A one-carrier fire and EMS provider is in the town of Merton's future, but for now things will remain the same

The Merton Town Board has agreed to extend its contract for fire and emergency medical services by six months with the privately operated Merton Community Fire Department.

According to Merton Chairman Tim Klink, the contract extension will expire June 30. Klink said the goal for the town is to have a single-carrier system for fire and EMS at some point.

Western Lakes Fire District, which already services most of the town, would be the sole carrier.

"The reason we want to go to the one service is because we can have a seat on Western Lakes' board, so we have a say in capital outlay, staffing and everything else," Klink said. "Right now, we do not have a seat on the board. That was the goal right from the get-go when we started three years ago with this."

Besides Western Lakes and Merton Community, the Hartland Fire Department also provides fire services to about 1,400 town of Merton residents, plus Arrowhead Union High School.

Hartland Village Administrator Ryan Bailey said the village board planned to meet in closed session on Oct. 11 to discuss possibly extending its agreement with the town of Merton by six months or a year.

When talks about the town of Merton potentially going to a one-carrier system began around three years ago, town officials considered joining a consolidated fire district of Hartland, Lisbon and Merton Community, which would have been called Bark River. According to Klink, Bark River would have been the town's sole provider for fire and EMS, but that did not ultimately happen.

"The Bark River group kind of fell apart after Hartland said it didn't want to be a part of it anymore," Klink said. "And Lisbon is trying to become a village, and they don't want to be part of it until they become a village."

As to what will happen in 2023 for the town of Merton's fire services, Klink said "the picture will clear up" in the next two months.

"I don't know if we can get some consensus from Merton Community to become part of Western Lakes in some way or fashion," Klink said. "The intention is not to close anybody down. That's not what we're after. What we're after is to get something sustainable and long lasting."

Merton Community Fire Chief Josh Paral abstained from providing a statement on the situation since he also serves as a captain at Western Lakes.

The Merton Community Fire Department formed in January 2015 after the Merton and North Lake fire departments merged. Both departments were originally founded in 1917.

Contact Evan Frank at (262) 361-9138 or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.