VILLAGE OF GLENBEULAH, Wis. — Sheboygan County is home to more than a dozen volunteer fire departments, including the village of Glenbeulah.
As calls for emergency assistance increase, a troubling trend is emerging. Jay Riemer, captain at the village of Glenbeulah Fire Department, reached out to me to highlight the struggles that volunteer fire departments are currently facing.
"Not only here but statewide, nationwide," said Riemer, emphasizing the broader implications of the issue.
The Glenbeulah Fire Department responds to approximately 400 calls a year. In June alone, they had 39 calls, averaging more than one a day.
"365 days, 24 hours a day," Village Board President Douglas Daun emphasized. He knows first-hand, having previously served more than two decades in an EMS role.
Despite the high demand for services, recruitment for volunteer firefighters has significantly declined.
Riemer lamented, “I like the good old days when people were knocking at the door and there were waiting lists to get on the volunteer fire department. Those days are gone.”
He pointed out that the requirements for becoming a volunteer firefighter have become more stringent over time.
Watch: Volunteer fire departments across state, Sheboygan Co. face rising challenges
“It’s a lot tougher now. They require a lot more than they did back then … now you’ve got to go through schooling, you’ve got to attend so many classes …”
Holly Teske, the latest recruit to the Glenbeulah Volunteer Fire Department, is set to begin her training this fall.
She is following in her father’s footsteps, a fellow dedicated volunteer firefighter.
“Growing up, hearing the calls, waking up in the middle of the night, seeing the stuff he goes through,” she recounted, mentioning her father’s challenges. “He’d always say we had three guys show up, we had to call somebody in to help us.”
A recent study from the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health indicates that 62% of volunteer departments statewide are concerned they will not be able to staff their trucks adequately in the coming year—trucks that cost over $1 million each.
The same study reveals that 34% of volunteer departments lack sufficient funding to meet projected expenses.
Daun remarked on the financial difficulties faced by small communities: “Our small village has a limited budget, and we just wish everyone could donate.”
Despite the challenges, volunteer fire departments continue to serve their communities, often without any financial compensation. “You’re out there protecting your community essentially for free, but it’s not about that for me and a lot of people at this department,” Teske shared.
As the demands on these departments increase, the need for more volunteers becomes critical. “More members, that’s what we could use,” said Adam Konz, chief of the Glenbeulah Fire Department. “Hopefully, we can try to lessen the load on the few who we do have around.”
In Sheboygan County, the call for support is clear: “Just walking in and asking for an application is the scariest part,” Teske recalled.
Riemer encouraged, “Walk in. The doors are open. Make that step, and you’re not going to be disappointed.”
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