This story is courtesy of the Vilas County News Review.
Leadership within the Eagle River Fire Department (ERFD) is looking to restructure the department according to a presentation at the July 23 fire commission meeting. But a significant shake-up in operations would also come with a steeper price tag of about three times the current budget.
ERFD serves the city of Eagle River as well as the towns of Cloverland, Lincoln and Washington. That translates to a 105-square-mile coverage area that protects $3.2 billion in equalized property values.
With a current annual budget of $496,200, fire Chief Jim Randall said there isn’t another department in the state that covers that much value with such a low budget.
Randall told the commission, which is made up of representatives from each municipality ERFD serves, that in order to provide better service to residents he was considering a change from the current all-volunteer model to a combination department. The combination structure incorporates a core group of paid, certified firefighters to be available 24/7 at the station, while also relying on its dedicated volunteers to help with major incident calls that come in. Volunteers would also be responsible for mutual aid calls from surrounding communities which would keep paid staff operating within its coverage area while still offering assistance to fellow departments.
More than just fire
ERFD responds to calls above and beyond structure fires. The department has seen a steady increase in the number of overall calls, especially for medical assists by Aspirus ambulatory services in the area.
To put it in perspective, Randall shared that from January to July 2025, ERFD received 18 EMS calls. In that same period in 2026, the department has received 61 calls to assist. This not only is putting a strain on the volunteer department, but also translates to slower service in emergency situations.
A new type of departmentIn a combination department, the “paid on-premise” crews would answer daily calls as well as perform other duties the department is responsible for, such as inspections, on-site equipment maintenance, ongoing training and community outreach efforts.
It would consist of three full-time staffers and then a rotating cast of additional staff, so there would always be three paid people on site and ready to respond to calls.
Randall said the most important aspect of this change would allow the fire department to accompany ambulances on every call, which they currently do not do. Other communities in the area, such as Conover and St. Germain, have paid staff that assist EMS every time.
“We are the only fire department in the county that doesn’t run with the ambulance,” Randall said. He talked about extended wait times when they are paged out after the fact to respond to life-threatening scenarios for residents, such as falls or medical assists.
In the current model, dispatch calls Aspirus for ambulatory assistance. Once they respond to the scene, if additional help is needed, then a separate call is made to ERFD. This can extend wait times significantly and cut into what department members referred to as “the golden hour” — the timeframe when measures need to be implemented in order to have the best chance at saving a life.
“It takes a fully staffed fire department three minutes to get out the door. We’re lucky to be out in 15 minutes,” Randall said. “It’s a huge thing for our community. They deserve better, and right now they’re not getting it.”
He emphasized that the delay is due to not having people ready to go at the station when these calls come in. Many of the volunteers in the department have full-time jobs, families, or own their own businesses and simply cannot always respond as quickly as someone who is ready and waiting.
According to Randall, the change to a combination department would mean faster response times, consistent leadership, better public inspections and education, and improved firefighter training.
ERFD’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) score would also improve, which means insurance cost breaks for residents that depend on the department’s rating.
Another highlight of the budgeted plan is that it would allow the department to schedule needed equipment upgrades and capital improvements.
ERFD is currently operating with some outdated or incompliant gear. Large and necessary purchases like SCB tanks, breathing air compressors, personnel gear, tenders and trucks would all be budgeted for, instead of brought to the commission for extra money as it currently operates.
Turnout gear is something ERFD is in need of currently.
“That’s a big one for me. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) requires it to be replaced every 10 years. We have two to four sets that are in compliance. That’s not right; I dread sending people in with that,” Randall said. “With this budget, we will have everything covered.”
Having certified, paid staff would also help with burnout being seen by volunteers and the current staff members due to the increase in calls.
Randall noted that there are currently a limited number of volunteers who regularly are able to respond, and that are certified Firefighter 1. If volunteers are not certified Firefighter 1, that means they cannot go inside of a burning building. This also puts strain on the certified members who shoulder the additional load.
“We cannot continue the way we’re going. We’re going to burn out,” Randall said.
Cost estimates and sources
Deputy Chief Steve Burr provided some ideas on what the costs would be based on models of other departments and factoring in ERFD’s revenue streams. The department earns money from a few different sources, including the fire extinguisher program, community training programs, and re-inspection fees that will be implemented, as well as the funding the covered municipalities pay in for the service. It is also going to start charging for short-term rental inspections.
Burr said they are looking at an increase of about $748,000 from the current budget, or $1.2 million per year. That would allow them to have three people on staff 24/7.
The breakdown by municipality would be as follows: the City of Eagle River currently pays $50,400, and would increase to approximately $131,000; Town of Lincoln would increase from $174,100 to $451,800; Town of Cloverland, $76,900 to $199,600; and Washington, $167,600 to $435,000.
One way to pay for this would be to go to referendum and ask the public. It would cost approximately 45 cents per $1,000 of value for homeowners to fund this. Property owners currently pay about 15 cents per $1,000 of property valuation.
Municipal cost concerns
Commissioner Jim Egan, who is also Washington town chairman, again voiced concerns with money being paid to Aspirus in their contracts with towns, while also being asked for more from ERFD. This same topic was brought up earlier this year during an Ambulance Commission meeting.
“I think the the concern I have, and I think you guys with your towns and cities should too, is we pay for a service from Aspirus and, quite frankly, we’re supplementing and not seeing any cost reductions from them or added personnel.”
He also worries how his constituents would respond to a large price hike.
“As towns, our costs are going up significantly too,” Egan said. As an example, he shared the estimation from Pitlik and Wick, which performs many of the road work projects across the area, that road costs will likely rise 35%-40%.
“This is the craziest thing you’re going to hear, but residents think roads are more important than healthcare, believe it or not,” Egan said.
Paired with other rising costs and the state-imposed tax levy limits, Egan doesn’t know how municipalities are supposed to handle these price hikes.
“Now, I agree with everything you guys are saying. But the timing stinks. We gotta figure out how to make this happen,” he said. “Our (town of Washington’s) healthcare costs went up 15% this year. And we know it’s going to keep going up. Diesel fuel, for example, in the month of April, we paid $3,000. Everything is going up. Equipment for the town is astronomical.”
Possible referendum coming
Whether or not they fully change the structure of the department, Burr said ERFD needs additional staff starting next year in order to keep up with the demands of the added call volume, fire extinguisher inspections and short-term rental inspections.
“Regardless, it’s gotta go to three people in the office during the day next year,” he said. There are currently two paid staff covering those duties while also responding to calls that come in during the day.
The commission decided to take the information gathered at the July 18 meeting back to their respective town boards and city council and have a discussion about possibly moving forward with a referendum.
Randall said he was very well-prepared for a referendum, and Vic Washelesky, the representative for Eagle River, said he believed that was the route to go.
Randall’s goal is to bring this to referendum to a vote as early as this fall, with an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2027, if the towns decide to move forward on it.
He also aims to have everyone be state-certified Firefighter 1 by Jan. 1, 2028, and is pushing for everyone to be EMR- or EMT-certified as well so they can be of more use on calls.
Another goal is to purchase their own ambulance in two to three years to serve as a backup when Aspirus is not available.
Randall said the decision comes down to one question: “What level of service should we provide?”
“Because I don’t think they’re getting the best service right now,” he said.
Inaugural firemen’s picnic planned
ERFD has been working in recent months to expand its community outreach. One way it aims to do that is with the launch of its inaugural firemen’s festival coming up on Saturday, Aug. 8.
The day of activities will go from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Vilas County Fairgrounds in Eagle River, and feature food trucks, a beer and soda stand, and raffle prizes donated by local businesses. Also on the schedule are children’s activities including a foam party, bounce house, walk-on-water pool, slip-and-slide, face painting and balloon animals.
Traditional firefighter competitions are also planned, including water barrel competitions between area fire departments and obstacle courses.
The department’s new ladder truck will be used for a 50/50 golf ball drop fundraiser, with proceeds supporting operational equipment for the volunteer department.
For more information, visit the Eagle River Fire Department Facebook page or call 715-479-8835.
