Consolidation Issues Heat Up in Wisconsin Emergency Services Study

Town of Delafield – After a short but spirited debate, the town board voted 3-2 on Sept. 22 to contribute $1,500 to a regional emergency services study proposed by Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow.

The study, according to Farrow, would “research Waukesha County’s complex and diverse fire and emergency medical service environment, focusing on Lake Country and surrounding communities to the south and east.”

In a Sept. 3 letter to the town, Farrow said he had been approached by some community leaders in the region about the possibility of consolidating fire and emergency medical services.

Farrow wrote that the county was considering hiring a consultant to study possible alternatives for “a collaborative model for providefiringandEMSservices.”

Two board members – Supervisors Pete Van Horn and Edward Kranick – enthusiastically endorsed the idea, suggesting that consolidating services could lead to cost savings and the town should participate in both the study and discussions about possible consolidating. “I think there is there is a benefit to being at the table during those discussions. I think it is important that we participate,” Kranick said.

Reservations about study

However, two other supervisors – Cindi Duchow and Ron Troy – questioned the need for the town to contribute to the cost of hiring a consultant for the study.

“We have been through this twice before,” said Duchow alluding to previous unsuccessful negotiations regarding the town consolidating services with Lake County Fire and Rescue or the Hartland Fire Department.

She argued that consolidations can be successful when they involve larger suburban communities that are served by full-time firefighters and paramedics and have common neighborhoods and borders.

However, she suggested consolidation is more problematic in smaller, rural communities that rely heavily on volunteer, paid-on-call firefighters and mutual aid agreements with neighboring communities.

“I am kind of split on this,” added Town Chairman Larry Krause. “We have done our due diligence in the past and talked with other communities. But we have never been able to come up with something that provided us with the same level of service at the same cost we are paying now and where we believed we were being treated as equals.”

“I think what they are talking about here is a fire department with full-time firefighters and

Kranick paramedics, and I don’t think the people of the town are ready to pay for that,” he added.

However, Krause cast the deciding vote for the contribution, arguing that it is important for the town to “be at the table” during consolidation discussions. Fire Chief Paul Kozlowski told the board the department should fully cooperate by providing whatever information and assistance in the study was requested, but he opposed the town contributing to the study.

“$1,500 is a lot of money for us,” he said later.

Communities invited

Kozlowski also questioned why Farrow’s letter was not sent to all county municipalities.

In the letter, Farrow suggested he was focusing on Lake Country communities, which is where he sent the letter.