The town of Avon is not immune to the service issues facing rural communities that rely on share fire and EMS service.

While the town of Avon was able to find their share of a funding increase for fire and EMS protection service from the Orfordville Fire Protection District in it’s budget, the town of Newark threw a wrench in the plans by being the only municipality not to approve the funding.

Town Chair Gregg Wartgow says Avon is serviced 70 percent by the Orfordville Fire Protection District and 30 percent by Brodhead Fire District.

Wartgow says service in the town is not lacking because of the fault of the personnel, there just are not enough of them to fill in the schedule to have the ambulance staffed full time.

Wartgow says the solution to the staffing issues facing rural fire departments is likely consolidating one or multiple departments.