Sugar River EMS created to help serve seven Green County governments
By Calahan Steed
Published: Mar. 23, 2026 at 6:08 PM CDT
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Seven local governments in Green County have combined to create a new emergency medical service.
Sugar River EMS will provide around the clock 911 care to the Village of Belleville, the Village of New Glarus, the Town of Montrose, the Town of Exeter and the Town of New Glarus.
“This collaborative demonstrates that even in our small communities, high quality emergency medical care with quick response times is possible if we come together,” New Glarus Village President Roger Truttman said.
The service will also provide coverage to some parts of the Town of Oregon and the Town of Brooklyn.
“This region is anticipating a lot of growth in the coming years, and this partnership will have us ready to meet service needs that we know will only continue to increase,” Belleville Village Administrator Gabe Altenbernd added.
The Sugar River EMS District will be served with fully staffed ambulances responding from two stations in both Belleville and New Glarus.
The New Glarus Fire Department and Belleville Fire Department will have medically trained personnel ready to help the responders.
“It is getting harder and harder for communities in rural Wisconsin to find people to respond when their neighbors need an ambulance,” Belleville EMS Chief Chris Backes said. “As this region continues to grow, we want to make sure families don’t have to sit around and wait 20 or even 30 minutes for emergent care.”
Staff from Belleville Area Emergency Medical Services, along with Belleville and New Glarus Fire Departments, help make up the more than 80 emergency medical providers serving the new department.
The emergency service is estimated to receive over 1,000 emergency calls each year and will serve about 10,000 people.
The budget for the service will be around $1.3 million.
The emergency service begins on June 30.