About the Rhinelander Fire Department

The Rhinelander Fire Department is staffed by a Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Fire/Building Inspector, and 18 full time Firefighters. The Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and Inspector work M-F.  The remaining 18 Firefighters are split up into three separate shifts.  In addition to firefighting responsibilities all firefighters provide Emergency Medical Services to the citizens of Rhinelander. 16 Firefighters are Paramedics, 2 are Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians and 3 are Emergency Medical Technicians.

The fire department provides fire suppressiPatch 2016on, fire prevention, Paramedic level EMS and a wide range of specialty services. A minimum of 5 firefighters are on duty 24 hours a day 365 days a year ready to respond to any type of emergency. The Rhinelander Fire Department operates out of 1 station with a fleet of 2 Engines, 1 Aerial Ladder Truck, and 3 Advanced Life Support Ambulances.

Firefighters are assigned to a 6 man crew and work 48 hour shifts followed by 96 hours off. Each crew has a Deputy Chief, Lieutenant, 2 Drivers and 2 Firefighters. Between calls Firefighters are constantly training, conducting fire prevention activities, doing preventive maintenance, working out and completing daily cleaning. At night Firefighters are allowed to sleep, however they are always ready to respond to calls. 

In 2022 the department responded to 2,346 calls for service. Emergency Medical Services account for over 70% of the department's run volume.