Indian River’s Renovation & Construction Project

Groundbreaking Ceremony - Station #2 – Bank Road Facility

On Friday morning, March 14th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company hosted a Groundbreaking Event for the Station 2 - Renovation & Construction Project.

The ceremony commenced at 10 a with introductory remarks, introduction of invited guests, and ceremonial remarks by Fire Company President Patrick Miller which included the following:

LONG NECK, DE – Over the past years, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. has experienced a significant increase in demand for fire suppression and rescue type services and we have remained a 100% volunteer fire department that provides fire and rescue services to Oak Orchard - Long Neck and surrounding jurisdictions in the mid-southeastern corridor of Sussex County.  Our department maintains a fleet of twenty-one pieces of apparatus to serve and protect our fire district.  These units are housed in two facilities – Oak Orchard and Long Neck that protect approximately 80 square miles of land in the fire district as well as the maritime services protecting sections of the Rehoboth and Indian River Bays and many other local tributaries, prongs, retention ponds and waterways which encompasses an additional 32 square miles that we serve.

The ongoing growth within our fire district has led to the heightened demand for a variety of emergency services, including fire suppression activities, motor vehicle accident mitigations, water and residential rescue services, among many others.  With the population growth, particularly within these residential retirement and second-residency localities, there’s a pressing need to bolster the standard of service for our residents.  The surge in incident responses has necessitated updates to the department’s resources in terms of tools, equipment and emergency apparatus as well as primary response training needs.

The services provided by Indian River today are unmatched to any other time in the department’s history.  Our first due fire district hosts some critical infrastructure facilities which includes multiple water treatment plants, multiple pumping stations for our inland bay facilities, an electric generating substation and transmission lines to the national grid, and bulk LP gas storage depots.  As well as our mutual aid relationships for all seven (7) neighboring mutual aid companies with fire and rescue incident responses in the county.

Today, we are here to address our highest priority and most critical infrastructure need of the Indian River VFC -- the renovation and construction of our Long Neck facility is paramount to providing the necessary services within our fire district.  This current facility was constructed in 1972 and has fully served its useful life in accounting terms.  This construction project is considered a major undertaking for our organization.  Originally built as a storage facility that has been utilized to subsidize and support the growing demand of our fire district.  This facility currently houses two Class A Pumpers, a brush truck, a marine unit and approximately 50 firefighters operate out of this facility.

In earlier years, Indian River authorized its officers to acquire the four (4) adjacent parcels for the anticipated expansion of the Long Neck facility.

Thereafter, a more cohesive plan to solidify funding for the renovation and construction of a modernized facility was initiated with the commissioning and appointment of Capital Campaign Coordinator to pursue funding commitments for the renovation and construction of a new Station 2 facility.

Providing strong emergency response services is a top priority for our organization and the hope that this Capital Construction Project will help these objectives become a reality so that our firefighters and emergency first responders have the equipment and resources that they need to continue to perform their jobs safely and effectively.

This proposed new station will replace the more than 52-year-old structure and allow firefighters and company personnel to respond faster and more safely to fire and rescue emergencies in our growing region for decades to come.

The funding needed for the new fire station project is approximately $3.5 million and is the culmination of many years of efforts to accumulate adjacent parcels which will host the proposed 1-½ story building approximately 16,205 SF with related site improvements. It is anticipated that work will be completed in approximately January, 2026 by PBH, Inc. (PBH) who is the general contractor and construction management firm for this community project.

I would like to allow our invited guests to offer commentary before we proceed to the official ground-breaking ceremony.

Auxiliary President Bonnie Rogers presented the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company with a check for $10,000 for the training room within facility.  This presentation was with the members of the Auxiliary, Chief Deery and President Miller.

The Ceremonial Groundbreaking Gold Shovel is considered a pinnacle of elegance and a symbol of new beginnings. Designed specifically for ceremonial purposes, this shovel is not just an instrument but a statement of honor.  The groundbreaking participants were:

• Patrick Miller, President – Indian River VFC

• Bonnie Rogers, President – Indian River Auxiliary

• Ruth Briggs-Kings

• Chris Dempsey, Vice President, M&T Bank - Business Banking

• William F. Tobin, Jr., Capital Campaign Coordinator

• James R. Wagner, Life Member – Indian River VFC

• Michael G. Bowden, Life Member – Indian River VFC

• Steven C. Deery, Jr., Chief – Indian River VFC

• Ronald Marvel, Chairman – Delaware State Fire Prevention Commission

• Dan Burris, General Manger & Construction Contractor - PBH, Inc.

Additional information may be obtained by viewing:

Indian River VFC Breaks Ground on Station Expansion -

• https://www.coasttv.com/news/indian-river-volunteer-fire-co-breaks-ground-on-station-expansion/article_925199b4-00f4-11f0-8806-4f2f03d0d9a5.html:

Indian River’s Renovation & Construction Project Initiative -

• https://irvfc.com/gallery/detail/53381 and

• https://www.wboc.com/news/indian-river-volunteer-fire-company-seeks-community-support-for-expansion/article_29e249ba-fdf1-11ef-aef2-c3caa6afe623.html  

Indian River Commences with Capital Campaign Initiative –

• https://irvfc.com/gallery/detail/53199?ss=1   

Indian River Approves Capital Campaign Initiative Commencing in February 2025 –

• https://irvfc.com/messageCenter/detail?id=53196