Arieanna Crowson, Reporter
MILAN, NM – The Milan Fire Department is “standing pretty good” according to Fire Chief Daniel Urioste. The department is currently at an ISO rating of four. The ISO score reflects how prepared a community and area is for fires, a nine is the worst and one is the best.
The current Fire Chief of the Milan Fire Department Daniel Urioste has been fire chief for three years. Urioste spoke about the current status of the fire department, “We currently have 15 total personnel… Me and the assistant chief are full time, the rest are volunteers, our apparatuses are still up and running, we have nothing down. We are standing pretty good.” He also spoke about the remodeling process they are currently working on at the fire station. He stated, “We are currently in phase two of station one… we are about 50% complete, we should be complete in mid-July with the whole remodel.”
The fire department is getting steady calls, mostly EMS. The Milan Fire Department receives most calls to assist other departments in Cibola County. From the beginning of the year the department has received 348 combination calls that include: 53 fire calls, 181 EMS calls, 62 service calls, 36 good intents calls, six hazardous conditions calls, three false alarm/false calls, and three special instance calls.
Urioste also spoke about the Sound the Alarm event that was recently held in March, “According to the Red Cross we had the most participation and we installed the most fire alarms in the state. We are still actively doing it to this day.” The event was to install alarms in the community, but also to educate individuals on fire prevention. The department has plans to continue this event every year.
In October they purchased a new UTV sideby- side using a junior grant of $40,000. The UTV is used for search & rescue, EMS, special events, fires, and to get to certain areas. The UTV also has rescue capabilities, and is able to carry water. Urioste stated, “It's a crew transport/fire truck/rescue truck.” In the future the department would have to think about purchasing a ladder truck that can reach over three stories high. The department would also need to expand due to a lack of room for a new vehicle.
The department is constantly doing new training, recently four personnel went to the fire academy in Raton, New Mexico to get Fire one and Fire two certifications which makes them certified firefighters. Some of the other training they undergo includes fire, hazmat, wildland, and EMS.
After being asked why the fire department as a whole is important to the community Urioste stated, “We are the first to respond, to render aid. Besides the police, we are the first ones there. Our main thing is to save life, save property, and environmental protection.”
Urioste also wants the community to know, “We want them to continue their support for us. We’re not out for recognition, we just want to do our job. We want them to support us any way they can.” The Milan Fire Department’s doors are always open, Urioste states, “If we are here come by and visit. We are happy to give tours, and explain what we do.”
The Milan Fire Department is always looking for new volunteers, if someone has never been a firefighter their department is a good place to start. If anyone is interested, they can go to the fire station, located at 801 Motel Dr., and pick up an application. Volunteer firefighters receive a stipend from the Village of Milan, it is per call and per training. All training is also paid for.