WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU) — One week after Supervisors voted unanimously to disband the Wood County Sheriff’s Office Rescue Squad, the team is back in place following public backlash.
Sheriff Thomas Reichert released a statement Monday saying he still supports the disbanding of the squad but hopes that by reinstating it the public can have their say in the matter through their supervisors and incoming Sheriff Shawn Becker.
According to a release from Reichert the squad is paid for by tax dollars from residents all across the county, but only operates in a small southern pocket of the area. Residents in all of northern and western Wood County pay for the squad but receive little to no benefit in return.
Richert adds that many of the services that the team provides such as vehicle extraction or separation can be provided by local fire departments, meaning there is no need for the county to invest in such equipment. Therefore, he says the decision to disband the group was made with an eye toward getting good resale value for the equipment that the county has.
Additionally, the main rescue vehicle for the squadron will need to be replaced soon. Because of expenses like that and the limited service area of the squad, Reichert called the decision to demobilize the squad “a sound business decision.” Adding that lives will not be in danger if the squad is disbanded because the same services can be provided by other first responders.
Reichert had planned on using the money saved by disbanding the group to invest in new mental health programs for the county.
He says the decision to demobilize the group was made after thorough discussion by County Supervisors as part of the budgeting process and made in an open meeting that was properly agendized. He hopes that by reinstating the group and giving supervisors another year to discuss the matter, residents will be encouraged to get involved in the budgeting process sooner.
