Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski is sounding the alarm, and city leaders need to listen.
Alderman Peter Burgelis is pushing for additional Fire Department funding in the city’s proposed 2027 budget, citing aging fire trucks, equipment problems and concerns about public safety.
When you examine the numbers, it’s not difficult to understand why there’s concern.
Aaron Lipski requested nearly $61 million for Fire Department equipment and building improvements. Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s proposed budget provides only $3 million.
Despite getting hundreds of millions of dollars in new sales tax revenue, the City of Milwaukee is still facing a nearly $100 million budget gap and is dramatically raising property taxes and city service fees to help close it.
That’s an enormous gap between what the Fire Department says it needs and what the proposed budget would provide.
Milwaukee firefighters need to have dependable equipment when somebody’s house is burning, somebody is trapped, or someone is waiting for emergency help.
Last year, Milwaukee experienced fire trucks breaking down badly enough that the city had to borrow rigs from communities like Cudahy and Wauwatosa. The Common Council ultimately secured $10 million to replace up to three aging trucks.
Alderman Peter Burgelis put the problem bluntly, telling WISN that the city’s fire fleet had been “literally falling apart on its way to calls for emergency service.”
We shouldn’t have to wait until equipment breaks down again before Milwaukee decides that replacing aging fire apparatus is a priority.
There is some positive news in the proposed budget, particularly for those of us around Brady Street and the Lower East Side. The proposal includes reopening Fire Station 6 near Brady Street.
A station needs firefighters. But firefighters also need reliable trucks, equipment and facilities to do the job the city is asking them to do.
Burgelis says many Milwaukee fire vehicles are approaching the end of their expected lifespan and warns that failing to continue funding replacements will cause the city to fall further behind, creating what he described as a serious threat to public safety.
Alderman Burgelis is now working on amendments aimed at increasing Fire Department funding. The Milwaukee Aldermanic Finance Committee is expected to consider budget amendments on October 29, 2026, followed by a final Common Council vote scheduled for November 6, 2026.
Milwaukee cannot claim public safety is a priority and then continually allow essential Fire Department equipment to age without adequately addressing replacement needs.
Milwaukee shouldn’t wait until another fire truck breaks down on its way to somebody’s emergency before deciding this problem deserves serious attention.
When somebody calls 911, the last thing they should have to wonder is whether the fire truck is going to make it. Maybe instead of raises for aldermen, we should focus on what the city absolutely needs.
