By Cathy Kozlowicz
Correspondent
For the Elkhorn Fire Department, having all volunteer firefighters is a thing of the past. Leasing contracted fire staff or using paid on-call – the model that department is currently using – is not a long-term solution either.
A steering committee met last week to discuss solutions of providing superior service of firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to the community.
This committee, consisting of concerned citizens and representatives from the City of Elkhorn and towns of Sugar Creek, Geneva and Lafayette, was in agreement at the June 13 meeting that the department needs full-time municipal employees to serve as firefighters and EMTs. The committee is in the initial planning stages to put the issue to referendum in 2020.
The fire department, which once was entirely volunteer-run, uses Paratech Ambulance Services to essentially lease 11 staff. The department also has 38 paid on-call members. But there is turnover in the industry, as was discussed by committee members last week.
“It was a band-aid solution. The volunteers do a great job, but they have their jobs. Times have changed,” Jim Heilman, who chaired the meeting, said.
Geneva Town Supervisor Dave Stolow agreed with the need but expressed concern about a referendum.
“As soon as the name referendum comes up, people are anti-tax….” Stolow said.
Read more of the discussion that took place at the meeting in the June 20 Elkhorn Independent.
