08/25/2026
Official Press Release (1)
August 24, 2026
Upgraded Ambulance Service License for the Cedarburg Fire Department
On July 31, 2026, the Cedarburg Fire Department officially upgraded its Ambulance Service license to the paramedic level. This major milestone was achieved years ahead of the initial referendum plan of 2028. This service upgrade gives residents immediate access to life-saving care, including treatment, specialized cardiac care, and additional medications.
This important achievement marks another accomplishment of the referendum, which was passed in the spring of 2024. Additional parts of the referendum include the continued hiring and promotion of full-time staff. Currently, the department has eight 8 full-time and two 2 part-time paramedics, but will have 12 full-time staff assigned to a shift rotation by 2028, further stabilizing our daily staffing.
Historically, the City and Town of Cedarburg received emergency medical services from the Fire Department and Cedarburg Ambulance, which was part of the local American Legion. Cedarburg Ambulance also provided emergency services to the southern parts of Ozaukee County. In the late 1990s, the Fire Department exclusively began providing emergency medical services. In 1998, Cedarburg Fire Department upgraded its ambulance service license to the EMT-Intermediate level, later adopted as the Advanced-EMT level, which allows members to establish IVs and administer some medications.
Popularized by the hit television show EMERGENCY! with Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto, paramedics provide on-scene life-saving care. Paramedics make treatment and care decisions with limited physician involvement. Unlike the show, paramedics do not regularly need to contact the hospital for treatment directives. Modern paramedic education requires over 1000 hours of training, including didactic instruction and clinical rotations in the hospital and on an ambulance, in addition to their previous EMT- Basic or Advanced EMT education.
Since the early 2000’s the Cedarburg Fire Department, like the other services in Ozaukee County, had relied upon Thiensville Fire Department to provide paramedic-level services. That partnership helped the two organizations work closer together and fostered years of bonding outside of work. When the Thiensville Fire Department consolidated with Mequon to create the Southern Ozaukee Fire Department, the collaboration continued. In early 2023, the Cedarburg Fire Department and Southern Ozaukee Fire Department furthered the cooperation by providing paramedic oversight services. This new agreement allowed Cedarburg to hire and staff their own paramedics, while Southern Ozaukee provided the licensing, supplies, and oversight. This additional step gave Cedarburg residents and visitors immediate access to paramedic-level care.
The Cedarburg Fire Department is proud of this accomplishment and of the staff who helped us reach this significant milestone. However, we could not have done so without the support of our community, the City Administrator, the mayor, and other elected officials. We are grateful for these partnerships and look forward to this new chapter providing advanced life support.
Contact:
Chief Jeffery Vahsholtz
262-376-7630
[email protected]
# # #
