Wausau Fire Department. MWC photo by Mike Leischner.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – The Wausau Fire Department has been awarded federal grant money to expand its fire department.
The $3.2 million grant will help the department hire nine new full-time firefighter and paramedic positions next year. Grant funding will cover the cost of the new hires for three years, then the city will have to pick up the expenses.
Both the city’s finance committee and City Council voted to accept the grant funding on Tuesday.
Fire Chief Bob Barteck said the extra positions, combined with the three others that were added earlier this year, will help them get closer to fully staffed. “We’ve had more than triple our call volume response, and our responsibility that we have to this community has really changed in the past 53 years,” Barteck said.
He said now, upping their full-time staff to a crew of over 70, they’ll be ready to tackle any challenge thrown their way.
Comments