Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
510078397
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Middletown, DE, USA
Phone
3023787799
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fire Prevention

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,613,347
Expenses
$3,287,634
Assets
$11,888,885
Liabilities
$514,526

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ROBERT WEBER (PRESIDENT)
  • KEVIN REIN (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • ROBERT WEBER (PRESIDENT)
  • KEVIN REIN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • FRANKLIN J BAILEY (CHIEF)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The volunteer hose company of middletown was formed to extinguish fires, to protect property from destruction by fire, to save property from damage by fire, and to use and employ all means necessary therefor, or adopted thereto, and to exercise such rights and powers as are usually exercised by fire companies.

What it reported doing in 2025

Protection of real and personal property from damage and destruction by fires, and for the protection of life and property of people living in, passing through or visiting the assigned fire, rescue and ambulance territory, and to adopt, employ and use any and all means, implements and applicances that this organization may deem necessary for that purpose, and to assist other fire, rescue and ambulance companies when needed.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 65% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.8%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 91.8%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $105.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 28.7%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.62; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.8% of revenue deployed · 91.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.