Wisconsin DSPS Distributes Nearly $23,000 to SDFD

Southern Door Fire Department Chief Rich Olson (center) with Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services secretary-designee Dan Hereth (right), and Nicolas Cravillion from State Sen. André Jacque’s office. Submitted.

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) secretary-designee Dan Hereth presented a ceremonial check Sept. 6 for nearly $23,000 to Southern Door Fire Department (SDFD) Chief Rich Olson at the Forestville station.

“The funding is a great help to our department,” Olson said while standing next to a table that displayed examples of the protective gear and educational materials the fire department has purchased in the past with help from the state’s Fire Dues program.

This year, Wisconsin fire departments received $28.3 million through the program.

“We’re proud of the part we play in this program,” Hereth said. “A large number of the fire departments in Wisconsin are volunteer, and this funding goes a long way towards keeping Wisconsin firefighters well-equipped and safe, and also keeping the communities they serve safe.”

The Fire Dues program is used by fire departments in the state for equipment, programming and training. 

At the check presentation, Olson shared a story about a recent fire, emphasizing the importance of how the funding helps his department’s education and prevention efforts to prevent loss of life.

“You always wonder, ‘Do our (education and prevention) efforts pay off?’ Well, I can tell you they do,” he said. “In June of this year, two blocks from our station, a young boy was awakened by the sound of breaking glass, and he smelled smoke. He checked to make sure his sister and her friend got out of their house, and he got out of the house. He called 911. They got to their mailbox, which was their meeting place. They did not go inside for their pets or belongings.”

The Fire Dues program requires insurers to pay 2% of premiums collected for insurance against loss from fires. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance collects the dues, and DSPS distributes the dues to cities, towns and villages across the state according to a prescribed formula.

DSPS also launched a youth firefighter training grant program in 2022 to help address recruitment and retention challenges in the fire service. Grants were awarded to local fire departments in 2022 and again in 2023.