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Wisconsin Rapids mayor: cooperative will add paramedic-firefighters and an ambulance
Summary
Mayor Matt Zacher said the city finalized a cooperative agreement with nearby communities to hire six paramedic-firefighters (three new hires for Wisconsin Rapids), buy one ambulance, and share costs; the council approved the agreement, Zacher said.
Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Matt Zacher said the city has finalized a multi-jurisdictional cooperative to add paramedic-firefighters and an ambulance, an agreement he called a “model” for surrounding communities.
The cooperative will fund six paramedic-firefighters in total — three positions already filled previously and three newly authorized hires — and purchase one ambulance that the city will house and maintain, Zacher said. "We finalized the details and got the council to approve it and we start the process now of hiring three new paramedic firefighters," he said.
Zacher said outlying partners will pay a share of personnel and equipment costs roughly in proportion to call volume; he estimated the participating communities account for about 25% of Wisconsin Rapids’ emergency-call volume. Under the agreement the increase in partner contributions will be tied to wages and ambulance costs, the mayor said, and the contract includes an automatic annual renewal with a 24-month opt-out provision.
The mayor framed the cooperative as a cost-sharing response to rising 911 demand and the expense of maintaining standalone services in low-density areas. "The expense of everything got to the point where the outlying areas couldn't justify having their own entire department," he said, adding that housing the ambulance in the city also keeps the crews available for local calls when demand permits.
Zacher said the city will meet quarterly with partners to review costs and operations. He also described ongoing coordination with a private ambulance provider that serves some northern towns and said the cooperative was not intended to compete unfairly with existing mutual-aid providers.
The interview did not include a formal motion text or council vote record; Zacher said the council approved the arrangement but did not provide vote tallies. The transcript does not identify specific contract language or an ordinance number for the cooperative agreement.
The city listed participating or discussed communities as Port Edwards, the town of Port Edwards, Saratoga, Cranmore, Ho Chunk and a village near the Ho Chunk Casino, among others, though Zacher said negotiations with some partners were ongoing.
