Chief: Lannon needs day-time firefighters
Village of Lannon – Although only four volunteers initially responded to a fire at a mobile home park last month, Fire Chief Gary Georgenson told the Village Board at a meeting Monday night he is confident his department can protect the village.
Besides 40 volunteers, the department has an automatic alarm mutual aid agreement with the Village of Menomonee Falls Department that automatically notifies the two departments when there is a structure fire in either community, he said.
Menomonee Falls responded when the Lannon department was short-handed when the fire alarm sounded at 10:30 a.m. March 16, he noted.
Two Lannon volunteers arrived at the blaze at Lannon Estates within about eight minutes, the chief said. Two other volunteers arrived about two minutes later
The arrival of the Menomonee Falls firefighters was delayed about two minutes because the fire call had to be transferred from the Waukesha County Dispatch Center to the Menomonee Falls communication center.
The initial alarm was called in by a passer-by using a cell phone, the chief said, and the 9-1-1 call was automatically referred to the county dispatch center. The Falls and Lannon departments rely on Menomonee Falls' communication center, however.
Like many other volunteer department chiefs in Waukesha County, Georgenson has difficulty recruiting enough volunteers for some day shifts.
The lack of day-time volunteers was one of the factors that prompted the Chenequa and Nashotah fire departments to merge into the Lake Country Fire Department, which may expand to include the City of Delafield.
Georgenson said he hopes that the hiring of the department's first full-time firefighter – who might come on board later this year – will help insure sufficient help during the day.
Georgenson said he is "comfortable" with his coverage during the day because of the combination of the first response agreement with Menomonee Falls and the volunteers he usually has on duty during the day.
He said he was unusually short-handed when the department was summoned to the mobile home park fire in March.
"Would I feel more comfortable if I had more volunteers during the day?" he asked himself. "Absolutely."
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