Study Could Look Into Adding Caledonia To South Shore Fire Dept.

RACINE COUNTY, WI — Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant and Caledonia are looking into the idea of consolidating the Caledonia Fire Department with the South Shore Fire Department.

A consultant is being sought to conduct a comprehensive study of the possibility. Besides the idea of consolidation, the study would also have the goal of enhancing the existing fire and EMS relationship between Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant, according to a request for proposals published on the Village of Mount Pleasant's website.

"The County is always looking to take the lead and explore opportunities to consolidate services resulting in savings for our taxpayers and increased efficiency for service providers," said Andrew R. Goetz, Racine's communications and media relations director.

"We are currently in the exploratory phase and will have more information to share later," Goetz said in an email to Patch.

Any possible action to consolidate the departments — should that be the decided route —would come down the road. A schedule included with the RFP shows a consultant could be hired by May or June.

The South Shore Fire Department currently services Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant, while Caledonia maintains its own fire services, according to the RFP. The RFP says the consultant would ideally evaluate each department to develop shared service options while suggesting an implementation strategy that maintains or improves existing levels of service.

Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant consolidated their fire services in 2009 to create the South Shore Fire/EMS Department. Mount Pleasant takes care of accounting, purchasing and payroll, plus all current and future post-employment benefits for the services, while Sturtevant shares the cost on an annual basis. Payments from Sturtevant are based on the fact they have 1/3 of the population and 1/3 of the calls, according to the RFP.

Caledonia maintains its own fire services, which are also contracted out to the Villages of North Bay and Wind Point. The current contract for that sharing ends in December of 2026, the RFP says. All of the departments in Racine County operate via Racine County Dispatch.