The Chippewa Falls Fire & EMS Department is back to full strength, thanks to strategic hiring efforts, a voter-approved referendum and new incentives aimed at attracting firefighter/EMTs

By Chris Vetter
The Leader-Telegram

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — For the first time in nearly three years, the Chippewa Falls Fire & EMS Department is at full staffing levels.

“We haven’t had a full roster since spring of 2022,” said Chippewa Falls Fire & EMS Chief Jason Thom. “At one point, we were eight people short. It’s a pretty good feeling. A lot of hard work went into it; a lot of promoting and career fairs.”

City residents approved a referendum in November 2022 that included hiring three new firefighter/EMTs. There are 30 positions in the department: the chief, a fire inspector, an administrative assistant, and 27 firefighter/EMTs, who each work three 24-hour shifts in a nine-day rotation.

All hires are required to be trained as firefighters and certified as paramedics. They all recently got a pay increase, but the city approved a $2,500 hiring incentive as well. Thom said new hires receive half the bonus upon starting and the other half upon completion of their probationary period at the end of one year.

“It’s another tool we use to get people to come to Chippewa Falls,” he said.

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Thom said he just got to full staffing levels in the middle of last month.

“We hired four in January that were December graduates,” he said. “It was definitely a team effort to get to this point.”

Chippewa Falls Mayor Greg Hoffman praised Thom for filling all the positions.

“They’ve made an investment in schooling,” Hoffman said. “They’ve identified candidates earlier. We had to make changes; it’s nice to see those changes are bearing fruit and they are attracting youth again.”

Hoffman said it was important to get those positions filled.

“It’s exciting to have the staff because we’re a growing community,” Hoffman said.

In 2023 alone, the department responded to 3,600 EMS calls, resulting in about 3,000 transports to a hospital. Thom said they were always able to staff two ambulances, but rarely more than that without having to call someone in. That became even more important when HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital closed last March, and it meant all patients who needed to go to a hospital were sent instead to Bloomer or Eau Claire.

“Now we can staff that third ambulance right away,” Thom said. “That’s very beneficial, with the longer travel times.”

The city constructed a new, $5 million fire station along Chippewa Crossing, which opened in spring 2017. Unlike the old station downtown which had one large open sleeping area, the new station has private sleeping quarters. Thom said the downtown station has since been remodeled to also create dorm rooms. The old station, connected to city hall, remains open with staffing every day that also responds to calls, particularly in the north side and West Hill.

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