Area fire department will dissolve

MAGNET – The volunteer fire department in Magnet is being extinguished. Jason Becker, Magnet village board chairman, said the fire department is in process of dissolution due to lack of funding and lack of volunteer interest. At one point, the fire department was 20 strong with volunteers and now there's only a handful. "We have a fair amount of younger guys in town but they're not interested in being part of the department. They work out of town or are involved in other activities," Becker said. "It got down to about six of us and we're tired of trying to do everything ourselves." The volunteer department - not part of a rural fire district - only covered the village limits. Not part of a fire district limits the department's taxing authority and access of funding. "We're just in the beginning process of getting it resolved," Becker said which includes working with an attorney and the county. The Wausa Volunteer Fire Department has agreed to provide services to the village of Magnet moving forward. On average, there are about three or four fire calls per year, Becker said. One fire truck has already been sold. The village will keep the other fire truck and two pumpers to assist with controlled burns, Becker said. Becker has been a part of the volunteer department for the last 35 years and it's sad to see it dissolve. "We've kept at it all these years but it's time," he said.