The Joint Municipal Fire Commission met earlier this month to explore funding options as local municipalities begin their budget planning for 2027. The fire department has asked for approximately 30% more in funding starting next year.

Facing a need for more staff, the Eagle River Area Fire Department (ERAFD) has expressed a growing need to expand its paid, onsite staff in order to continue providing quick emergency response services for residents in the area.

ERAFD serves the city of Eagle River as well as the towns of Cloverland, Lincoln and Washington, protecting 105 square miles and more than $3.4 billion in equalized property values.

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Burr, who also handles a lot of the financial needs of the department, gave a presentation during the Sept. 10 meeting to the commission, composed of representatives from the municipalities served by ERAFD. Also in the audience were city officials and town board members there to learn more about the rising costs.

According to his calculations, the department will need about $605,000 appropriated from towns they serve to operate in 2027 — an increase of 29% or about $135,000 from the $469,000 received in 2026. That amount paid is calculated using equalized property values, then split up between Eagle River, Washington, Lincoln and Cloverland.

The projected amounts to be paid by the municipalities are after all expected expenses and revenues were accounted for.

Eagle River’s portion would increase from $50,485 to $68,070; Lincoln, $174,120 to $218,855; Cloverland, $76,948 to $98,627; and Washington, $167,645 to $219,520.

Burr said this budget does not solve personnel issues or personal protection equipment issues for members, nor does it allow money to be set aside for future capital expenses like equipment purchases.

“We are taking little bites to get to where we need to be,” he said.

Increasing calls, increasing costs

With an ever-rising number of calls, the volunteer department is stretched thin. It currently operates with two full- and one part-time staff, along with volunteer members.

In addition to responding to emergency calls that come in, paid members also perform commercial fire inspections, check fire extinguishers, inspect short-term rentals, and offer community training.

The budget proposal would move the part-time position to full-time, allowing three staff members to be onsite during business hours to answer calls. Besides responding to structure fires, ERAFD is also called out for life-threatening situations like medical assists, car accidents and other emergencies.

“It gets three people out the door faster, especially when it comes to medical calls,” Burr said.

Burr reported that as of Aug. 31, the department had received 241 calls — already 11 more calls than all of 2025. With the increase, Burr predicted that the department would be about $60,000 over-budget by the end of 2026 due to the increased calls. That $60,000 is accounted for as part of the $135,000 increase for 2027.

“It’s not a great situation,” he said.

ERAFD earlier this summer had looked at restructuring the department and going to referendum for the funding, but there wasn’t enough time to pivot for the 2027 budget.

In the meantime, Burr has mapped out some other areas of revenue for the department beginning in 2027, including charging re-inspection fees for businesses that have violations on initial inspection, meaning staff has to make additional trips out to re-inspect.

“I think that will tremendously help our community to make sure our businesses are safe,” Burr said.
ERAFD also will begin charging $100 each for short-term rental (STR) inspections. With more than 400 STRs in the area, Burr said he’s hoping the department will start seeing a revenue boost from that initiative next year. There also will be coordination with town clerks to make sure STRs are getting inspected by both the health department and the fire department before permits are issued by the towns.

Community training revenue is a relatively new initiative that is proving worthwhile. The department now offers hands-on training in CPR, Choking Charlie, Stop the Bleed and other programs.

“There’s a revenue source that we didn’t have a few years ago that is now budding into something,” he said.
According to Burr, a number of revenues exist that cannot be guaranteed since they are weather-dependent, such as ice castle and pond hockey revenue. The department also receives various grants and donations throughout the year to help offset costs.

High praise for the department

Commission members sang the praises for what the department is able to accomplish, but are not sure where they will come up with the money to pay for it.

Commission member and Washington town Chair Jim Egan said that while everyone is concerned about the additional funds, ERAFD does a great job of keeping its community safe.

“We’re blessed to have this fire department. They do an amazing job,” he said. He went on to cite the state-imposed levy limits as a big contributing factor to why towns cannot pay their bills.

Lincoln town chairman and commission member Bill Hassey summed the issue up simply.

“It’s obvious we need a good fire department and we have a good fire department, it’s obvious they need more money, it’s obvious the towns and city don’t have that money laying around,” Hassey said. “We gotta find a way to come somewhat near what you guys need.”

Hassey recommended Fire Chief Jim Randall and Burr meet with the four leaders of the entities to come up with solutions before towns start their full budget processes in October. Although no specific date was set at the meeting, commission members said they would get together and take a closer look at line items to better understand the necessities.