A lack of volunteers and eligible recruits in the area is forcing a longstanding fire department in rural Dodge County to make a tough decision.
A large majority of Wisconsin’s fire departments are run mostly or entirely by volunteers, according to recent government statistics. It’s getting harder for many departments to recruit those volunteers, fire service leaders said, especially in rural communities.
The Woodland Fire Department has been around for nearly 150 years, but this year will be its last.
More than 30 years ago, Woodland Fire Chief Tony Roethle answered the call to serve his community by joining the department.
“It helps the community,” Roethle said. “You make a lot of friends.”
Woodland, an unincorporated community in the towns of Herman and Rubicon, is fairly quiet, and calls for new recruits have stayed fairly quiet as well.