Over Half of Wisconsin's Fire Chiefs Say They're Lacking Financial Resources

Tuesday, August 6th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Wisconsin Public Radio) Half of Wisconsin’s fire chiefs said they don’t have the financial resources to cover their budgets, and more than 10 percent of the state’s fire departments had at least one instance over the last year where a service call was not responded to, according to a recent survey. 

According to Wisconsin Public Radio, increasing call volumes, difficulty recruiting and funding shortfalls were the common themes among fire chiefs who responded to a survey from the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The survey results, released last month, suggest a perfect storm is brewing. Wisconsin currently has 761 fire departments serving communities of all types across the state. Just 43 of those departments are staffed entirely by paid career firefighters.

The rest are staffed by a combination of paid and volunteer first responders, with more than 600 departments manned entirely by volunteers. While the examples of non-response are still relatively rare, it speaks to the negative impact a struggling fire department can have on quality of life in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s shared revenue compromise was intended to bring some financial relief to struggling fire departments. How much money municipalities dedicate to fire departments is yet to be determined.

Wisconsin has more than 1,100 special districts for schools, sewage and solid waste management. But it would take legislation to enable fire leaders to create a voluntary fire district. Doing so would include a dedicated funding source and include a mechanism for accountability.

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