Red Shirt Fridays - Until they all come home! Caledonia Firefighters are sell Red Shirts for $15 - Profit goes to the USO. If your interested please let us know.

LINDSAY FIORI lindsay.fiori@journaltimes.com | Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:00 am

CALEDONIA - After facing a large budget deficit early last year, the Village of Caledonia ended 2009 with a budget surplus and is on track for a balanced budget this year.

In March, the village had a 2009 budget deficit around $400,000. Mostly through negotiated wage cuts and added revenue from fines and fees, the village turned that deficit into a $5,000 surplus for fiscal year 2009, said Larry Borchert, village finance and budget manager.

"It was through the help of all the unions and the managers watching each and very one of their budgets," he said. "They made no unnecessary expenditures."

To achieve the budget surplus, the village negotiated with unions to have employee groups forgo 2.5 percent of their wages beginning May 1, 2009. That move alone saved $200,000, Borchert said.

"I have to compliment the whole village," said Village Board President Ron Coutts. "We negotiated seven contracts. Everybody took benefits cuts."

The village also took in more revenue than expected: $130,000 more than planned in ambulance fees and $96,000 more in fines and penalties for things like speeding.

"Basically police officers are just out there doing their job," Borchert said. "They did a heck of a job collecting fines."

The village also spent less than expected when it came to gas and diesel. Because gas prices went down from the $4 per gallon they were when the budget was set, the village saved $119,000, Borchert said.

All this savings and extra revenue left the village with a $130,000 total budget surplus for 2009. So they bought $125,000 worth of road salt in 2009 instead of in 2010, allowing them to maintain a $5,000 surplus for 2009 while balancing the 2010 budget, Borchert said.

He gave a presentation on the village's finances Monday at the Village Board's regular Finance Committee meeting at the East Side Community Center, 6156 Douglas Ave. At the meeting, committee members discussed a possible referendum. But Coutts said a referendum would likely no longer be needed given the balanced 2010 budget.

"And we're in pretty good shape for 2011," he said.

CALEDONIA - The village could have too many firefighters or not enough, depending on how you look at it.

Caledonia is above average in firefighters per thousand residents, when compared with other career fire departments in the state. The Caledonia Fire Department has about seven more firefighters than the state average but local fire officials say each person is crucial. With 40 firefighters serving a population of 25,130, the department is at 1.6 firefighters per thousand residents. The state average is 1.3 firefighters per thousand, according to a 2006 Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report. But the department is still below the National Fire Protection Association standard of four firefighters per fire apparatus to ensure safety and efficiency, said Fire Chief Richard Roeder. The department has three firefighters per apparatus. Also, Caledonia is unique in that for its population size, the fire department has a relatively big coverage area of about 46 square miles, he said. The average response travel time is four minutes, according to the department. "It's about getting the right number of people on the scene within a certain period of time to be effective," said John Dahms, fire science instructor at Gateway Technical College and former Mount Pleasant assistant fire chief. "If it was your family, what would you want?" The department's staffing is adequate 95 percent of the time, Roeder said, and mutual aid from other fire departments help cover the remaining incidents. The South Shore Fire Department, serving Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant, covers 40 square miles and a combined population of about 32,500, according to Fire Chief William Bouma. With 57 firefighters, the department is at 1.75 firefighters per thousand. Demanding, labor-intensive tasks There are at least 10 people on duty every day, three firefighters at each of the three stations plus one battalion chief. The position of assistant fire chief has been vacant since August 2008 due to budget constraints. Their labor-intensive tasks demand units of three, Roeder said. Just maneuvering a hose that pumps 135 to 180 gallons of water per minute may require two people, he said, especially if navigating stairs, corners and around furniture. "It's what the nature of the job is," Dahms said. Whether it's transporting a 200-pound person who fell down the stairs or on the scene of a fire with multiple patients, officials agree it takes teamwork. And it's not just putting the fire out, said Jason Hempel, president of the firefighters' union. Firefighters are also searching for people, aiding rescue and administering patient care on top of maintaining ventilation and shoveling debris to look for the origin and more. "We need all the manpower to put these fires out," Hempel said. "There is safety in number that allows firefighters to enter burning houses aggressively."