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Rice Lake fire department announces $250 wellness pilot and reports staffing gains
Summary
Fire officials described a pilot wellness reimbursement program offering up to $250 per member for approved wellness expenses, reported May call volumes and mutual-aid deployment costs, and the sheriff’s office reported progress on deputy staffing.
Rice Lake fire department staff presented monthly activity and a new wellness pilot that would reimburse each member up to $250 for approved physical or mental wellness, recovery, injury-prevention or fitness expenses. The pilot would be funded initially through fundraising by the department’s auxiliary and relief association, and staff described it as a pilot to be evaluated before any ongoing budgetary commitment.
The department reported 36 calls for service in May, including 19 medical calls and multiple wildland and structure fires; staff said the department supported a larger wildfire response and that costs of the deployment would be about $16,323.75 to the city’s operating budget. A department representative said retention has improved in recent years and pointed to stipend and retention initiatives as factors reducing turnover.
Wayne Rasher, division commander with the sheriff’s office, said the city’s assigned deputy (Deputy Austin Wick) has returned and that county staffing is approaching pre-pandemic levels, with additional hires and training scheduled over the summer. Rasher also discussed June as Gun Violence Awareness Month and explained Minnesota’s extreme risk protection order process as a tool for concerned family members or law enforcement to seek temporary removal of firearms in crisis situations.
