One Of Two Village Ambulances On Its Last Legs

Replacing the ambulance, which will cost about $200,000, is part of budget discussions.

Sussex taxpayers may soon pay for a new ambulance as one of the two emergency medical vehicles the fire department operates is on its last legs.  The ambulance is 15 years old, which is the life expectancy for ambulances in the department, according to Sussex Fire Chief Colin Curtis, who estimated the cost of a new ambulance to be about $200,000.  "That is with little or no trade-in value," he said during a phone interview Tuesday morning. "It's literally ran into the ground by that point in time."  Curtis noted that it is not entirely the number of miles that does an ambulance in, but just the large amount of time it sits idling during calls.  "So it's hours on a vehicle that makes a difference too," Curtis said. The ambulance was a topic…

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Fighting Sussex Fires One Brat at a Time

The Sussex Fire Auxiliary needs you to get hungry for brats on Saturday and excited about making a difference in the village.

Everyone loves a hearty, grilled brat, so why not make your next Wisconsin staple one that could potentially save a life? The Sussex Fire Auxiliary is holding a brat-fry fundraiser at the Sussex Pick ‘n Save on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to raise money for the fire department. The group, which was formed by former Sussex Deputy Chief Cathy Selerski, bands together to raise money for life-saving tools that sometimes don’t make Sussex’s budget. “I retired as the deputy chief at the fire department in May after 29 years,” said Selerski when the group was formed. “And I knew it was time. I’d been talking about starting an auxiliary group for the fire department for years. Lisbon has an auxiliary, and they do so much to help out.”  From …

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Village Scrapbook: Sussex Fire and Police Department

Sussex Patch swings by the Sussex Public Safety Building to snag some photos of the life-saving tools Sussex's finest use.

Considering the only photos of the Sussex Public Safety Building Patch has are from when there was snow on the ground, we thought it was necessary to spend one summer day taking some sunnier shots. Check out a few of the photos we took, and keep your eyes open on our Facebook page for the full album. 

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Fire Training in Abandoned Homes Might Be On the Way Out

A federal ruling could change how fire departments train their crews.

New Auxiliary Group Provides Backup for the Sussex Fire Department

Although budgets are stretched, the Sussex Fire Department is getting an extra boost from helpful citizens.

After almost three decades at the Sussex Fire Department, Cathy Selerski noticed something was missing.  Well, more like a few things were missing. Under strict budget contstraints, certain life-saving elements of a well-oiled fire department seemed to fly under the radar. But Selerski knew that organizing endless fundraisers would be too much to ask of the paid-on-call staff, most of whom have full-time jobs in addition to their fire department service.  “I retired as the deputy chief at the fire department in May after 29 years,” said Selerski. “And I knew it was time. I’d been talking about starting an auxiliary group for the fire department for years. Lisbon has an auxiliary, and they do so much to help out.”  Right after retirement, …

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