VILLAGE OF TWIN LAKES, Wis. — For the first time, Twin Lakes will have 24-hour, in-station emergency medical services and fire rescue.
The Village of Twin Lakes officially signed a contract this week to secure much-needed funding for faster response times and improved safety.
This decision follows a referendum to fund full-time emergency services, which failed last November. Volunteers have responded to more than 1,200 calls this year from home.
Watch: Twin Lakes fire chief optimistic after village leaders sign EMS funding contract
Twin Lakes Fire Chief Ron Redlin said the department has been advocating for full-time coverage for years, stressing the need for faster response times.
With this new funding, it will reduce response times by eight minutes.
"This is so exciting for us here because it's been a long process of trying to get to this point to where we have 24-hour coverage," Redlin said. "If we had to respond from home, to get to the station to take out some of the rigs, it's a seven to 10-minute delay to get to the emergency. So the fact that now we can have 24-hour coverage and full-time coverage is just phenomenal."
Last November, a referendum to fund these changes failed. But after a closed meeting on Monday, village leaders decided to secure additional funding.
Without this contract, Twin Lakes faced the possibility of losing EMS and fire rescue services.
"A lot of people didn’t realize we weren’t full-time; they were almost shocked," Redlin said. "We’re just fortunate right now that we’re able to do this, and everybody is on board."
The Fire Department said full-time staff will start on Jan. 14, guaranteeing round-the-clock coverage for the first time in Twin Lakes.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
