Village to hire another paramedic if it can find one

The Saukville Village Board last week approved hiring a third full-time firefighter/paramedic, but Village Administrator Dawn Wagner warned that it may take some time to actually hire the new emergency medical worker.

That’s because officials from Ozaukee County, which is providing funding for the position, asked the village to hold off on hiring until after the pertinent agreements are in place, Wagner said.

That was expected to occur in the next week, she said Aug. 29.

There also continues to be significant concern regarding the ability to find qualified candidates, Fire Chief William Rice told the board in a memo.

That’s due, in part, to the fact that every community in Ozaukee County will be trying to hire firefighter/paramedics in the coming months.

It’s a concern that’s been expressed by officials from virtually all of these communities, especially now that the county has agreed to help village and cities shore up their paramedic ranks.

Frustrated by long response times for emergency medical services, Ozaukee County agreed earlier this year to spend $5 million over the next three years to help communities hire paramedics.

The Village of Saukville applied for three full-time positions to be funded over the three years. The village said in its application that it expects to be able to fund one of those positions after that time and asked the county to consider continued funding the other two after that time.

At the Aug. 3 County Board meeting, the county agreed to hire one position and consider the other two positions in the future.

The village also sought $100,000 to renovate its fire station to accommodate additional staff —something it qualified for since it is cooperating with the Village of Grafton. The county has not responded to that request, Rice said.

Rice said he will work with Wagner to develop a plan to find the most qualified candidate to fill the village’s position.