By Erica Dimka
Courtesy of Wisconsin Dells Events
They risk their lives, spend hours in training and have even been called out of baptisms and Thanksgiving dinners. But for the 68 Kilbourn and Delton Fire Department volunteers, the good far outweighs the bad. The volunteers agree that the best thing about their job is helping people.
"You can see the joy and relief in their face," Delton Deputy Chief Michael Pepper said, adding that helping with a rescue is even better. "Any type of life-saving thing (like getting people out of cars after an accident) is best - fires are devastating, but property can be replaced."
Pepper, who joined the department in 1990 while he was with the Sheriff's Department, said that the opportunity to aid people was the main reason he became a firefighter.
"When you're in law enforcement, one of the the things you want to do is help people. The fire service just sort of seemed like an extension of that," he said.
Kilbourn Fire Chief Mark Hamm said he is rewarded by seeing the people whose lives he has saved on the streets.
"That's why you do it," he said.
Kilbourn Firefighter Darrin Marsich, who joined three years ago, said volunteers make a connection with the people they're helping.
"It's pretty overwhelming, but if you can connect (to the people in the situation), it's pretty awesome," he said. And the residents of and visitors to the Dells area appreciate their work, Kilbourn Firefighter Dan Anchor said, explaining how the public reacted to the firefighters who passed by them in recent parades.
"Everybody started standing up and started clapping for us," said Anchor, who's only been a firefighter since May 2000, but is one of the several Kilbourn Department volunteers who has it in his blood. His father and grandfather were also volunteer firefighters. "It's a family tradition."
Delton firefighters also enjoy the support from community members. For Lt. Brad Tuma, a firefighter since September 1997, "the respect from the public, the thanks from the community" is one of his favorite parts of being a firefighter. In fact, Delton community members support the firefighters so much, it's even apparent to one of the newest firefighters, Darren Jorgenson, who has only been a member since April of this year. "It's really uplifting," said Jorgenson, who is also a police officer and part-time dispatcher for the Lake Delton Police Department and uses his experiences as all three to see calls from "every angle".
The Calls
Seeing every angle is something Jorgenson needs to do quite often, as the Delton Fire Department is very busy for its size. Delton Fire Chief Andy Schultz, the only one who isn't a volunteer, said the number of calls a year is increasing. In 1996 the department responded to 188 calls, while in 2002 they responded to 244 calls. He expects over 300 calls this year from their coverage area, which includes Lake Delton, the Town of Delton, the Ho-Chunk Casino and, in previous years, the Town of Dellona. These calls translated into 2,840 hours of volunteer service in 2002.
Hamm said his department responds to approximately 80 fire calls and 300 rescue calls within their coverage area, which includes Newport, New Haven, Dell Prairie and portions of Lyndon and Springville. The rescue calls are a big commitment because the department provides support at car accidents and with many cardiac arrests.
With so many calls, it's hard for Hamm to remember any specific one, especially since he's been a firefighter for 25 years.
"There's some that keep me up at night yet," Hamm said.
Other firefighters had calls easily come to mind. Deputy Chief Pepper remembered when a car impacted a tree and started on fire. He said it took a long time to extricate the driver, who had severe injuries, but recovered from them all.
"It was just one of those where everyone worked well. Clockwork," he said. "I think it gave everyone there that night satisfaction (of a job well done)."
Justin Landrum, the president of Delton Fire, Inc. and a volunteer since 2000 who joked that he joined "because (he) watched 'Backdraft' one too many times", said he can remember most of the calls he's been on, but his first fatality sticks out in his mind
"It's hard to distance (yourself) the first time, but it gets better with time," he said.
Darrin Marsich remembered a call where a car with some Baraboo girls in it was hit by a semi near Top Secret. He said they were all okay, but pretty scared.
"They were all looking to us (to not get freaked out)," he recalled.
In addition to the way they handle calls, the fire departments are also proud of their response times. Schultz said their average response time to a page is four to five minutes, which includes driving to the department and getting equipment. They are usually on scene within eight minutes.
Hamm said their response time is approximately four minutes as well, adding that fast times are important because "fires grow immensely in the first few minutes".
Safety
With the danger inherent in being a volunteer firefighter, the members of the area departments have been lucky. Hamm and Schultz said there have only been a few minor injuries in recent years. Other volunteer departments across the country are not so lucky, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council, a non-profit association representing volunteer fire departments and firefighters that noted of the 102 firefighters who died in 2000, 64 were volunteers. The leading cause of death was heart attacks, followed by vehicle accidents.
Schultz contributed their low injury rate to the command structure's ability to control sites and the department's rehabilitation policy. After fighting a fire for a while, a volunteer must have his or her vitals taken and must be monitored by an EMT. They are also hydrated and may be given food before they are sent back in to the fray.
"Our #1 priority are our volunteers," Schultz said. "If we can't take care of our own, how can we take care of others?"
The Training
In addition to strict safety procedures, the departments require members to be ready for any type of situation. As such, being a volunteer requires a lot of initial training, as well as almost continuous follow up training. Mandates require a minimum of 60 hours of training just to be an entry level firefighter. Certification as firefighter I by the state, which is recommended for all members, requires another 46 hours and firefighter II certification, geared more toward people looking to be officers or in command positions, requires another 40 hours.
In addition, firefighters are continuously being trained in a variety of techniques. Since the severity or type of call is always an unknown, firefighters take classes in things like wildland firefighting, first aid, ice rescue, rope rescue, auto extrication, water rescue, airport, hazardous materials, incident command and rapid intervention team.
Pepper explained that most of the training is done one night a week for however long it takes. The time commitment, although often difficult to meet, is usually faced with determination and dedication. "I've got over 2,000 hours of training and there are people that have more than me," Pepper said.
The Sacrifices
The calls, training and department fundraisers, meetings and other activities often mean time away from families and jobs. For the most part, employers are good about letting volunteers leave to respond to a call, Hamm said.
"We've been real lucky," he said. "Most of the employers in town are (supportive). It makes an impact on the businesses. Without their support,we couldn't continue as volunteers."
Hamm added that many employers still pay the employee wages while he or she is gone.
For some though, it's not as easy to respond to a page. Dan Anchor works in Baraboo and usually can't come unless it's a major emergency. However, he used to work for the Ducks and said it was no problem leaving to respond.
Tuma said it was easy for him to respond, especially since his boss at Holiday Wholesale is a retired Kilbourn Fire Department member who understands the need.
When people can't leave their job or are tied up with family commitments, other departments fill in through mutual aid, Schultz said.
"I think the area departments and communities are the best there is," he said. "Everybody is there for everybody."
Work isn't the only thing that may suffer from a volunteer's absence. Pepper, who has been married for 9 years, said he's had to reheat dinners and has been called out right before Thanksgiving.
"It takes a special person [to be a firefighter]," he said. "It takes a very special significant other. Our spouses as much as us ... make the service what it is."
He added that she's also the one to elbow him when he doesn't want to get out of bed for early morning calls.
Anchor's wife Tara said it's difficult sometimes, but she understood how important it was for him to join. "Our family's really honored that he's in it. We're very proud of him," she said. "(Our) 2 1/2-year-old boy thinks it's the greatest thing in the world."
She added that, while it does mean that sometimes family gatherings are postponed or affected, they also get something out of it. The volunteers and their family members become close friends, often celebrating weddings and births with each other.
"It's really like having another family," she said.
However, not all family events have to be affected by a volunteer's duties, Marsich said.
"We've always been taught that our family's supposed to come first," he said, explaining that the department will usually repage the firefighters if the emergency is large or if not enough people came initially. He said if they send out another page, then a firefighter can re-evaluate whether he can leave.
The Future
People not wanting to make the commitment may cause problems in the coming years. Volunteer fire departments across the country have seen a decrease in the number of people joining, which is especially problematic since the number of calls are increasing. The Kilbourn and Delton Departments are also seeing this trend.
Schultz said their 33 members is a big increase from last year's 25, but they will lose some members soon. "(For us), number one, we don't have a lot of residential population in our area.," Schultz said. "Number two, people are just too busy to volunteer for something like this."
Hamm said his department is doing better but it also is not as it once was.
"We still have a waiting list to get on (the roster), but it's not very long," he explained, adding that he had to wait on the list for five years.
Both chiefs feel there may be changes to the way the departments are run. Schultz said he's not sure how much longer the village can continue with fewer volunteers, while Hamm said someday the Kilbourn Fire Department may need to move away from having a volunteer chief. He said future chiefs may not have the luxury of spending a lot of time there, which he can do since he owns his business.
Volunteer or not, the Kilbourn Department will be getting a new chief in February, as Hamm will reach the mandatory retirement age of 50. However, he said that doesn't mean people won't see him at fires anymore. Kilbourn firefighters that are members for 15 years or more can help out with non-firefighting activities at major emergencies.
"They'll probably see me at a lot of calls yet," he said. "I just won't have the headaches anymore." He said he'll miss being a firefighter, but he thinks he'll find something to keep him busy.
Whether actively fighting fires or helping in some other way, the volunteer firefighters will continue to respond to calls despite the sacrifices they make in other areas.
"This isn't our job," Pepper said. "This is something we do because we feel the need to do it."
