A shared contract to hire firefighters jointly is in the works among six area municipalities that are struggling to find and retain firefighters.
If approved, the estimated $405,847 annual contract would staff two full-time, EMS-trained firefighters to serve the neighboring towns and villages of Walworth, Sharon and Darien around the clock.
The proposed contract begins on Jan. 1, 2021 and continues for three years.
Mark Ruosch, president of the village of Sharon, said all of the municipalities have had trouble finding or retaining new firefighters, and often do not have flexibility in their budgets to pay for full-time additions.
The Village of Sharon has no full-time fire department staff and operates only with volunteers who are paid either hourly or per call. Recently the village has had difficulty finding volunteers to fill vacant spots.