Fire Department joins area study

The Belgium Fire Department, which serves the town and village of Belgium, has joined a study to explore consolidating or sharing a regional fire and emergency medical service.

Nine municipalities and fire departments in Ozaukee County have joined the study to be conducted by the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Information from each department on their budgets, service call histories and staffing levels will be collected.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum is expected to present consolidation opportunities and fiscal and governance impacts by year’s end.

The study costs $22,000, with each participant equally sharing the cost.

Two impetuses for the study are a shortage of volunteer firefighters and cost of equipment.

Belgium’s department is like others struggling to attract members. A new auxiliary program that allows citizens to help at fire scenes without being trained firefighters has only brought in a couple of members, Fire Chief Dan Birenbaum said.

“It’s a nationwide problem with the volunteer service,” he said. “It’s not just located in Ozaukee County.”