Iron Ridge Fire Captain Working Hard for Department

Captain Kelly Keller, Iron Ridge Fire Department EMS Director, is well-deserving of the Hometown Champion Award she will be receiving from the Milwaukee Brewers at the upcoming game on Tuesday, June 24.
This August will mark her 14-year anniversary with the department. Two years into her career, Keller became the EMS Lieutenant. Since then, she has become the EMS Director and Fire Captain, holding many different responsibilities and roles throughout the years.
One of Keller’s responsibilities has been focusing on securing grant funding. Earlier this year, Iron Ridge was awarded $20,000 through the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services Funding Assistance Program (FAP) grant, which became eligible to EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) level services for the first time. The funding from the FAP would go towards training, education, and equipment upgrades.
“In the last five years, we have gotten over $100,000 in grants,” shared Keller. “In 2019, we got a grant to start our CPR program, so we have CPR mannequins, and we can do classes in the community and for other fire departments.”
At the end of 2023, Iron Ridge received a one-time EMS Flex Grant for $74,000, which helped them buy their new ambulance.

As an EMR service, the main distinction between Iron Ridge and communities in one of the other three higher levels is that they do not transport patients. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) service means they can transport. The other levels are Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT) and paramedics.
People then question why Iron Ridge has an ambulance, but Keller provides some sound reasoning, saying, “We live in Wisconsin… [if] you get in a car accident, no one wants to sit on the side of the road out in the elements. So, having the truck allows us to bring people in there.”
There are also four main ambulances that can transport in the area: Mayville, Horicon, Hartford, and Allenton. An EMR may be able to get on scene before an ambulance is able and can start taking action to help stabilize a patient.
Keller shared there are not a lot of non-profit fire departments, as it is more common to be municipality based. “We’re private, which is awesome because we can kind of control what we do with our funds.”
In addition to applying for grant money, Iron Ridge Fire Department hosts two main fundraisers every year: a spring dance and brat fry and the summer picnic, coming up August 7-10.
Keller noted the department has also grown since last year from seven EMS members to 13, with two ride-alongs expected to happen in the next few months, and a few people recently graduated from the EMR class in May. She added that members range from young to old and come from all different backgrounds, adding up to over one hundred years of experience within the department.
“It makes our group special because…I feel like we can relate to them (the patient) on a personal level,” said Keller.
Keller concluded, “I feel like we just have really good momentum right now. I hope with these grants, we can continue to grow.”