Elkhorn and Delavan fire officials are hot for help
IF YOU GO
What: Delavan Fire Department pancake breakfast
When: 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 4.
Where: Fire station, 222 S. 7th St., Delavan.
Cost: $5 for adults; $3 for children under 10 years old.
IF YOU GO
What: 39th Annual Elkhorn Area Fire Fighters’ Street Dance
When: Saturday
Schedule: Burgers, brats and hot dogs will be served starting at 6 p.m. Dance is planned from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Fire Station, 13 S. Broad St., Elkhorn
Music: Six Pack (formerly Barry’s Truckers)
Those under 21 must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian to enter.
Elkhorn Fire Chief Rod Smith has a magic number in mind.
Forty-six.
That’s the number of volunteer firefighters Smith wishes he had on his roster.
But then again, the way things are going, he’d keep just as many volunteers as he can get.
Instead, he has about 40 firefighters and 25 emergency medical technicians who get paid on an on-call basis to serve Elkhorn’s emergency needs—an average 1,400 calls per year.
That would leave about 20 or so calls for each of the department’s volunteers. And that, of course, is assuming it only takes one firefighter or EMT to respond to an emergency call.
“We struggle to find people,” Smith said.
And numbers are declining.
“Probably more so in the last 10, 15 years,” Smith said. “It’s the time commitment and sometimes training hours.”
The department also struggles with equipment maintenance. With 92 percent of the department’s budget dedicated to payroll, sometimes it is difficult to have enough money for equipment maintenance and purchases, Smith said.
To alleviate some budget needs, Elkhorn firefighters will host their 39th annual street dance this Saturday.
Smith said they hope to raise money to buy a stretcher that would attach to a six-wheel ATV that the department owns. The stretcher system could cost anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000.
“A lot of times, with the bigger projects, we try to put two or three years’ worth of donations together,” Smith said.
Delavan Fire Chief Neill Flood said he has also noticed other Walworth County fire departments struggling to meet their desired number of volunteers.
While he doesn’t have that problem with the 40 firefighters or EMTs on his roster, Flood said he is tightening belts and avoiding unnecessary spending.
“We’re told to watch our spending and not to have any increases except from in our payroll or in gasoline costs,” Flood said.
The Delavan Fire Department is also holding fundraisers to alleviate some budget needs, including a pancake breakfast on the Fourth of July.
“I don’t think my firefighters should have to raise funds,” Flood said. “But we have a good time doing it.”
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