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Fitchburg fire chief outlines staffing changes, training plans; commission approves conditional offer for battalion chief
Summary
Fire Chief Sarberts reported average response times under six minutes, described staff turnover and a policy to reduce engine staffing to three when overtime would be required, and outlined a new training center and health screenings; the commission approved a conditional offer for a POX battalion chief after closed-session consideration.
At the July 15, 2026 meeting, Fire Chief Sarberts told the Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission the department’s response metrics remain steady, training initiatives are underway and staffing changes may reduce engine staffing to three personnel in some circumstances. The commission then approved a conditional offer of employment for the POX battalion chief position after a closed-session personnel discussion.
Chief Sarberts reported an average response time under six minutes for the year and said common call types remain largely unchanged. He said staffing turnover among part-time personnel has created challenges and that the department has implemented a staffing approach that could reduce a fire engine to three-person staffing when paying overtime for a fourth crewmember would otherwise be required, acknowledging that “that is a reduction in capability.”
He described plans to expand the department’s training center by repurposing shipping containers and noted an ultrasound screening event that ran 18 people through a self-pay program intended to identify cancers early among firefighters, a group with higher occupational cancer risk. Sarberts also said the department secured a partnership with equipment manufacturers for an extrication class that will offer free seats to local and regional firefighters.
Following a closed-session personnel discussion under Wisconsin law, the commission moved and seconded to offer a conditional offer of employment for the POX battalion chief position; the motion passed by voice vote with no opposing votes recorded in the transcript.
Chair Sean Baxter presided. The commission did not record budget details or provide a timeline for when the battalion chief’s conditional offer would be finalized in public remarks. The meeting concluded with routine announcements and adjournment.
