Firefighters had busiest year ever in Fredonia

The Fredonia Fire Department was busier than ever in 2019, logging 197 fire and EMS calls and 325 ambulance calls, both local records.

The fire/EMS calls were 21 more than in 2018 and the ambulance calls were 27 more than the year before, according to an annual report presented to the Village Board last week by Fire Chief Brian Weyker.

“It was another extremely busy year,” Weyker said.

Of ambulance calls, 146 were in the Village of Fredonia, 12 in the Town of Fredonia, 123 in the Village of Belgium and 27 in the Town of Belgium.

That’s a slight variation from the two previous years when the Village of Belgium had 130 calls both years and the Village of Fredonia had 123 in 2017 and 122 in 2018.

In December, the Belgium Village Board approved a contract with the Fredonia Fire Department for $18,000, based on $150 per call from a three-year average of 120 calls per year.

In January, the Belgium Town Board followed suit, agreeing to a three-year contract with the Fredonia Fire Department to pay $150 per call, the same amount the town pays the Port Washington Fire Department for ambulance service.

The Belgium Fire Department does not have an ambulance service.

Weyker said it became necessary to charge after the department had to hire a full-time emergency medical technician who receives benefits. The person replaced two part-timers who did not receive benefits.

The Fredonia Fire Department also had three calls in the Town of Port and 14 in the Town of Saukville.

There were 49 active department members in 2019, up from 47 in 2018, Weyker said.

Members logged 1,970 hours in training, 2,925 hours for ambulance calls and 1,007 hours responding to fire and rescue calls.