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Walworth seeks levy boost to fund fire, rescue

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Kelly Hayden

WALWORTH — Fontana and Walworth are closing in on a proposal to create three full-time firefighter/EMT positions to cover the villages during daytime hours, as recommended by a study committee late last year.

The villages plan to share the cost of the paid-on-premise operation.

Walworth is asking voters April 7 to approve a $100,000 increase in the tax levy to fund the new positions. Fontana has set aside money in this year's budget to partially fund the positions.

Under a paid-on-premise operation, the full-time staff would supplement volunteer firefighters and EMTs, who would continue to respond to calls in their respective villages, according to the proposal by the Ad Hoc Joint Services Committee.

The committee for more than a year has been exploring consolidation of services between the two villages as a way to save money.

The full-time emergency responders would staff the fire station in either Fontana or Walworth on weekdays during daytime hours, about 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., to respond to calls, according to the proposal.

Chris Severt, emergency services director in Walworth, said there aren't enough volunteer firefighters or EMTs to efficiently respond to fire and rescue calls in both villages during peak hours.

There are 29 firefighters and 15 EMTs in Fontana and 30 firefighters and 11 EMTs in Walworth. The four entities responded to 1,474 calls in 2006 and 2007, more than half of which came between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"It's getting harder and harder to maintain coverage for (both villages) during the day," Severt told officials from both villages in October. "We can't pull any more people from Fontana to respond to Walworth when they don't have enough people and vice versa. Pulling from the same membership numbers doesn't help."

Two of the new positions would be full-time with benefits, and one would be full-time without benefits and filled by firefighters and EMTs from both villages on a rotating basis, according to the proposal. Volunteer firefighters and EMTs would continue to respond to calls in their respective villages.

"This would ensure we have people in our communities at all times," Severt said in October. "We're not sending these people out on mutual aid calls. These people will be handling our calls first."

Although a formal agreement has not yet been worked out, both villages have begun planning ways to fund a paid-on-premise operation.

Fontana set aside $52,000 in its 2009 budget, said Village Administrator Kelly Hayden. The money covers only about six months of services because the village knew things wouldn't go into effect until an agreement is signed, she said.

"Although everyone supports the concept of it, we still need an agreement to cross those t's and dot those i's," she said.

Walworth is proposing to increase the tax levy by $100,000 next year and in subsequent years, an increase of 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That would mean an additional $87 in taxes on a home assessed at $150,000.

Severt said he's confident voters will approve the tax levy increase.

"We've talked to a lot of people in the community, and so far it seems they've got a good understanding as to the need," he said.

Severt said officials are working on a plan to fund paid-on-premise if the referendum fails, including securing grants.

Paid-on-premise details

A public forum about paid-on-premise fire and rescue services was held Tuesday. Here is a sampling of the questions and answers discussed during the forum:

-- Who will fill these two full-time positions?

Officials hope people who already volunteer with the fire and rescue departments in Fontana and Walworth will apply for the positions. A company called Metro Paramedic Services of Elmhurst, Ill., will interview, hire and employ the two firefighter/EMTs.

-- Who will fill the third position?

Current volunteers from the departments in Fontana and Walworth will fill the position on a rotating basis. If no one is available for a shift, volunteers from neighboring departments including Sharon, Williams Bay and Darien might be called.

-- What will the paid-on-premise crew do?

The three-person crew primarily will be responsible for responding to emergency calls between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. They also will be responsible for maintaining fire trucks, ambulances and equipment; performing fire inspections and educating the public.

The paid-on-premise staff always will be at either the Fontana or Walworth fire station. They will not be responding to mutual aid calls. Volunteers will continue to respond to those calls.

-- How much does a paid-on-premise operation cost?

Officials estimate it costs $167,700 a year. The villages plan to split the cost based on use. Emergency calls in Walworth accounted for an average of 59 percent of calls between 2006 and 2008. Emergency calls in Fontana accounted for an average of 41 percent. That translates into a $98,943 price tag for Walworth and a $68,757 price tag for Fontana. Each village's share of the cost will change as its use changes.

-- What are the benefits of paid-on-premise?

Officials say this type of operation improves efficiency, reduces response times and saves money.

-- Have any local communities tried paid-on-premise?

Yes. Bloomfield-Genoa City, Lake Geneva and Harvard, Ill., all have some form of a paid-on-premise operation.