Milan Fire Board Moves Forward With Nearly $1 Million Budget, Staffing Plan

The Milan Area Fire Department board moved forward with a revised nearly $1 million budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year on March 19, advancing a staffing plan to continue daytime coverage.

“The goal is to improve daytime coverage while maintaining flexibility for larger incidents,” Fire Chief DJ Carpus said during the meeting.

The revised proposal totals $996,235.28, including about $871,000 for operations and $125,000 for capital expenses. Carpus said the plan is designed to match staffing with when calls are most likely to happen.

Data shared by Carpus during the meeting showed medical calls are most common between 6 a.m. and 8 or 9 p.m., while structure fire activity tends to increase later in the day. Carpus said the department’s staffing model is built around those patterns.

Under the plan, the department would have two firefighters serving 12 hours of duty coverage each day, while continuing to rely on paid-on-call firefighters during unstaffed hours.

Board members also reviewed updated cost shares for the four municipalities served by the department. That revision increased London Township’s share, while the City of Milan and Milan Township saw slight decreases. Some board members said the change could require additional conversations with their local governing boards.

The board also approved updates to firefighter pay and training incentives. The changes include adjusted hourly rates, certification-based stipends and time-and-a-half holiday pay for paid-on-call firefighters on approved federal holidays.

In addition to budget and staffing discussions, board members raised ongoing concerns related to the Open Meetings Act as local officials continue balancing fire board participation with their responsibilities to their own municipalities.

The board also moved ahead with a maintenance software purchase intended to help the department better track equipment upkeep and compliance requirements.

“We have approximately $2 million in equipment, and trying to manage that with spreadsheets alone has become difficult,” Carpus said.

While apparatus replacement was not the main focus of Thursday’s meeting, it remained part of the broader discussion as the department continues planning for future needs.

The next Milan Area Fire Department board meeting is scheduled for May 28.

Featured image: A Milan Area Fire Department engine is shown in downtown Milan. Photo by Heather Finch