West Allis, Wauwatosa weigh fire department merger

West Allis, Wauwatosa fire merger?

A new study says merging West Allis and Wauwatosa fire departments could save $7 million over five years.

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - Fire officials in West Allis and Wauwatosa are weighing whether merging their fire departments could save money – and lives.

What we know:

The two cities hired a consulting firm to study the potential benefits of combining their departments. The 40-page report was presented Tuesday during the first public meeting in West Allis, where leaders and residents reviewed the findings.

"You have some of the best fire departments in the world working in this county," said West Allis Interim Fire Chief Jason Schaak.

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Schaak emphasized that a merger would not mean firehouse closures or slower response times.

"In the merger none of the locations of any units change, none of the houses change, so the response times would also remain the same," he said.

The study concluded that merging is "optimal" for both communities. 

The departments already assist each other on calls, and officials say combining dispatch centers and leadership teams would help maintain service levels.

"Right now, we have enough units geographically placed between our two communities to meet response times as should be meeting them for the standard," Schaak said, adding that if a merger is not approved, both cities could face service or staff cuts.

What they're saying:

Some residents said losing services isn’t an option.

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"If they are shorthanded, people, their lives, you know, would be at risk," said West Allis resident Carla Krueger.

"The alternative is to lose services, lose personnel, lose what we’ve come to expect particularly in West Allis with emergency services," said Susan Olson. "Now that I’ve talked to with some of the people I am reassuring myself more that this is the only decision that is really optimal for West Allis and Wauwatosa."

Dig deeper:

The study estimates a combined department would save about $7 million over five years. A joint department could increase taxes, though officials have not said by how much.

Tuesday’s meeting was the first of five planned town halls on the proposal. 

West Allis residents can click here for more merger information and future public meetings. Wauwatosa residents can click here.