Mayor’s Column March 6, 2026
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
This week our Emergency Medical Responder program took the next step and is now able to transport patients to the hospital. The EMR program was created in 2019, to run as a backup to Lifestar Ambulance. It is important to understand that Lifestar remains Waupun’s primary ambulance service and a valued partner. However, as service demand rises, we are experiencing coverage gaps. Advancing our EMR service to transport-capable reflects a proactive approach to meet the evolving needs of our community.
According to staffing studies, this is not a challenge unique to Waupun. Across the country, emergency response systems are under strain due to rising call volumes and difficulties staffing.
The City established its EMR program in 2019 in response with the goal of building local capacity to overcome these challenges. Like many communities today, Waupun experiences times where its contracted ambulance provider is already committed to another emergency and unable to respond to added 911 call volume.
In those instances, EMRs provided initial care, but we could not transport under the city’s state-approved operating plan. That means, patients had to wait and rely on mutual aid from neighboring communities for transport and advanced care. Sometimes waiting 45 minutes, and that is unacceptable in a medical emergency. A request for service upgrade was approved by the State of Wisconsin, allowing the department to transport as a backup ambulance service. As part of that approval, the City is required to strengthen its staffing plan over the next four years to support a sustainable service model. Now that we’re allowed to transport, we can bill the patients’ insurance, hopefully minimizing the impact on taxpayers.
This is a big step forward for Waupun, and it wouldn’t have happened without the dedication of former Alderman Bobbie Vossekuil, Mayor Julie, and Chief DeMaa. Vossekuil pushed hard for the creation of the EMR program and was our first EMR volunteer and served for several years. Even since retiring, she’s been an outspoken advocate for the program, and has held my feet to the fire to get this done. As Mayor, Julie supported the creation of the EMR program, and Chief DeMaa has been tasked with getting this program off the ground and has gotten us to this point. Chief DeMaa is committed to having this program fully staffed over the next several years. He has a love of Waupun and is dedicated to the safety of our community.
In other news: On Monday from 5 to 7pm is a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser for the local scouts at Immanuel Lutheran Church. So come on out and support our scouts in Waupun!
Finally, on a personal note, congratulations to Chuck Bille who recently announced his retirement as the local Mac Tools distributer. I’ve bought several tools from Chuck over the years, and he was nice enough to let a young guy pay overtime, which I appreciated! Congrats and enjoy your retirement.
Thank you,
Mayor Rohn
