Residents press council on volunteer fire coverage and pager upgrade as department seeks funding

Several residents used the public-comment period at the Dec. 17 meeting to press Sigurd’s leaders about fire-department coverage, volunteer recruitment and facility maintenance. Trina and other commenters asked whether Sigurd has a functional fire department and who to call in an emergency; officials said 911 dispatch pages Sigurd and Richfield simultaneously and that responses are volunteer-based.

Amber asked specifically for a public hearing on the fire department’s status and expressed concern about staffing and the town’s process for minute-taking, saying she still wanted a formal hearing on the topic. "I still want a public hearing," she said; the mayor acknowledged the request and said the council would consider timing.

Fire officials briefed the council on operational changes and training opportunities and floated a move to a countywide mobile paging platform (iSpy) that transmits incident addresses and details to responders' phones. A department representative said the new system should reduce errors from unclear pager calls and that the county is moving to the platform; the department estimated roughly $500 per year for Sigurd’s share and asked the council for funding guidance and a price breakdown at the next meeting.

Council and staff also discussed long-term funding options for improved service, including creating a formal fire district funded through property taxes or a per-meter fee. Officials cautioned that forming a district requires years of negotiation and unanimous buy-in from participating entities and no immediate action was taken.

Next steps: Fire leadership will return with a detailed cost estimate for the iSpy/monthly-service option and schedule information for volunteer training; the council acknowledged the public-request for a dedicated hearing on the department’s status.