The Whitewater Fire Department is celebrating its 150th year of operation in 2021, providing fire protection and emergency medical care to the residents of the City of Whitewater and the surrounding townships. Since 1871, volunteers provided fire protection to the City of Whitewater and emergency medicine services as of 1927. Today, the department is a paid-on-call department with many of the original customs and traditions that come from the history as a volunteer department.
The department operates a fleet of vehicle and other equipment to provide fire protection and EMS services. Every year, the department performs fundraisers to help cover the cost of replacing these vehicles and equipment.
Coverage Area
The Whitewater Fire Department has contracts with the City of Whitewater in addition to the towns of Cold Spring, Johnstown, Koshkonong, Lima Center, Richmond, and Whitewater. In total, the department services approximately 120 sq miles of territory.
An interactive map can be found on our website. Call Volume
Each year, the Whitewater Fire Department responds to a wide range of service calls. The Fire and Tech Rescue disciplines responds to structure and vehicle fires, vehicle accidents, water rescues, and EMS calls when assistance is needed. The EMS discipline handles medical emergencies within our communities, nursing homes, medical facilities, and the university, in addition to responding to "lift-assists".
Due to the increasing needs within the community and a decreasing amount of volunteers, WFD is implementing a new staffing model to help augment the current services provided. This includes hiring part/full time staff stationed at the Fire Station to respond to EMS calls during the weekdays during high call volume, with plans to expand this coverage as needed. In addition, WFD is working to hire cross-trained members, or members certified as EMTs and Fire Fighters, to augment the Fire discipline for structure fires and car accidents.
Currently, EMS operates at the Advanced-EMT level, which is the third tier of EMS providers. With the increasing call volume and increasing needs of our communities, WFD is positioning itself to upgrade that level to the Paramedic level, which gives a greater amount of resources in our highest acuity calls.
How the Whitewater Fire Department is Funded
WFD receives yearly payments from contracts for each community provided Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services. This accounts for approximately 1/3 of the department's revenue. In addition, the department generates revenue when providing fire protection services and providing emergency medical care and/or transport to the hospital. These services are typically able to be billed to insurance and account for approximately 2/3 of the department's revenue. For the City of Whitewater, WFD accounts for just under 5% of the Public Safety budget, which incorporates Police, Fire, EMS, and Dispatch services.
Current Fundraising Projects:
WFD is currently fundraising for three projects.
EMS Command Vehicle
The EMS Command Vehicle is essentially a mini-ambulance, designed to provide care in all emergency medical situations we encounter. The purpose of the vehicle is to provide a quick initial response to provide patient care until the ambulance arrives on scene for transport. This vehicle will be utilized extensively with second, third, and even fourth calls, and can be used in situations where additional manpower is needed at a scene, such as a car accident.
Additionally, as we move forward towards staffing at the Paramedic level, this vehicle can be utilized in an "Interceptor" style vehicle, which runs separately from the ambulance. In this way, WFD can identify if Paramedic resources are needed, and if they are not, return to the station and be available for the next call.
Fire Apparatus - Ladder Truck
Purchased in 1991, the ladder truck provides firefighters the ability to attack a fire vertically as well as get to trapped citizens on the second or higher floor of a building.
Ladder 1250 being used on a night operation to ensure a fire is out.The current estimated replacement cost is $1.4 million, with the City of Whitewater and WFD providing funds to replace this necessary piece of equipment. Currently, the city has allocated $1.1 million over the next three years to help cover the cost of replacing this apparatus.
Ladder 1250 used to get a better vantage point on the fire, as well as prepare to provide fire suppression on the roof.Fire Apparatus - Pumper/Engine
Two of the three engines in service by WFD were purchased in 1996. The engine services as the first vehicle to go out in most types of Fire calls, carrying firefighters, water, and the hoses necessary to start fighting a fire immediately when arriving on scene.
The engine operating at the scene of a fire, providing multiple hose lines to firefighters during fire suppression activities.The engine will cost an estimate $800,000 to replace as we look to replace one of our oldest members of the fleet.
The engine is one of the students favorite vehicles when we bring it for Show and Tell.The fire engine is used on every fire scene when fighting a fire, pumping water from the water source, such as a water hydrant or from a mobile water tank, to firefighters with handlines or to other fire trucks such as the Ladder Truck where it is pumped to vehicle mounted equipment.
Previous Fundraising Projects
Previous events have helped supply members with important gear that protects them while performing their job or that enhances the services we provide to the community.
- Updated air packs used to provide Firefighters oxygen when fighting fires
- All-terrain vehicles, which are used in wildland fires and to provide assistance on recreational trails - most recently in the case of a downed small engine aircraft.
The UTV helping control a grass fire.- LUCAS automated CPR devices that perform continuous, proper compressions without experiencing fatigue. This device performs the physically exhausting task of CPR allowing members to focus on other skills such as breathing for the patient.
Thank You
WFD appreciates all of the support provided by the members of the community. Without you, our mission would be more difficult to accomplish and WFD would not be able to provide the level of service that our community deserves and demands.