GREENWOOD TWP — The Greenwood Town Board had a look forward, and a look back, at its fire department during Tuesday’s regular township meeting.
Newly installed Greenwood Fire Department EMS Captain Tammy Dowden spoke to the board about concerns expressed by Supervisor John Bassing of missed responses to 911 calls in the township.
Dowden, who has over 35 years of experience as a first responder and now EMT, is a former member of the Tower and Chisholm Ambulance services and is a current member of the Ely Ambulance Service.
She told the board that the county’s dispatch service tallies of first responders on scene is not always accurate.
“They are handling multiple calls at a time,” she said. “They try their best to see who is responding.”
Dowden said she is always monitoring emergency channels.
“There are times when I am watching, and I want to see what my crew is doing. I will hear someone from my crew respond, and they don’t show up as responding.”
Dowden said that the township’s first responders are crucial, but they aren’t the priority for 911dispatch, which focuses on getting an ambulance to the emergency scene.
“Dispatch wants us showing up,” she said, “but sometimes even if we are responding, it doesn’t get logged.”
Dowden also noted that the department is not paid-on-call, like Tower and Ely, but instead is relying on members who have full-time jobs, or work shifts, or are single parents.
She said some of the calls that look like no one responded are calls that got canceled after the initial page. She also said that some department members, who are also on the Tower ambulance roster, are getting counted as responding from Tower.
Dowden said that starting next month, she will provide the board with more data, including how many calls originated in Greenwood, how many were canceled, and how many first responders did respond.
She estimated the number of calls where Greenwood does not respond is “maybe single digits.”
Answering a question about staffing levels, Dowden said one EMR is out on medical leave and another is taking some personal time, but the rest are “busting our asses.”
Dowden urged the board and community to think about joining the department or helping in other ways.
“If you have a desire to respond when your neighbor needs help, contact me,” she said. “We are willing to provide professional training.”
Dowden said that anyone wanting to learn more about the department, or with other questions, can email her at emscaptain@greenwoodtownshipmn.com.
Bassing again questioned Dowden about the data he said showed Greenwood was only responding to 70 percent of calls.
“They are missing information,” Dowden told him.
“The point is we are not responding to as many calls,” Bassing said.
Dowden’s presentation followed some combative public input from former township officials Sue Drobac and JoAnn Bassing. Drobac discussed the conduct of fire department members that the board decided had voluntarily quit the department.
This occurred after the board, without discussion in the fall of 2022, relieved the chief and assistant chief of their leadership positions.
Department members were upset with the board’s action, and they sent a signed letter to the board stating they would not respond to calls until they had a say in department leadership. Several department members then left their fire gear in the town hall.
The previous board said this counted as a “voluntary quit,” and removed those members from the department roster on a 3-2 vote. The board then acted to removed inactive members, again on a split vote, following fire department guidelines for active membership.
JoAnn Bassing, during public input, said it was untrue to say the town board had fired the firefighters, and that under the advice of the township attorney, what the board did was legal.
“You are repeating the lies,” JoAnn Bassing said. “It’s a psychological term called illusion of truth.”
Board chair Lois Roskoski responded to the issues raised in public input.
“I went through the minutes,” she said, and then detailed motions made in 2022 and 2023.
Roskoski said the board should have followed state law, which gives employees the right to a hearing with the board prior to being dismissed, something the current board did with former chief Jeff Maus.
Roskoski also noted there were seven on the fire department roster as of 2023, and there were seven on the roster currently.
“This board isn’t the one eliminating firefighters,” she said. “I am getting tired of the misinformation.”
Supervisor Steve Bradach added in that JoAnn Bassing “didn’t have all the facts. You have not done your homework.”
“I can’t stand this bickering,” Bradach said.

Arsenic still a problem
Water testing this past month showed that arsenic levels in the township well are again above the EPA’s safe levels, though not nearly as high as when the issue was first discovered several years ago. The township had replaced the filtration media in the “Brassmaster” system in June, and testing then showed safe levels. But testing done this past month showed arsenic at 15.8 ppm, above the 10 ppm safe level.
Supervisor Craig Gilbert said one solution might be adding in an additional filter, but that would cost $200 and would need to be replaced each month.
“There has to be a better system out there,” Gilbert said. “We do want to have safe drinking water.”
Gilbert questioned the costs of adding new filters to the current system, and he told the board he is talking to several local plumbing contractors to look for new ideas.
Gilbert said they will test the water again this month, and then discuss the issue at next month’s meeting. The township will post the test results at the public outdoor spigot.
Many Greenwood residents with lake-water systems in their cabins and homes rely on getting drinking water from the town hall.

Other business
In other business, the board:
• Passed a resolution to authorize the township to apply for a $50,000 public works grant to the IRRR, which would help fund projects in the town hall and fire hall.
• Approved the purchase of two new computers, for the clerk and treasurer, from Techbytes, at a cost of $999 each. The current computers are running Windows 10, which is no longer supported, and cannot be upgraded.
• Thanked some township residents for helping resolve the issues with the little free library and bench on the walking trail. The township will also look into installing a second sign reminding users that the trail is only for non-motorized use.
• Awarded RCA Property Management the contract for snowplowing, snow removal, and sanding for the town hall and Birch Point Extension. The board received two bids, and RCA had the low bid.
• Directed treasurer Tammy Mortaloni to update the township’s 2026 budget to account for the increase in levy approved by voters last March.
• Discussed but tabled any actions on changes to the town hall and pavilion rental fee contract. Some supervisors wanted the board to institute a user fee, but others disagreed. The board did approve some changes and clarifications to the rental applications. The rental applications and regulations are available on the township website. The pavilion is open for public use unless it has been reserved in advance for a private event.
• Increased the monthly spending authority for the fire chief and EMS captain’s credit cards to $2,000, and will adjust the spending limit on the clerk’s credit card to reflect the spending authority of $1,000 per month. This is to cover the purchase of smaller items, regular maintenance, and smaller equipment purchases. Larger purchases do require a vote of the town board.
• Thanked Jake Mathers for donating junk vehicles that are being used for joint fire department training on extrication.