearing of the season that the department is budgeted for 1,311 members and will focus on expanding EMS, prevention and community outreach aligned with Mayor Sheffield’s 'Rise Higher' initiative.

Sims said Detroit Fire Department units deploy about 40–42 ambulances daily, respond to roughly 450 medical calls a day and transport more than 300 patients. He told the council DFD’s Code 1 response average has been about 7 minutes 30 seconds — faster than the cited NFPA standard — and that structure-fire response averages about 5 minutes 20 seconds. Sims said the department responded to roughly 73,000 incidents and more than 45,000 medical runs last year.

Sims outlined community programs — distributing more than 4,000 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, reaching about 30,000 residents through 80+ events, training thousands in hands-only CPR and acquiring a FEMA-funded smoke-training trailer — and described a community risk-reduction model that will target education and inspections by district.

During questions, councilmembers pressed on revenue, capital and staffing. Councilmember Scott Benson asked about a $22.7 million line described as "sales," which departmental staff said represents EMS billing revenue. Department officials said in‑house paramedic training and higher-level prehospital care could increase billing revenue by an estimated $1 million to $2.5 million annually once implemented.

Benson pushed on capital needs for aging fire stations, noting some houses date to early 20th-century infrastructure. He moved to request a department capital plan and — without objection — the council agreed to include the request in the closing resolution. Benson then moved to add $500,000 to the executive-session agenda to create a capital‑fund study; the council took that action without objection.

Councilmember Mary Waters and others raised vacancies (Sims said about 65 vacancies) and workplace-safety concerns, including firefighter cancer. Waters moved for an executive‑session analysis of firefighter health and wellness; the motion passed by unanimous procedural consent.

Commissioner Sims said the department is investing in training, early-detection screening and gear-cleaning protocols, and that DFD will provide case studies and national research on cancer presumption and related protocols to the council. The hearing closed with several motions added to the council’s closing resolution and a transition to the Construction and Demolition Department’s budget hearing.

The council recorded no roll-call votes on ordinance changes during this session; motions noted above were added to the closing resolution or to the executive-session agenda by unanimous 'no objection' process.

Next steps: the capital plan request, the $500,000 study authorization and the health-and-wellness analysis were referred to the closing resolution and executive-session work as directed by the council.