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Menomonee Falls fire chief reports 3,351 calls year to date; highlights staffing, training and outreach
Summary
Fire Chief Paul Macker told the Village Board on Aug. 4 that the department has responded to 3,351 calls year to date, is at its authorized career staffing level, and is expanding training, mutual-aid coordination and community outreach including a Citizens Fire Academy Sept. 2–Oct. 21.
Fire Chief Paul Macker told the Village Board of Trustees on Aug. 4 that the Menomonee Falls Fire Department has responded to 3,351 calls year to date and is largely meeting demand while experimenting with a peak ambulance staffing model.
"We are at 3,351 calls, up to this morning," Chief Paul Macker said, noting that responses remain heavily weighted toward EMS and that Station 97 serves a fast-growing area. He said the department is authorized for 43 career positions and that a recent hiring process is expected to yield conditional offers in August and placements in September.
Macker outlined several operational changes and programs meant to keep response capacity in step with growth: reorganization of command structure (one assistant chief and redistributed battalion/division responsibilities), performance evaluations and company-officer development, and scenario-based training for SCBA confidence and gear-donning drills. He said training priorities set by the medical director include pediatric emergencies and emergency childbirth.
The chief described mutual-aid patterns with neighboring communities — Germantown, Butler and Brookfield — and said the department has been assessing equipment, maintenance plans and a fleet-management approach to smooth capital outlays for items such as cots and monitors.
Macker highlighted the department’s mobile integrated health (MIH) program, which he said is partially grant-funded and helps identify frequent users of ambulance services and connect them to alternatives; in some cases MIH contact has reduced subsequent ambulance transports. He also listed community outreach events and schedules: an open house at Station 99 on Oct. 4, the Citizens Fire Academy running Tuesdays from Sept. 2 through Oct. 21, and a public awards and pinning ceremony on Oct. 18.
The chief also noted departmental recognition: the Menomonee Falls Fire Department received awards for rapid reperfusion times and fast stroke response, which he said reflected training and clinical coordination that helped get patients to definitive care more quickly.
Board members asked for clarifications on staffing categories, the difference between structure fire and nuisance or outdoor fires, and whether the Citizen Academy content was new. Macker said the home-safety material is an emphasis shift — teaching actions residents can take before emergency crews arrive — and provided contact information for the Citizen Academy (Kevin Porter at MenomoneeFalls.org or the department at (262) 532-8800).
The presentation concluded with brief questions about retirements among battalion chiefs and how the department plans to backfill clerical and part-time positions; Macker said some vacancies will be filled internally and others will be assessed before launching hiring processes.
The board thanked the chief for the report; no formal action was taken on the presentation.
