Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Send 2% Fire Dues Payments to State Fire Departments

Wednesday, July 16th, 2025 -- 11:01 AM

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) has sent payments totaling $36,156,119 to fire departments across the state as part of the Wisconsin 2% Fire Dues Program.

The figure represents a nearly 12% increase over the total distribution in 2024. The 2% Fire Dues Program remains a significant source of funding for the state’s professional, volunteer, and hybrid fire departments, which use the money to buy and replace equipment, operate fire prevention programming, train crews, and more.

The program requires insurers to pay 2% of premiums collected for insurance against loss from fires. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance collects the dues, and DSPS distributes the dues to cities, towns, and villages across the state according to a prescribed formula.

In addition to protective gear, fire departments in Wisconsin have used Fire Dues funding on things like fire engines, ladder trucks, and fire suppression equipment.

In addition to the Fire Dues program, DSPS regulates firefighter health and safety, and also manages Wisconsin’s fire prevention program. DSPS launched a youth firefighter training grant program in 2022 to help address recruitment and retention challenges in the fire service.

The latest round of grants were awarded earlier this year to four training programs at technical colleges across Wisconsin. DSPS also announced this week that its Wisconsin Fire Safety Dashboard, a free tool for fire departments across the state, has been updated with 2024 data.

The tool can now even better support community risk reduction efforts at fire departments across Wisconsin.

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