SLFD tries to focus on fighting fires, not politics; Equipment tampering continues in firehouse

By Annette Newcomb/Editor

Gail Peckler Dziki/Contributed to this article

Equipment tampering, the loss of three chiefs in as many months, and now the distribution of fliers slandering members of the Silver Lake Fire Department is the latest harassment firefighters have endured.

According to SLFD Chief Allison Draeger and Assistant Chief Roger Pattie, the intimidation tactics go back almost two years.

The fliers, which were illegally placed in The Report’s newspaper distribution box next to the Silver Lake Post Office on Aug. 2 or 3, called the SLFD members “embezzlers, felons, arsonists, using non-sanctioned fire chiefs, not using background checks, using “junior” firefighters, having no accountability and receiving tax-free pay.”

“The firefighters are offended…they are doing everything they can to discredit us,” Draeger said last week. And she’s not even sure who “they” are, although rumors circulating the village are rampant.

Draeger and Pattie say the fire department has been under siege, with emergency equipment being tampered with or removed completely from the firehouse.

Fire trucks have been unplugged from their shoreline while parked inside the locked fire station; gear is being moved out of place, air is let out of oxygen tanks and also out of the air brakes of the trucks. In one instance golf balls were placed in the boots of a firefighter’s turn out gear. Flashlights have come up missing as well.

Draeger said firefighters have to sit with the trucks running to recharge the air brakes before they can respond to an emergency call.

Key fobs are used to enter the fire station and all members of the fire department, Dept. of Public Works, Silver Lake Police Department, Silver Lake Rescue and village board members have them.

“It’s usually done after 8 or 9 p.m. at night. Usually fire members are there until that time. The last thing we do is make sure the trucks are plugged in and when we come back in the morning they are unplugged,” Draeger said.

SLFD has logged in 57 calls logged in so far this year and is also involved in fire prevention education within the community Thanks to grant money the SLFD purchases smoke detectors for residents who have none.

They also do fire inspections of homes and businesses and work with people who need community service hours. The SLFD rolls out with the Silver Lake Rescue for emergency calls and offers mutual aide to local fire departments throughout the county.

Like other volunteer departments, many members work out of town, leaving the department short staffed to respond to calls. When that happens, nearby departments have to fill the void. New members are welcome but it takes six months to complete a Firefighter I course, so it’s not a quick fix. Two public works employees are members of the SLFD but it was pointed out in a June board meeting that have not taken any classes for over a year, making them ineligible to fight fires.

Draeger and Pattie both said when discussion about dissolving the Village of Silver Lake began, which would allow it to become part of the Town of Salem, the harassment ramped up.

Some, but not all, members of the SLFD are in favor of such a move but said they believe many in the community believe the fire department as a whole are pushing for the village to dissolve.

“When we come into this fire station, we are here for the citizens, to keep them safe…we are here to do our job not deal with politics,” Draeger said last week.

If the dissolution is approved during a referendum vote this fall, the fire department would be absorbed by the Salem Fire Department. Members of both the rescue squad, which is a separate, contracted entity, and fire department would have to reapply for their jobs.

With no guarantee either would be re-hired, both Draeger and Pattie see this as a positive, in part because the Village of Silver Lake cannot afford to safely maintain the fire equipment, they said.

Earlier this year Pattie, who was serving as interim chief at the time, discovered the tires on one engine and one tanker were 16 years old. “They should have been replaced twice during that time, Pattie said.

The fire engine needed six new tires, at a cost of $800 each. The tanker needed 10 tires for about the same price. He took the vehicles out of service until new tires could be purchased.

The SLDS has an overall budget of $53,400 per year with $6,000 devoted to maintenance.

In addition, Draeger said new turn out gear is needed as well. Jackets are $960 and bunker pants are $615. “They are supposed to last 10 years unless they get torn,” she said.

The fire department has seen three chiefs resign. Andrew MacFarlane resigned in May after a dispute with a Silver Lake Board member.

Pattie then took over as interim chief, with 14 people on the rooster and six active members. In May Pattie asked the board to contract with the Town of Salem Fire Department, which they refused. Pattie eventually resigned as chief in May, but remained with the department.

This opened the door to a new controversy when the Silver Lake Village Board, broke a 91-year-old agreement with the SLFD that allowed members to select their own chief.

The SLFD selected Allison Draeger as their new chief and first female fire chief for Kenosha County several months ago. She has seven years experience in Illinois and Wisconsin.

The Silver Lake Board ignored the department’s choice and instead appointed Dave Kordecki as chief on June 18.

He resigned four days later after Silver Lake Fire Association attorney John Kiel said the village violated both Wisconsin state statues and the SLFD policy. Draeger continues to handle chief’s duties with support of a majority of the firefighters.

The Village of Silver Lake was incorporated in 1926. Covering 1.35 sq. miles, it has a population of 2,411 people, according to the 2010 census. If the question on the Nov. 4 ballot is approved, the village will revert back to the Town of Salem.

Town of Salem covers about 29.7 miles on land and 2.7 miles on water and has a population of 9,871, according to Wikipeida and the U.S. Census.

 


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