FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – In an emergency, a quicker response can save lives. Fox Crossing Fire Department will soon be ready to act immediately if something happens, specifically on the weekend.
“Our response time is quite a bit different than if someone were staffed here at the station ready to go when the call came in,” Fox Crossing Fire Chief Brian Harbison said.
Harbison tells FOX 11 response times could possibly be cut from eight or nine minutes to four or five minutes.
“We’re going to put on 60 hours of weekend staffing from Friday afternoon all the way until Monday morning.”
Firefighters are currently staffed during the day Monday to Friday. Paid-on-call firefighters handle nights and weekends.
Harbison says the federal grant will make sure someone is ready, in case of weekend emergencies.
“This is a benefit to the community, the village has the opportunity to enhance the fire department’s response time with financial assistance.”
The grant will only cover a portion of the staffing costs. The Village of Fox Crossing will be responsible for a portion of the payments over the next three years and will use it as a transition period to pay for the entirety.
“The grant is a three year grant from FEMA, and we get 75 percent of the cost paid for the first year, 75 percent for the second year, and 35 percent for the third year,” Jeffrey Sturgell, the Fox Crossing village manager said.
The department is hoping to implement staffing changes by January. When the grant is up, Sturgell tells FOX 11 the village will use taxpayer dollars to continue 24-hour weekend staffing.
“Over time we have to ensure that we slowly roll this and build this into the levy each year.”
Harbison says the grant won’t change the department’s fire rating, so fire insurance rates may stay the same.
The department says it will hire weekend firefighters, and is taking applicants until mid-November.
