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Fire chiefs warn of aging volunteers and rising calls as reason to act on EMS plan
Summary
Fire chiefs and municipal leaders told the committee volunteer ranks are aging and call volumes rose roughly 50% since 2018; they urged the countywide proposal to improve coordination, training, dispatching and shared services to preserve local coverage.
Fire chiefs and municipal leaders told the committee the county’s EMS system faces long-term staffing and operational pressures that threaten coverage if left unaddressed. West Bend Fire Chief Les Noran said, “Call volumes are increasing. Personnel, equipment, training, operating costs continue to rise. Volunteer availability is declining,” and argued a coordinated countywide approach could distribute costs and improve service reliability.
Village President Brian Heckendorf from Jackson described his 26 years of service as a paid-on-call firefighter and said relying on dedication alone will not meet current staffing needs: “These individuals leave their families, jobs, and daily responsibilities to answer calls at all hours of the day... but dedication alone cannot solve the staffing challenges that now face fire and EMS.” Chiefs and presenters pointed to data in the packet showing EMS incidents increased from 11,295 in 2018 to 16,847 in recent years and stressed workforce development, shared purchasing and standardized billing as among the recommendations to control costs and improve retention.
Chiefs urged the committee to ensure that any funding is directed to operational needs — personnel, training and equipment — and that governance and accountability measures are included in contract language and KPIs. The presentation and chiefs’ remarks framed the levy as a tool to preserve local identity while strengthening the network that supports municipal providers.
