Galesville fire board tables full-time chief talk for six months

The Galesville fire board will allow its fire department chief to continue investigating a full-time lead position for the city of Galesville and the town of Gale in the future, but no such addition is in the immediate future.

The board unanimously agreed in its meeting at the fire station last Monday to have chief Lucas Teska continue to gather information on how a switch to a full-time chief would impact the communities both work and budget-wise and bring information back this summer.

No cities in Trempealeau County currently employ a full-time fire chief.

Teska spoke to both the city and town governing boards in recent months, saying a full-time chief would streamline responses and help with recruitment. He was told by the fire board to gather more information and bring it back for discussion at its June meeting.

Officials from both communities on Monday shared concerns over adding the position right now.

Tom Thatcher, city councilor, said more study is needed regarding details including benefits, whether there is enough work to require a full-time chief and more before a decision can be made on any changes.

“I think before we do a full-time fire chief there’s a lot of legwork that has to take place,” Thatcher said.

Galesville Mayor Vince Howe motioned to table talks of a full-time chief with it “not to be brought back to the table” for the next five years, a suggestion that died due to lack of a second.

Gale Town Chairman Paul Halderson said Howe’s five-year suggestion was too long, but he also said the town board unanimously supported not adding the position right now based on costs.

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One issue for adding the full-time position now is timing, board members said Monday.

Galesville was finalizing its budget when Teska first approached them about the change in September, and that is too late in the budget process, Thatcher told him last week. He also recommended Teska educate more people on why he feels it is a need. 

“We can’t absorb that much amount of money without advance notice. You have to build up some community support, build up some relations. When I went out to get signatures for mayor. … a number of people told me we do not need a (full-time) fire chief because there’s not enough calls to warrant it, there’s not enough need for it right now,” Thatcher said, also saying they seemed more open to it if area departments combine.

Teska estimated he works about 30 hours per week as chief on top of his 40-hour day job, adding that recruitment is a challenge.

“My job as the chief of the fire department is to tell you when there’s issues and we’re starting to see problems,” Teska said. 

He plans to build the position so that the framework is there for the future.

“I’d like to see us build this position to say, ‘Well this is what it would look like. Now can we fund it?’ So, we’re doing the legwork stuff of it now even though you might not approve it in next year’s budget cycle, but at least the position is built and we can make changes as we need to.”

Halderson said there is more outside pressure on volunteers to become full-time firefighters through increased training and other requirements such as paperwork. Volunteers have a duty to respond for calls even though they are volunteers, he added.

The department averaged nine firefighters per call this year between its 26 members.

“When you joined this department you basically signed an oath that unless it’s absolutely impossible not to come, I’m going to be there. I’m going to drop everything and I’m going to respond. You didn’t join it to be in a club. You came to do community service,” Halderson said.

Adding a full-time chief, the former department member said, would not solve low membership.

“I was on this department for 20-plus years so I’m not blind to what’s going on … what has changed other than lack of response that requires the need for a full-time person,” he asked.

Shared revenue boosts from the state legislature for police, fire and emergency services gave the city and township a combined $152,000 in added money that could be used to offset some of a full-time position, Teska said, estimating a full-time chief would cost around $80,000 in annual salary split between the municipalities.

Some fire board members suggested delegating some chief tasks — Howe asked about having business fire inspections done outside the department instead of only having Teska lead them, and Halderson offered a solution of seeking outside help with paperwork to lighten some of the chief’s duties.