Wausau Fire Engine 1. MWC photo by Mike Leischner.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Fire Department has been approved by the City Council to pursue grant funding for nine additional firefighter and paramedic positions through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The money would come from FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program; which is designed to help communities get up to what’s considered standard staffing levels for their size. Chief Bob Barteck says for Wausau that means four personnel per engine or truck. Wausau is currently working with two per vehicle, with the hopes of moving to three per vehicle with the addition of twelve firefighter/paramedic positions.
Barteck says the grant funding would amount to $2.7 million over three years if his department can fill all the positions on time. Over that time, the department and city would then work to absorb those through the city budget.
Growing the force is something Barteck has been pushing for since mid-November when he brought the proposal to the city’s Public Health and Safety Committee. The ask started with nine additional firefighters but grew to twelve in December. Barteck said that would allow the department to cover more vacation or sick time without relying so much on overtime hours for staff.
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Applications for the grant funding are due in early February. Barteck says he expects he and the city’s finance leaders will spend close to 60 hours putting the proposal together over the next few weeks, with results expected no later than September of this year. He and other city leaders will also work on contingency plans if their application is unsuccessful.
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