Fire dues are distributed to Wisconsin fire departments

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), has sent payments of $36,156,119, to fire departments across the state, as part of the Wisconsin 2 Percent Fire Dues Program. The figure represents a nearly 12 percent increase over the distribution in 2024. “This funding is extremely important to fire departments across our state, many of them volunteer,” said DSPS secretary Dan Hereth. “Fire departments are vital to ensuring the safety of our Wisconsin communities….” The program remains a significant source of funding for the state’s professional, volunteer and hybrid fire departments, which use the money to buy and replace equipment, operate fire prevention programming, train crews and more. The program requires insurers to pay 2 percent of premiums collected for insurance, against loss from fires. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance collects the dues, and the DSPS distributes the dues to cities, towns and villages across the state, according to a prescribed formula. Included in the awards from the area, are the Towns of Anson, Arthur, Birch Creek, Cleveland, Colburn, Delmar, Edson, Estella, Goetz, Lake Holcombe and Sigel; the Villages of Boyd and Cadott; and the City of Cornell. In addition to protective gear, fire departments in Wisconsin, have used fire dues funding on things like fire engines, ladder trucks and fire suppression equipment. “Funding really benefits every citizen and community in our state,” said Hereth, “whether it’s through improving fire safety education, improving fire department equipment, or funding for recruitment and training of the next generation of firefighters.” In addition to the fire dues program, the DSPS regulates firefighter health and safety, and also manages Wisconsin’s fire prevention program. The DSPS launched a youth firefighter training grant program in 2022, to help address recruitment and retention challenges in the fire service. The latest round of grants were awarded earlier this year, to four training programs, at technical colleges across Wisconsin. The DSPS also announced this week, that its Wisconsin Fire Safety Dashboard, a free tool for fire departments across the state, has been updated with 2024 data. The tool can now even better support community risk reduction efforts, at fire departments across Wisconsin.