DELAFIELD — The City of Delafield is weighing its fire and EMS service options amid concerns over rising costs, staffing shortages, and limited control under the current agreement with Lake Country Fire & Rescue.
At a July 21 meeting, city leaders outlined four paths forward: stay in the existing agreement with Lake Country Fire & Rescue (LCFR), amend the contract, create their own, or contract with another provider.
The council also voted to request a proposal from Western Lakes Fire District, expected in September.
Watch: City of Delafield considers new fire and EMS provider; Community voices concerns
Lake Country Fire & Rescue serves seven Waukesha County communities, including the City of Delafield, Chenequa, Nashotah, Oconomowoc Lake, Town of Delafield, Wales, and the Town of Genesee.
City officials say Delafield pays 41% of LCFR’s operating budget despite being only the third-largest member.
A 2022 staffing plan to transition from part-time to full-time firefighters significantly increased LCFR’s budget.
Voters in both the city and town approved referendums in 2023 to support the change.
“The impacts of both COVID and the ongoing trend of fewer part-time staff in the workplace accelerated the need for full-time employees to keep stations minimally staffed,” Mayor Tim Aicher said.
Despite that investment, Aicher said response times still stretch to 10 to 12 minutes on some calls.
“Our partners haven’t spent a dollar without us spending two,” Aicher added. “They thought it was reasonable not to adapt the formula to the changing times—and that’s where we’ve kind of been segregated from our partners.”
An amended agreement under review would lower Delafield’s cost share, add full-time staff annually, and restructure board decision-making. The city expects to revisit it in August.
Meanwhile, residents and LCFR staff urged the city to stay with their current partner.
“My recent high school grad son is a new recruit in the program,” one resident, Kate Schlesinger, said.
“I struggle to see how walking away from an established consolidated department benefits anyone,” added Lt. Julie Krivitz with LCFR.
No final decision has been made. City leaders say they’ll continue weighing all options.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
