LIVING HERE
The Department of Safety and Professional Services confirmed its inspectors are currently investigating conditions at the Elkhorn Area Fire Department (EAFD) after a complaint was filed.
The EAFD is now at the center of a state investigation. According to the Department of Safety and Professional Services, inspectors there are investigating the conditions of Elkhorn’s firehouse. The EAFD is made up of the City of Elkhorn, the Town of Sugar Creek, the Town of Lafayette, and the Town of Geneva. In 2020, the City of Elkhorn, the Town of Geneva, the Town of Sugar Creek, and the Town of Lafayette voted on and passed a referendum for a full-time fire department.
The referendum levied taxes to produce a multi-million-dollar influx of cash to fund paramedic-level EMS care 24/7/365 and employ full-time staff to meet anticipated increased calls for service. The proposal requires a minimum of eight on-duty staff per shift, with at least two paramedics. Staffing numbers, provided by EAFD, show that since 2023, the department has never averaged the required eight people on shift. Who approved this change of staffing? The fire chief? How did he get away with it, and why was he not being questioned by a higher-up?
The problems seem to be deeper than what shows on the surface. The lack of staffing, coupled with rising calls for service and simultaneous calls, is a problem that not only impacts the workload but also the community’s safety. Fire and emergency medical services responders in Walworth County face challenges with staffing their agencies and funding their capital needs, and some of the county’s smaller departments still rely on a volunteer model that has become increasingly difficult to sustain. Then add in a deteriorating building where they live and spend at least a third of their time, and that makes it even more difficult.
Why is Elkhorn not using taxpayers’ money to provide a safe environment for the firefighters and EMS personnel? Where is the taxpayer’s money going? This comes as the town of Lafayette provided notice that it’s pulling out of the EAFD. Meaning, funding is dwindling. Morale seems not to exist at EAFD. The city administrator seems to be protecting the fire chief. Why? Is he part of the problem?
Capital needs are another major challenge for local departments. Not only are most departments facing steep vehicle replacement costs in the near future, but many may lack the financial capacity to undertake these replacements. Also, some departments are planning station renovations or replacements and are exploring financing options. The Elkhorn Area Fire Department was built, according to its staff, in the 1970s. Despite this being a public building owned and operated by taxpayers, there’s a significant lack of data regarding property and inspection records. It’s a building that now appears to be crumbling before the eyes of first responders.
With the additional staff using the firehouse, in 2024, the city of Elkhorn paid Bray Architects nearly $40,000 to analyze the building. The report states, “the fire department is operating in a space that is not conducive for the team or maintaining staff/recruiting staff.” The study found a multitude of things Bray Architects deemed in “poor condition.” It said the HVAC system and roof need to be replaced, the apparatus bay floor, where they keep fire trucks and ambulances, needs extensive repair. The entire electrical system needs to be upgraded to address code violations and safety issues. The sidewalk connection to the garage where emergency vehicles come out of is “causing vehicles to bottom out.” The list goes on for eighty pages. EAFD’s Chief, Trent Eichmann, was notified by city leaders that he was being internally investigated and placed on “administrative assignment.”
