Fire department bolsters its response team

In an effort to alleviate volunteer staffing shortages and mounting emergency calls, the Grafton Fire Department has added two full-time firefighters/paramedics to its team.

Brian Vahsholtz and Luke Van Natta were sworn in at the fire station on Sunday, May 19.

Vahsholtz previously worked for nine years with the Fond du Lac Fire Department, and Van Natta was a member with the West Bend Fire Department for one year.

Vahsholtz began working for the Grafton department on March 28 and Van Natta will begin Tuesday, May 28.

In the past, Grafton Fire Chief Bill Rice said his department has had trouble maintaining personnel because of a growing shortage in daytime volunteers for weekend and evening shifts. 

The department has about 60 volunteers.

Rice said his biggest challenge is finding volunteers for emergency medical services. 

The department now has three full-time firefighters in addition to a full-time chief and full-time division chief. Rice said the newest members will work in 24-hour shifts and have off for 48 hours, which will ensure around-the-clock coverage.

The full-time staff can immediately respond to calls while volunteers make their way to the fire station or scene of a call.

“That will give us one person per day to help staff the department 24/7, but that doesn’t include sick time and vacation,” Rice said in December.

The two newest positions were approved by the Village Board in December for the 2019 budget cycle.

One position was approved before the budget hearing in the fall because the department had enough funding after the village consolidated its emergency dispatching services with the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office last year. The savings was approximately $50,000. 

Village President Jim Brunnquell said the second position would be approved conditionally if there was enough revenue to offset the department’s fund balance during the budget process.  

The starting salary for each of the new  positions is $49,223. 

Rice said the reason for the shortage in volunteers is that people’s schedules are less flexible between work and family, unlike with previous generations. 

About one-third of the department’s volunteers help with emergency medical services, another third work strictly as firefighters, and the remaining volunteers fill both roles.

The new firefighters will respond to both fire and medical calls.

The first-full time firefighter/paramedic position for the department was filled in July by Tom Schoofs.