City of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

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About the BDFD

The Beaver Dam Fire & Rescue Department is an ISO 3 rated department that provides fire and EMS services to over 100 square miles in the Beaver Dam area with an estimated combined population of over 20,000 people. The area includes the entire City and surrounding Township of Beaver Dam. It also includes portions of the Townships of Calamus, Lowell, Trenton, and Westford. The department is considered a combination department because of the mix of full-time and part-time personnel required to perform daily operations. In addition to normal 911 operations, the department also provides emergent and non-emergent EMS inter-facility transports. Most transports are from the Beaver Dam Community Hospital to specialty facilities in Madison, WI or area skilled nursing facilities.

Full-Time (Career) Staff
The full-time component consists of 16 people including the Fire Chief. A Deputy Chief and two Captains serve as shift commanders. The typical shift includes a total of five personnel working a 24-hour shift followed by 48-hours off duty time. All full-time personnel are certified EMT-IV Technician providers, Firefighter I or II, and Pump Operator I or II. Primary responsibilities include: Apparatus operation, fire suppression, EMS response, fire inspection, petroleum tank inspection, fire preplanning, vehicle and equipment maintenance, and other station duties. Full-time personnel are represented by the International Association of Firefighters(Local 3432).
Paid-on-Call (Part-time) Staff
The paid-on-call component consists of approximately 30 people including an Assistant Chief, a Captain, and four Lieutenants. Part-time personnel respond directly to the fire scene by pager if the fire is within the city limits. For calls outside the city limits, members respond to the fire station and respond to the scene with the apparatus. All members are certified Entry Firefighter or Firefighter I. Some members maintain EMT-B or EMT-I certifications. Primary responsibilities include: fire suppression, search and rescue, extrication, and salvage and overhaul.