September 26, 2026 – Hartford, WI – As a former Fire Chief for 14 years at St. Lawrence Fire Company, I want to share my thoughts and ideas of the county-wide discussions going on with the shortage of EMS and fire personnel.
Back in about the middle of the 1980s at one of our Washington County Fire Chiefs meetings, I brought up the an idea of about an article I read in a firefighters magazine. The article discussed how a group of local Florida Volunteer Fire Department Chiefs, having personnel and financial problems, came up with a solution.
The solution was one county-wide fire department with multiple county-maintained local existing Fire EMS Service Stations.
After presenting this idea at our Washington County Chiefs meeting, I was basically told I was crazy.
My thoughts for one Washington County-wide run fire EMS service in our county
To start, width add up all the cost of each individual 13 existing departments expenses, for a total Fire EMS Expenses. That total would be taken off the local tax levy and replaced with a County-Wide Tax Levy, to fund each of the 13 Stations.
Some thoughts on Total Tax Operating Cost Savings by going to a County-Wide Fire EMS Service.
A. One Administrative Chief overseeing all stations, logistics and reporting to the county board.
B. Continue with 13 working stations and a chief (or possible reduced rank of battalion chief) familiar with personnel, equipment, in their covered area. Some stations possibly staffed with a combination of paid and or paid on-call personnel.
Potential tax savings with one county-wide Fire EMS Service:
1. One insurance company to cover personnel, equipment, buildings, liability, etc.
2. In-house training, both rire and EMS. With in-house instructors and existing facilities (Eliminate Moraine Park cost).
3. Standardized specifications for trucks, IE: Pumpers, ladder trucks, tankers and equipment (as in Germany and Europe), no fancy trucks.
4. Standardized specifications for rescue ambulance vehicle and equipment. Again (as in Germany and Europe).
5. Use of highway equipment maintenance personnel and shop for fire and ambulance equipment maintenance and testing.
6. Pay for full & paid on-call personnel, starts with a county-wide survey of the average full-time Citizen Pay Scale and Part-Time Citizen Pay Scale.
7. All personnel pay a percentage of their health care cost. (as most citizens do).
8. All personnel pay a percentage of their pension plan. (as most citizens do).
9. For the Safety of all County Citizens, a Signed Contract from Personnel for a Never Stoppage or Slow Down for a Request from any Citizen for a Responding Emergency Service.
10. Looking ahead, I see many ways to better our Fire and EMS Service for our county citizens, BUT it will take sitting down and talking, sharing ideas and be willing to give up some power and pride for all the community leaders and their personnel involved, for your neighbors’ safety.
Thank you and I’m available to any and all for thoughts and ideas.
Michael A Schmidt, Past Chief of St. Lawrence Fire Co.
Hartford, WI. 53027
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