Representatives of the City of Delafield and the villages of Nashotah and Chenequa have reached a tenative agreement on a how a Lake Country Fire Department would be structured to serve the three communities.

According to the agreement, the consolidated department would have three fire stations; the existing ones in Chenequa, Nashotah and the City of Delafield.

There would be one fire chief and the operations of each station would be standardized, according to a list of goals and agreements adopted last week by the nine member committee made up of representatives from each community.

The committee agreed that volunteers would remain a "vital staff component" and existing employees of the Delafield and Lake Country departments would be hired into the consolidated department.

Paramedic service in the merged department was one of 11 items the committee unanimously agreed to at the Tuesday, May 13 meeting.

Members of the committee have acknowledged that reaching an agreement on how the three communities would share funding the department is crucial in determining whether a merger of the Delafield department into the Lake Country Department, which serves Chenequa and Nashotah, is feasble.

Any of the committee's recommendations will have to be approved by the governing bodies of the individual communities.