The Whitewater Fire Department Inc. and the City of Whitewater have entered into negotiations to bring the fire department in house.
The move is anticipated to provide better services to residents within the city and surrounding towns, according to information released Thursday by city officials.
According to the release, at the end of 2021, discussions began, revolving around staffing concerns and a desire to better serve the community and its surrounding areas.
By January of 2022, members of the Whitewater Fire Department, Inc., which operates as an independent nonprofit organization, gave permission to the organization’s board of directors to move forward in creating a relationship with the City of Whitewater.
“This includes creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is currently in process,” the release stated.
City officials and the department are planning a multi-phased approach to facilitate a smooth transition, the release noted. The first phase will involve transferring Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which include operations, staffing and physical assets, such as equipment.
Additionally, according to the release, the fire department will plan to keep its established 501c3 status, allowing the organization to continue to accept donations for additional equipment in the future.
The merging of the two entities is intended to address emergency staffing needs by providing comparable salaries as other fire departments as well as offering benefits to staff, the release continued.
“This merge is for the citizens. We need to provide the best service we can to our community and the surrounding townships,” Whitewater Fire Department, Inc. Board of Directors President and Fire Capt. Christ Christon was quoted as saying in the release.
Photo courtesy of the Whitewater Fire Department as shared on its Facebook page.
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