Aug. 4, 2024 9:15a
(WGTD)---Response times within the Kenosha Fire Department are up, thanks in large part to the closing of Froedtert’s downtown emergency room. But Fire Chief Dan Tilton—speaking on a recent edition of WGTD’s Community Matters—believes the average time is still within acceptable standards.
Froedtert converted the downtown E-R into an urgent care facility about two years ago.
Up until then, for patients picked up on the city’s east side by the rescue squad stationed at 52nd and 22nd, it was a relatively short ride to the hospital. Now it's a 15-minute long trek to either Froedtert's hospital on Highway 50 or the nearby Aurora hospital.
If the 52nd St. rescue squad is tied up on another call, then a med unit from the next closest station is dispatched, adding to the time that a rescue squad is out of service. If a call comes in from the service area covered by the squad that's out of position on the east side, then a med unit from another part of town is sent to cover the second call. "That's where we're seeing the damage done," Tilton said. "It's a domino effect."
The average response time is up by 30 seconds, Tilton said.
One solution would be staging a second med unit at the 52nd St. station. But that’s costly. Six new firefighter/paramedic positions would have to be created at a cost approaching $700,000, according to City Administrator John Morrissey. State-mandated levy limits make it even more of a challenge.
At the moment, a second rescue squad does operate out of that station—but only when extra staff is available. The reserve unit assigned to the station is scheduled to be upgraded and replaced next year with a brand new rescue squad that’s already on order. But without the six new positions, the squad will wind up parked in the fire house for much of the time.
One note of reassurance---Tilton says the department’s emergency medical services division has won
awards for exemplary care.
The full Community Matters program is available by clicking the link. https://www.wgtd.org/playlist/community-matters/community-matters
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