ÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼

HARTLAND – About a year ago, leadership within the Hartland Fire Department approached the Village Board, describing a looming issue to be add…

HARTLAND — The village fire department has announced it will proceed with a strategic planning process in the upcoming months, with an expected completion date at the end of March 2024. The department hopes to address staffing, hiring and physical space challenges. 5 Bugle Training and Consulting will facilitate the process.

"Continuing increases in service demands is driving change and growth within the fire department. We are seeing increases in both the numbers of, and complexity of incidents," said Chief David Jambretz. The department currently has three full-time firefighter/paramedics running on a 24/48 rotation, as well as part-time and paid-on-call employees. The number of part-time firefighters living in Hartland has decreased, causing the village to rely on firefighters outside of the village limits, leading to longer response times.

Hartland’s participation in mutual aid agreements can be helpful when there are emergencies in Hartland, but it also means that the department is responsible for assisting other communities as well. The village has stated that while it is a critical part of operations, it cannot be what it depends upon daily. Village President Jeff Pfannerstill said he supports the planning process.

"We know that we need to do something to help the fire department meet service demands. We have strong community support for our fire department and feel that it is the best way to look at the challenges to sustain and improve services and to create a path forward," he said. Funding made possible by the state through the Funding Assistance Program Grant will allow the village to hire two full-time paramedics as a start to the staffing solution.

HARTLAND — Several residents took to the podium to express disappointment over a flag which was displayed in a village trustee’s yard. The com…