Consultants tell Menomonie City Council fire department is understaffed; recommend hiring, training officer and station renovations

A consultant team told the Menomonie City Council that the city’s combination fire and EMS service is under‑staffed for current demand and carries elevated safety and overtime risks.

Tim Franz, a consultant with Public Administration Associates, said the department has seen call volumes climb from roughly 400 calls a year in the late 1990s to nearly 4,000 at one peak year, and that staffing has not kept pace. Franz said the department currently staffs about nine personnel per 24‑hour shift and relies on 17 paid on‑call members. “Fire trucks don’t put out fires. People do,” Franz said.

The study authors recommended raising minimum day‑to‑day staffing to 14 personnel per shift — a recommendation intended to produce at least six people available at each station on typical days — and adding two daytime, 40‑hour positions: a training officer and a full‑time fire prevention/inspection officer. The consultants also recommended bumping the per‑shift paid‑leave coverage from 1.2…