"Volunteer fire dept. could be contingent on meeting with city" from the August 21, 1979 Door County Advocate
Volunteer fire dept. could be contingent on meeting with city
It appears that a meeting with Sturgeon Bay city officials will have the final bearing on whether or not another volunteer fire department will be established in southern Door county.
Town and village board members from four Southern Door municipalities met at the Maplewood Community Center Monday night to determine if they should move toward establishing their own volunteer department.
The villages of Clay Banks and Forestville and the towns of Nasewaupee and Forestville are still considering a possible break with the Sturgeon Bay fire department. Sturgeon Bay town has already voted to remain under the protection of the Sturgeon Bay department.
Judging by the sentiment expressed Monday, most of the village and town representatives feel that manpower and financing for a volunteer department are no problem but there is still a strong feeling to look into the situation further before making a break with the city.
Representatives plan to set up a meeting with the City Police and Fire commission before determining the next step.
The outlying areas began looking into a volunteer department after it was determined that the assessment for the outlying areas would increase as much as 14 per cent when new contracts were issued.
At Monday night's meeting it was pointed out that the rural areas on the whole feel the rate is too high for the amount of protection they are receiving. Some town officials feel the rising cost with no equity in the city fire department is not justified.
According to Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Glen Anderson, the projected operating budget for the city fire department will run about $210,000 for 1980. The present assessment for the outlying area is 50 cents per $1,000 equalized valuation. New contracts for service to all the rural municipalities including Sevastopol total $82,137.90, leaving the city to carry the rest of the cost. Based on the equalized city valuation of $225 million the city will be paying slightly more than 50 cents on $1,000 to cover the remaining $128,000 of operating expenses for the fire department.
The projected budget is for operating expenses only and does not include such items as salary increases, equipment and capital investment. The $50,000 cost of a new tank truck that is being ordered to make sure the department and equipment meet the National Fire Standards was not even figured into the $210,000 budget.
At Monday night's meeting, officials reviewed the meetings held in their municipalities. On Aug. 6 the town of Clay Banks voted unanimously to look further into developing a volunteer department. Consensus was also favorable at Forestville town and village board meetings.
Nasewaupee, which pays approximately one-fourth of the present fire protection bill, was the only town represented that appeared reluctant to throw support behind a volunteer department.
At a special town meeting in Nasewaupee last Thursday night, a show of hands indicated 18 of 22 people present were in favor of staying with the present fire protection system. However, with four undecided and with most of the other 22 living in close proximity to the city, Town Chairman Marvin Wilke said there should be further study before any decision is made.
One apparent bone of contention is that outlying towns are paying into the city's general fund rather than into a segregated fire department fund. Both Wilke and John Mendonca suggested that the money should be placed in a segregated fund.
Mendonca repeated a suggestion that had been forwarded in other towns that town officials meet with city officials as to the possibility of setting up satellite stations. Joe Zettel added that perhaps there could be attack pumpers in key locations like the airport and Maplewood.
Reviewing the Nasewaupee meeting, Leroy Liebe pointed out that many of those who were in favor of retaining the present system are also associated with the Nasewaupee Sanitary District No. 2 and would like Nasewaupee to continue to cooperate with the city in the sharing.
The Sturgeon Bay Common Council recently voted to allow the Nasewaupee Sanitary District to hook-up with the new city wastewater treatment plant.
Also at the Nasewaupee meeting William Overbeck expressed concern about the duplication of services saying, "Anytime you duplicate services it costs money." The city, it was pointed out. still needs tankers and pumpers for areas not served by hydrants. Even Fire Chief Glen Anderson lives in such an area on the far end of Shiloh rd.
Several representatives Monday expressed concern about what effect a volunteer department would have on insurance rates. Forestville Town Chairman Gerald Wagner told the group that he had been informed that there would be no increase in premium with a volunteer department and in some cases the premium might go down if the home or business was located closer to a station.
It has been suggested that the volunteer department would have two trucks located in two different areas. All of the municipalities Monday expressed an interest in having a truck stationed in their community. Under this volunteer system, the main backup would be provided by the Brussels-Union-Gardner fire department.
Wagner told those present that he feels $105,300 will cover the cost of setting up a volunteer department. This would include an initial first year cost of $81,000 for two trucks and equipment: $6,000 for rent and maintenance of two buildings or for debt retirement: $15,000 for operation and $2,800 for two two-way radios. Wagner said that the proposed district has been offered a 10 year loan by local bank at 4.5 per cent interest.
Each of the municipalities represented reported they had received names of volunteers with the town of Forestville registering 16 prospective fire fighters. To set up the two stations would require five six-man (one from each municipality).
While equipment and manpower are deemed the two main essentials for a volunteer department, it was pointed out that the availability of water is another essential, particularly in the winter.
For the first six months of this year the fire department has had 40 calls, including 14 to Nasewaupee, 10 to Forestville town, 4 to Sturgeon Bay town, 4 to Forestville village and 1 to Clay Banks. Chief Anderson estimates that it costs $1,000 to open the door and send a truck out of the station and for this reason the old fee system was replaced with the present assessment plan.
Reviewing all of the information that had been accumulated at public meetings and through committee work representatives of the municipalities meeting Monday decided it was time to take their grievances before the city before proceeding further with plans for setting up a volunteer fire department.
To date Fire Chief Anderson has not met with any of the municipalities to explain the reason for the increased costs. "I'm willing to work with the new district to explain the costs and services and I'd also be willing to work with them to set up a new department if that is what they want," Anderson told the Advocate Tuesday.
[author not stated]
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive