Fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in Walworth County carry a long history of volunteerism and community pride. The City of Delavan Fire Department exemplifies the sense of tradition, with a fifth-generation firefighter serving in its ranks.
In recent years, however, the volunteer model still on display at most of the county’s departments has come under duress in the face of a dwindling volunteer base. The decrease in volunteers stems from a variety of factors – including the various demands facing young families today and the training and overall time commitment required of fire and EMS workers. This challenge is not unique to Walworth County but rather has become the norm across Wisconsin and the nation.
Walworth County communities have responded to these changing times. Some have moved to a mix of full-time, part-time, and paid-on-call (POC) volunteer staff, even turning to voters in some instances to exceed property tax levy limits to pay for the increased cost. Others continue with the POC or volunteer model (with some contracting for EMS), while acknowledging that changes are inevitable and advance planning is needed.
Some Walworth County fire departments also are struggling to finance fire apparatus and ambulance replacement costs, which have skyrocketed in recent years. Another common challenge involves the geographic size of response areas, which stretch their response capacity.
In light of these many challenges, the Wisconsin Policy Forum was commissioned by Walworth County and its Fire and EMS Study Committee to conduct an analysis of fire and EMS service provision in the county. The goal was to develop options that would address key challenges, provide a higher level of service, and enhance coordination and collaboration among the county’s 15 departments and agencies. We have conducted nearly two dozen similar analyses for counties and municipalities across Wisconsin, and we find here a range of opportunities that could create efficiencies and ensure appropriate service provision in all corners of the county, including rural areas that lack the call volume capacity or resources to shift to a career model.
In the pages that follow, we lay out the fire and EMS landscape in Walworth County, providing demographic data and snapshots of each department’s operations. We then discuss a range of policy options for decisionmakers and the public to consider, including near-term collaboration opportunities and more intensive long-range possibilities involving greater participation by county government and departmental consolidation. Our intention is not to recommend a single solution, but instead to provide a series of options and a decision-making framework that county and municipal leaders can use to plan for a sustainable future for fire and EMS in Walworth County. Continue reading…