Cedarburg Fire Department
The Cedarburg Fire Department is a combination paid-on-call / full-time department made up of your neighbors, your friends and your relatives. We are committed to providing emergency services and fund raising activities to make the Cedarburg Fire Department the best of the best. It is only with your support by volunteering, that we can continue to provide first class service to our community. Not only is there a role for those that wish to fight fires and take care of the sick and injured, but there is another important role of fund raising that helps our community. It is through these fund raising efforts that allows the fire department to purchase our equipment and donate it back to Cedarburg. Which means, NO tax dollars were spent, just the sweat and hard work of those who volunteer at our fund raising events to give back to the community. CFD is a family and there is room for everyone in our family. Please consider joining today.
Behind the Scenes: Fire and Rescue
Nichole and Tanya
This month, we highlight two individuals, Nichole and Tanya, mother and daughter, who share a strong bond and years of commitment to the Cedarburg Fire Department.
Tanya started as an Explorer with the department in 2014, after spending many of her childhood years following her mom, Nichole, around the station. She already had a sense of being in the fire service at a very young age. By 2016, Tanya was appointed to Lieutenant in the Explorer teen program. She participated in Explorer Challenges, exceeding in her skills in competition with other Explorers from departments around the state. In the summer of 2018, Tanya became an active member of the department and ran numerous EMS calls while studying for her Bachelor’s degree at Concordia University. In May 2025, Tanya’s commitment to helping people, leadership and running EMS calls earned her the appointment to Lieutenant of the Rescue Company.
Nichole, a former Lieutenant and Captain of the Rescue Company herself, couldn’t be more proud of Tanya! Nichole joined the fire department in 2005, inspired by the department volunteers efforts during a fire on their family property in March 2003. Their barn was a total loss and, sadly, a number of animals fell victim to the fire. Nichole just recently celebrated her 20 years of service at CFD, as well as earning Responder of the Year awards in 2018, 2019 and 2021 for the most rescue calls!
We are proud to have both mom and daughter participating in many trainings, teaching others, while running calls for both Fire and EMS. As well as Tanya’s dad, John, who also drove our ambulances before retiring this year. All in the family is not unusual here at CFD!
Donation from Cedarburg Lion’s Club to Cedarburg Fire Department
Fire Cloak Electric Vehicle Fire Blankets
The Cedarburg Lion’s Club purchased two (2) Fire Cloak Electric Vehicle Fire Blankets and donated them to the Cedarburg Fire Department.
“The fire blankets are a tool in our toolbox,” says Chief Jeff Vahsholtz, “they are used to help control vehicle fires and to help prevent them from spreading to other vehicles or buildings. These blankets are specifically designed to help with (EV) Electric Vehicle fires.”
Lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles have become a large hazard for the fire service and for consumers. Damaged batteries can go into thermal runaway, a self-accelerating process where an increase in temperature triggers further temperature increases. Traditional firefighting tactics have proven to be ineffective in extinguishing this type of fire. Smaller Lithium-ion batteries found in bikes, scooters, and power tools can also fail while charging and cannot be extinguished with just water.
Chief Vahsholtz and members of the fire department are grateful to the Cedarburg Lion’s Club for their donation.
Pictured left to right: Deputy Chief Joey Hintz, FF/EMT Benny Gustafson, Mark Leonardelli (Lion’s Club), Acting Lt. Bobby Jung, Acting Lt. Eddie Lanser and Jeff Wandschneider (Lion’s Club)
Message From The Chief
JEFFREY J. VAHSHOLTZ
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting the Cedarburg Fire Department website!
As you explore our website, you will read about the many activities and fundraising events that keep our department members busy! Our CFD membership is comprised of 73 paid-on-call and 8 Full-Time people, which include paramedics as we continue to build on our paramedic services. We are hiring 2 more paramedics in 2025! In 2024, our EMS and Fire personnel responded to 1,602 calls, while continuously training to keep our skills sharp.
Active paid-on-call and Passive support members work together to participate in our fundraising events to purchase fire apparatus and equipment that helps keep the tax rate down in our community. ALL of our members are the heart, soul and backbone of our department.
We would love to have you become part of our CFD family. Please give us a call or drop us an email for more information. Enjoy all the summer events and activities in Cedarburg, stay hydrated, and please stay safe in 2025.