Study recommends Wilmington, New Hanover fire merger

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A consultant’s study says the advantages of combining fire services in Wilmington and New Hanover County outweigh the disadvantages.

The City of Wilmington released the study by Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) today.

The study found the two departments have a combined budget of more than $27 million. That’s a per capita cost of $136.84, which is well above the North Carolina average of $90.89. It also outpaces the national average of $135.60.

Click here to see the full study

The study argues consolidation could save money, improve service and efficiency, increase staffing to unincorporated areas and create the possibility of further consolidating with the beach towns.

On the downside, the study says, there could be difficulties at the start with determining funding and the potential for increased up-front costs, but those should improve over time. There could also be a loss of control and/or oversight by either the county or city.

The study is just one step in the process of discussing fire service consolidation. The report recommends creating committees to further consider the idea. According to the city’s website, two public input meetings are planned for Oct. 29. ESCI will then make presentations on the study to Wilmington City Council and the New Hanover County Commission next month.