Elected officials balk at second fire study

A vote wasn’t taken but officials at the Belgium Fire Department budget meeting on Monday agreed a second study of Ozaukee County fire departments isn’t necessary.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum, a nonprofit research organization, commissioned a study last year to address the lack of resources for county fire departments as volunteers dwindle and equipment costs are increasingly difficult to handle.

A second study was proposed, but town and village of Belgium officials don’t see the value in it. They’d rather discuss combining resources among the three fire departments in the northern part of the  county — Belgium, Fredonia and Waubeka.

Town Chairman Tom Winker, also an Ozaukee County supervisor, would like to include the other two supervisors who represent the area — Barb Jobs and Josh Haas — as well as the municipalities and fire departments on how best to “provide affordable fire and EMS.”

“At one point you should look at having 24/7 response with an ambulance, meaning you’d have to have people in the building to respond. I don’t know when that would happen but I think long term you’d have to set that as a goal,” Winker said.

Emergency medical services, he said, would be the priority, since the fire departments have the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) that calls for help from area departments as needed to prevent any one department from being depleted of its resources fighting a fire.

Village President Pete Anzia suggested the fire departments get together and develop a plan, then present it to the elected officials.

“We have no idea what they (fire departments) all do here. Let them come up with a plan and then they come to us,” he said.

Belgium Fire Chief Dan Birenbaum agreed with Anzia.

Winker and Supr. Bill Janeshek said they are fine with that plan.

Regardless, Winker said, he is not in favor of being part of one consolidated Ozaukee County fire department.

“I think there’s such a disparity between what we have in the northern end and the monies we have in the northern end compared to what is on the southern part of the county,” he said.

“There are some wealthy communities down there. We don’t have the same amount of wealth here.”

Trustee Rose Sauers said she remembers the disparity being discussed during the presentation of the fire department study.

She agrees a second study isn’t the way to go.

“I think we need to quit flapping gums and start getting an action plan, and studies won’t get us there,” she said.

Winker said any kind of shared services agreement wouldn’t happen overnight.

“Let’s just start a general discussion and see where it goes. We’ve never done this before. It might be two, three years. It might be five years, but if we don’t start talking about it we’ll never get to it,” he said.

Meeting dates were not set but Winker said sometime in November might be a good time to start.