BURLINGTON, WI—The City and Town of Burlington have reached an agreement for the city’s Fire Department to provide emergency medical services to town residents beginning Jan. 1 after the Burlington Rescue Squad officially disbands.
The Rescue Squad’s assets will also be distributed to various area fire agencies under an agreement ratified Tuesday night by the City Council.
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An ambulance will be added to the Fire Department’s roster; the only necessary cost will be an estimated $7,600 to remove and replace the Burlington Rescue Squad markings and logos. In the city’s 2020 budget, aldermen also approved spending more than $310,000 to hire three full-time and two part-time firefighter/EMTs to help close the gap.
The city is to inherit pagers, computers, radios and various office supplies. The Kansasville, St. Francis, Town of Lyons, Rochester and Town of Burlington fire departments are in line to receive other equipment.
A heavy rescue unit will be given to the Town of Burlington Fire Department.
Town Administrator Brian Graziano in an email called the agreements “mutually beneficial” to the city and town.
The city’s Fire Department will also begin performing vehicle extrications, something the Rescue Squad formerly did. The town’s Fire Department has had its own extrication equipment for several years.
Final celebration planned
The Rescue Squad has organized a private, invite-only sendoff to commemorate its 73-year run. Scheduled for 6:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m. Dec. 31 at Veteran’ Terrace, the celebration will include carriage rides from 8-10 p.m.
“We’re calling it the final toast to Burlington Rescue,” said Troy Everson, an advanced EMT and longtime member of the squad, who applied for permits for the event. “We’ve volunteered 24/7 for 73 years to this community.”
Everson said that while the city’s Fire Department “has some really, really, really big shoes to fill” come Jan. 1, town residents should not be concerned with quality of service.
“They don’t care about what your shirt says,” he said.
The volunteer squad, founded as a nonprofit, has been overseen by the Burlington Rotary Club since it began.
“When you work with a volunteer EMS service, it definitely
becomes far more than a job, and far more than a career,” Everson said. “It becomes a lifestyle.”
Many current Rescue Squad members will still be serving the area, Everson said, as a number of them plan to join nearby fire agencies after the dissolution.
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