MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Despite having five fire stations, Menomonee Falls only has one working fire engine. That means a homeowner will likely need another town to help put out their fire.
“I’m a little scared,” said Jeff Saladein who had a fire at his home a few years ago.
“I think it that is definitely concerning,” said Cathy Olig.
“Hopefully there are no fires,” said Mike Sanchez.
Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald said there have been equipment issues.
Last fall, a pumper truck was hit and is waiting for insurance to fix it. In January, another truck had a part break. And most recently, the brakes went out
But the Menomonee Falls Professional Firefighters Local 3879 President Kevin Myers said this is not surprising when equipment repairs and replacements are delayed.
“This is an ongoing issue where we have repeatedly not replaced our vehicles on the same schedule that they are suppose to,” said Myers.
The village also said there are three working trucks that can fight fires, so TODAY’s TMJ4 decided to check. We went to all five of the stations and found they were nearly empty. There was the only in-service fire engine for the village at Station 3. There was also a pumper truck at Station 1.
“They don’t have any of the means to put out house fires and things like that,” said Myers.
The union said if there is a fire, Menomonee Falls residents will likely need a department from Brookfield, Lisbon, Sussex or other nearby towns to put it out, something that is upsetting for homeowners to hear.
“What are we paying for as far as our tax dollars?” said Saladein.
“Why are we paying taxes then?” said Sanchez.
Fire station 4 is shut down overnight until further notice. The village manager said he has no timeline on when it will reopen overnight, but it is operating during the day.
