Public Safety Building
I want to burn some brush from clearing a house site, can I do this?
Residents of the Village of Weston and the Town of Weston can burn brush and small tree limbs from clearing of a building site with restrictions. The Following restrictions apply:


  • Tree parts must be 2” or less in diameter

  • Burning is restricted to three consecutive days, no Sundays or holidays

  • Burning is restricted to the hours of 6 PM until midnight

  • Prior application must be made and a permit issued by the Fire Chief for the burn

  • The Fire Chief may eliminate, restrict, or extend hours of burning due to climatic conditions, time of the year, etc.

  • Only brush and tree parts may be burned. Contractors or home owners cannot burn wood scraps from construction, stumps, cardboard, insulation, solvents, paints, grass clippings, or other materials.

  • Cost of the permit is $25.00 for three days.

  • Fire must be constantly attended and extinguished if still burning at midnight. Fires cannot be allowed to smolder all night.

  • Fires are to be clean burning as much as is possible. The Fire Chief may revoke permits when the permit tee is found to be in violation of the ordinance or is creating large volumes of smoke, ash or other noxious wastes by the burning

  • A free pamphlet is available at the Village Hall listing the do’s and don’ts of burning

    I want to have a fire ring in my backyard and burn a few logs in the evening with my neighbors. Is this allowed?
    Village of Weston residents may burn clean, dry, untreated wood in backyard fireplaces, fire pits, fire kettles, etc. with the following restrictions:


  • Burning may only occur on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 12:00 P.M until midnight

  • All fires must be out by midnight or extinguished at midnight

  • Fire pit or other device must be capable of containing the fire to prevent it from spreading to other premises

  • Residents may not burn cardboard, papers, insulation, treated or painted wood, or any other banned material

  • Residents are responsible for the safety of their fires and may be charged for all reasonable and necessary costs incurred by the fire department in responding to a fire that escapes the fire pit and necessitates the response by fire personnel

  • Wood fires for cooking meals are allowed at all times, but they must be used to cook a substantial part of the meal and must be extinguished once the meal is prepared unless they fall within the permitted burn times. That is, persons cannot create a wood fire to merely roast marshmallows during a non-permitted time.

  • The Fire Chief may restrict or eliminate burning normally permitted under this Ordinance when climatic conditions, drought, or other circumstances make fires, sparks, and embers a hazard to the community.

  • A free pamphlet is available at the Village Hall listing do’s and don’ts of burning.

    I have landscape waste that I cannot burn, what can I do with it?
    Within certain restrictions, your landscape waste can be dropped off at the waste/recycling area behind Village Hall.


    I have received an ambulance bill, and I do not understand it. Must I pay now? Have Medicare and my supplemental insurance been billed
    There are two sources for you to get good information regarding ambulance bills, the billing coordinator for Weston Fire Department, Rose Procknow, and the billing agent who handles all billing, Lifequest Billing. Federal law requires the billing agent to bill medicare and your supplemental insurance company for you. To make sure that Lifequest has the proper information, contact Lifequest directly at (888) 777-4911. This is a toll free number. If you wish to talk to a local representative, please contact Rose Procknow, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 A.M. through 4:00 P.M. at 355-5419. You should not pay your ambulance bill until your insurance company or Medicare has been billed. A statement from Lifequest will be sent you after all funds have been received, and that statement should show any portion of the bill you still owe. Again, if you cannot understand from the statement what your bill is or when it must be paid by, please contact Lifequest or Rose Procknow. If Rose is not available, contact Chief Steve Meilahn at the same number, 355-5419.


    What does Weston charge for ambulance calls?
    Weston charges $525.00 base rate for residents, and $600.00 base rate for non-residents. All patients may be charged for disposable supplies also used on a run, such as IV fluids, oxygen, bandages, etc. Non-residents are charged $10.00 per mile from the point of pick up to the hospital. Residents of the Village of Weston and Town of Weston are charged the mileage fee of $9.75 per mile from point of pick up to the hospital. A $60 fee is charged for on scene care with no transport to a hospital. Patient fees for Medicare, Medicaid, and Badgercare are determined by statute and Weston must accept their set fee as full assignment. In the case of Medicare, the total allowed Medicare fee reflects both the 80% payment by Medicare and the 20% payment by the patient or the patient's supplemental insurance. Questions regarding fees, Medicare, etc. should be assigned to Lifequest (888) 777-4911, or Rose Procknow at Weston Fire 355-5419.


    Transport in the ambulance. I have a preference to be transported to a particular hospital. Where will the Weston ambulance take me if I call 9-1-1 for an ambulance?
    State statute requires that ambulances transport patients to the hospital of their choice if it is within a reasonable distance. The only exception to this requirement to honor patient choice is in the case where the patient is medically unstable due to a serious trauma or medical emergency. If the patient is unstable, the patient is to be transported to the nearest facility which can render appropriate care. Less than 5% of our ambulance transports fall within this “unstable” category, so in most cases we can allow patient choice. St. Clare’s Hospital in Weston and Aspirus Hospital in Wausau both fall within the “reasonable distance” category and Weston ambulances will transport to either facility.
    Patients need to discuss their physician’s preference for destination hospital. Some physicians will not practice at St. Clare’s and cannot follow up on care there, others will not practice at Aspirus, and cannot follow up on care there. Also, make sure your closest family members know your hospital of preference in the event you cannot state it when asked during a call.


    On a fire call in Weston, I saw fire engines from Wausau, Weston and Schofield. On an automobile accident in Weston I saw an ambulance from Schofield. Why are personnel and equipment from other cities and villages in Weston?
    The Village of Weston has a number of mutual aid agreements with neighboring departments and an automatic aid agreement with the City of Wausau. When Weston needs additional help on a call, we call mutual aid from Schofield, Rothschild, Ringle, Easton, Town of Wausau, and Rib Mountain. Any or all of these jurisdictions may be in Weston assisting us handle a call, just as we may be in their jurisdiction to assist them. The City of Wausau has an automatic aid agreement with Weston whereby they respond with a fire engine, a ladder truck, and five personnel to known structural fires in Weston and commercial fire alarms in high hazard buildings like schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and industrial plants. In return for responding to our fires, the City of Wausau has use of the Village of Weston’s aerial for response in the City of Wausau. During the term of this agreement, Wausau’s aerial ladder is stored in Weston and used by the Weston Fire Department.

    In areas of Weston not served by water mains and hydrants, Ringle and Easton tankers are automatically dispatched to fires to assure adequate water supplies.


    How do I become a member of the Weston Fire Department?
    The Weston Fire Department is always accepting applications from
    persons who are interested in becoming firefighter/EMT's. We currently require the following prerequisites to be hired as a volunteer member:


  • You must be 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States and have a valid WI driver's license.

  • You must have a current national registry or WI EMT-Basic license OR be in the final stages of EMT-Basic training with an EMT-Basic training license.

  • You must complete and submit an application to the Chief.

  • You must agree to cover an average of 8 hours per week "on-call".

  • You must agree to cover some "on-call" time one weekend out of five according to your assignment to a weekend call team.

  • You must pass a background check.

  • You must pass an interview by the Public Safety Committee of the Weston Village Board.

  • If you are not a certified firefighter, you must agree to enroll in certified firefighter training within one year of hire.

  • If you are not currently an EMT-Basic, IV Tech, you must agree to enroll in an IV Tech class within two years of hire.

  • Upon hire you will serve a probationary period of one year where your job skills and interpersonal skills will be evaluated and enhanced.

    Fully paid members are hired when a vacancy occurs or when additional personnel are added by the village board. For information on fully paid positions, contact Chief Meilahn at
    355-5419.

    How can I contact Chief Meilahn or an officer of the Weston Fire Department?
    Chief Meilahn is on duty from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. He may be contacted at 355-5419 during those hours. A message may also be left on the phone for him at that number if no one answers. You may also contact the Village Hall (359-6114) and leave a message for Chief Meilahn to return your call. Chief Meilahn's village email is smeilahn@westonwisconsin.org.


    How can I file a complaint or commendation regarding the services I received from Weston Fire personnel? How can I file a complaint regarding poor or hazardous vehicle operation by Weston fire personnel? How can I recognize a Weston Fire employee for co
    Contact Chief Meilahn at 355-5419, or through village hall, or by email to file a complaint or to suggest a commendation. If the complaint involves Chief Meilahn or you do not believe that a previous complaint was handled appropriately, contact Village Administrator Dean Zuleger, at 359-6114.


    How can I schedule a tour of the fire station, or ask the fire department to come to a daycare, school group, church group, or meeting?
    Contact Chief Meilahn or one of the full time personnel at 355-5419.

    How can I report a fire hazard, concern with illegal burning, or a potential code violation?
    To report a suspected fire hazard or fire code violation, contact Chief Meilahn or one of the full time crew at 355-5419 or the shift commanders cell phone at 581-0441. If after hours, please leave a name and phone number where you can be reached, along with a brief description of the situation.

    To report illegal burning, contact the non-emergency number for the Marathon County Sheriff's department and request a response by Everest Metro Police. The non-emergency number is 216-1200. If the fire is spreading or threatening persons or property, call 9-1-1 and report the fire. Dispatchers will send fire and police to the scene. If you have a carbon monoxide detector sounding or a smoke detector sounding, evacuate the building and call 9-1-1 from outside on a cell phone or from a neighbor's house.

    To report a potential fire code or building code violation, contact Chief Steve Meilahn at 355-5419, or Building Inspector Scott Tatro at 359-6114.