As people prepare for coronavirus, emergency responders are working to be two steps ahead. Madison Fire Department’s assistant chief Che Stedman says that in one day the department may have eight ambulances with 16 paramedics. "We are expecting to go through supplies pretty quickly once the pandemic hits,” Stedman says.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 6:43:50 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

While many employers are urging their staff to work from home, that just isn't a possibility for a handful of people -- including first responders. That's why police and fire departments across the area are taking extra steps to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic. First responders say now is not the time to panic, but it is time to prepare.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 2:39:00 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

A Green Bay man has been found guilty of two counts of arson in federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 57-year-old William Julius was found guilty by a jury of setting fire to a porch in the 300 block of South Madison Street in Green Bay on August 20, 2017.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 5:41:48 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

For the first time since the 2017 merger between the Rothschild and Schofield fire departments, the combined Riverside Fire District is at full staff. "We've been trying to find the right candidates for our job," Riverside Fire District Lt. Dylan Green said. "Obviously, it's not a job that (just) anybody can do, so it's more or less finding someone that's willing to be part of the team, that's willing to help people, that's willing to do the right thing when nobody is watching.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:43:56 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

While officials insist first responders in Wisconsin are ready to safely handle the likely spread of coronavirus, some haven’t been able to order new protective masks and not all 911 dispatchers are following national recommendations to keep paramedics safe. Emergency personnel are looking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance as the virus becomes a larger threat.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 9:12:41 AM - SOURCE: Marshfield News-Herald

Jefferson County in southern Wisconsin is pursuing options for sharing government resources among its municipalities, both to shore up expenses as budgets remain tight and take advantage of an evaporating labor pool for highly skilled workers. Officials in Jefferson County are reviewing a case study published in February by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, an independent policy research organization, that recommends taking deeper dives into the efficacy of sharing services in fire and dispatch services.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:46:27 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Public Radio

One person is without a home after a kitchen fire in an apartment in Green Bay’s Monroe Plaza. Green Bay Metro Fire says they were dispatched to the 400 block of North Monroe around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday morning for a smoke alarm activation. Upon arrival, Green Bay Metro Fire crews found a fire in a single apartment.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:40:03 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Firefighters are responding to a residential fire in the village of Windsor on Tuesday night. Dane County dispatch said it received a call at 6:55 p.m. for a report of a structure fire on the 3400 block of Heatherstone Ridge. Officials said a box-level alarm has been issued, meaning multiple agencies have been sent to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2020 5:45:54 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

The Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue will be using their firetrucks to deliver Dominos pizzas to customers to celebrate “Firetruck Day” on March 10. According to Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue, they have partnered with the local Dominos to deliver pizzas to nine lucky customers on Wednesday between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2020 12:39:31 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Legislation that would give full-time first responders compensation for post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis is gaining momentum in the Senate and Assembly, but coauthor state Sen. Patty Schachtner said she hopes it won’t stop there. Senate Bill 511 and companion Assembly Bill 569, both backed with bipartisan support, are good places to start, according to the Somerset Democrat; however, they leave a large demographic out of the mix.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2020 11:12:50 AM - SOURCE: Rivertowns

The Appleton Fire Department is investigating a fire on a Valley Transit Bus. Firefighters say the fire occurred on South Schaefer Street, south of Calumet Street, Tuesday. According to the Valley Transit route map, the area the fire occurred is serviced by the Route 8 Telulah line. Valley Transit Center General Manager, Ron McDonald, reports no one was injured in the fire and bus routes have not been significantly impacted.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2020 6:45:41 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

As of 6 a.m. on Monday, March 9, Sun Prairie Fire & Rescue Companies Station 1 at 135 N. Bristol and Station II at 2598 W. Main Street will be identically staffed 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week. With the city’s projected population increases and rapid development of our city’s west corridor, with projects including a new high school, two new middle schools, a hotel, numerous apartment buildings, and new subdivisions.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2020 1:41:08 AM - SOURCE: Sun Prairie Star

The Green Bay Metro Fire Department received a large donation from the Reach-A-Child organization. Reach-A-Child helps first responders comfort children in crisis through books, giving them a tool that makes it easier for a child to cope in scary situation. 22 reach bags will be placed on the fire trucks and other department vehicles.
- PUB DATE: 3/9/2020 3:44:07 PM - SOURCE: NBC 26 Greenbay

The City of Beloit Fire Department paid tribute to one if its own who died after falling in a parking lot and was struck by a vehicle in a Monday morning post on Facebook. On Saturday, police identified the 76-year-old man as Charles “Jim” Cheadle. The fire department noted Cheadle, an Air Force veteran, was one of the very first firefighters to complete its paramedic program.
- PUB DATE: 3/9/2020 10:52:04 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

No one was injured early Monday morning during a house fire in the 300 block of Greenfield Avenue in Waukesha. Firefighters and police arrived on scene around 1:44 a.m. Monday to the single-family home. The fire was located and extinguished on the second floor and attic, with minor damage to the remainder of the structure.
- PUB DATE: 3/9/2020 6:37:35 AM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today - GM Today

First responders in the Milwaukee area are taking the usual precautions and extra steps amid concerns about coronavirus in the U.S. Capt. Dan Tyk at North Shore Fire & Rescue said his firefighters and EMS are handwashing before and after every call, and they're disinfecting all equipment weekly -- if not daily.
- PUB DATE: 3/7/2020 4:48:53 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Two Madison firefighters took home the award for being the fastest female firefighters in the 12th Annual Anthem Firefighter Challenge, part of the Fight For Air Climb at the U.S. Bank Center in Milwaukee Saturday morning. One of the American Lung Association's signature fundraising events, Fight For Air Climbs, are stair climbs held in prominent skyscrapers around the country.
- PUB DATE: 3/7/2020 2:43:21 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

A paraglider was injured after crashing onto a pond near the Town of Oregon Friday evening. A paraglider inadvertently landed in a partially frozen pond near Union Road in the Town of Oregon, submerging himself in frigid waters. The pilot was then able to free himself from the aircraft, but could not get safely to land and was stranded in the remote and rural pond, according to the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
- PUB DATE: 3/7/2020 9:36:45 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Staffing and equipment issues have plagued the Menomonee Falls Fire Department over the last year and a half. And now the village’s fire union blamed a new financial restriction for causing more of the same problems. Fire station five was closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 6th. One firefighter called in sick and the village shifted the other firefighter to fire station 3.
- PUB DATE: 3/6/2020 9:57:47 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

The Waunakee Fire Department is proud to celebrate 125 years of dedicated community service from 1895 through 2020. Over the course of the year, commemorative post cards will be released featuring six eras highlighting the dedication of the department to the Waunakee community and the volunteers who have dedicated their time.
- PUB DATE: 3/6/2020 1:03:03 PM - SOURCE: Waunakee Tribune