April Lake Country Fire referendums for more firefighters

Lake Country Fire referendums call for more firefighters

Lake Country Fire & Rescue‘s chief said they’ve been experiencing closed fire stations and fewer firefighters because of a lack of funds.

DELAFIELD, Wis. - Lake Country Fire & Rescue‘s chief said they’ve been experiencing closed fire stations and fewer firefighters because of a lack of funds.

On April 4, voters could shape the department.

Fire officials called the Wisconsin spring election critical. If voters in two communities agree to tax increases or fees, crews say they’ll be able to get to emergencies more quickly.

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"Yes. It is a surprise to me," said Miranda Smith, voter. "I didn’t know anything about it."

City of Delafield voters like Smith said Lake Country Fire & Rescue hadn’t exactly ignited her interest in the election.

"I don’t want to jump the gun and vote yes for it if I don’t know what it’s really about," said Smith.

Referendums on the city and town’s ballots ask voters if they want to increase department funds to hire more firefighters. Town of Delafield residents will approve or reject a tax increase while city of Delafield residents will vote on a fire fee.

"When we don’t have any part-time and paid-on-call people around that day or able to work, it forces us to close fire stations," said Lake Country Fire & Rescue Chief Matthew Fennig.

Fennig said between July and December 2022, Delafield’s city fire station was closed 50% of the time.

"Which has increased response times in 2022 by about 34%," said Fennig.

Fennig said he’s gotten few, if any, applicants for part-time positions. He said the solution is hiring full-time staff. The Lake Country Fire & Rescue approved a four-year staffing plan in November 2022.

"If this moves forward, like we hope it will, it will ultimately fund the first two years of our staffing plan," said Fennig. "It would be an additional 13 head count. I think there’s some hope we’ll hire these individuals next year and this year, and things will settle down, and there’ll be a change in the job market."

The department services seven communities, including the Village of Nashotah where Mark Gast lives.

"Everyone wants to have a good fire department, and if they have to raise their taxes a little bit…" said Gast.

In the Town of Delafield, if you own a $500,000 home, you’d pay about $140 more per year if this is approved. In the city, the fee is $450.

An information session was planned for Wednesday night.