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Marshfield approves higher fire service fees and warns of growing lithium‑ion battery fire risks
Summary
The commission approved changes to the fire protection fee schedule and heard detailed warnings from fire staff about lithium‑ion battery incidents and electric vehicle fires, which they said can cause lengthy thermal runaways and require large water volumes to cool.
The Marshfield Police and Fire Commission on Oct. 9 approved updates to the city’s fire protection fee schedule and received an extended briefing on the department’s experience with lithium‑ion battery and electric-vehicle fires.
Commissioners voted to move the revised fee schedule forward for implementation following city finance and budget/personnel committee review. Department leaders said the packet contains a range of fee changes designed to recover costs for longer or specialized responses, to encourage compliance with inspection orders, and to recover investigative costs for major incidents.
Key examples discussed at the meeting include a new structure-fire investigation fee to cover investigative time and photo documentation, a stepped inspection re‑inspection fee schedule intended to encourage building‑owner compliance, higher per‑incident charges for large commercial or heavy‑vehicle fires, and new fees to reflect extended responses for electric-vehicle and lithium‑ion battery incidents. Presenters emphasized that the packet contains the full, itemized schedule and that some fees are intended to be applied only in cases of repeated noncompliance or where costs exceed routine response levels.
Fire staff described operational reasons driving the fee changes. Deputy staff and the fire chief detailed recent incidents involving lithium‑ion batteries from e‑bikes, scooters and other battery systems. Presenters explained thermal runaway behavior—where a cell’s failure can heat neighboring cells and cause re‑ignition—and said such events can require extended on‑scene cooling and monitoring. At the meeting staff said cooling these batteries can, in extreme cases, require very large volumes of water and prolonged scene control; they noted some electric-vehicle fires can rekindle and may need to be monitored for up to 72 hours.
The department also proposed fees tied to vehicle-accident responses, hazardous‑material spills (including larger fluid spills requiring containment), dumpster and waste fires, and a new class for lithium‑ion battery suppression incidents. Presenters said vehicle-accident billing is routinely submitted to insurers and that the city’s billing process incorporates police crash reports and scene documentation.
Commissioners asked whether fees would be enforced or waived in specific circumstances; presenters said staff routinely document inspections and that fees are applied primarily after repeated noncompliance or where the department incurs measurable extra expense. Staff said some routine first inspections remain without charge and that stepped fees begin after multiple reinspections. The department noted that statutory or regulatory requirements (for example, Wisconsin DHS requirements for certain sprinkler work and state inspection standards) shape which permits and inspections require formal filings.
The motion to approve the fee schedule was carried by roll call. Commissioners and staff said changes will be forwarded to the finance and budget/personnel committee and then to council for final incorporation into the city fee ordinance.
Speakers also asked for future consideration of an additional fee category for large battery energy storage systems (commercial-scale battery banks), which staff said they would study for a future update.
