The city of Columbus and village of Fall River are considering how its emergency services, provided by LifeStar, will be affected with the addition of Reeseville and Lowell. According to Columbus Mayor Mike Thom, Reeseville and Lowell requested last fall to be added to LifeStar’s coverage area beginning in January on a partial agreement with the possibility of a full-time contract beginning Jan.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 10:41:31 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Journal - Metered Site

The La Crosse Fire Department was called to extinguish a garage fire Wednesday on the 330 block of South 23rd Street. Firefighters arrived at the scene about 10:30 a.m., finding a detached, two-car garage in flames. Suppression crews applied water to the blaze and performed overhaul operations to prevent the fire from spreading, according to a release from the department.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 6:45:09 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

Some Wisconsin fire departments have stopped using firefighting foam that contains a group of man-made chemicals that have been linked to increased cholesterol and cancer risk, among other health hazards. The Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminate Wisconsin’s groundwater and waterways, and are also found in products like nonstick pans, the Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 3:50:44 AM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today

Tuesday night saw the end of a 73-year-old tradition. The Burlington Rescue Squad, a volunteer emergency medical service that has covered the City and Town of Burlington since 1946, officially disbanded when the clock struck midnight. “It’s bittersweet,” said Burlington Rescue Squad Chief Jeff Koenen, who frequently refers to the volunteer service as a tight-knit family and bonafide lifestyle.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 1:45:42 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

One woman is okay after a house fire that started Wednesday afternoon. According to the Captain with the Shawano Area Fire Department, they were disptached to a two story home on S. Evergreen St. around 3:30 pm. The homeowner called in the fire and she was able to escape. However, the homeowner and two children were displaced.
- PUB DATE: 1/1/2020 3:37:35 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Firefighters from nearly a dozen departments battled a house fire off of Parkview Drive in Hartford early Wednesday, Jan. 1. Crews were called to the scene just after 1:30 a.m., where flames in an attached garage quickly spread to a portion of the house. Fire officials said the homeowners made it out safely, and there were no injuries to firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 1/1/2020 4:37:18 AM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

On Monday evening, crews responded to a partial building collapse in the Village of Fairchild. The collapse happened downtown at an old storage unit that has a private owner according to the Fairchild Fire Department. Firefighters say half of the back of the building collapsed. According to the fire department, no one was inside at the time or hurt in the collapse.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 8:43:42 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News

A Black River Falls man has been charged in Jackson County after calling law enforcement saying he started a fire above a bar. Court documents show 40-year-old Joseph Berg has been charged with arson of a building, first degree recklessly endangering safety, felony criminal damage to property and possession of THC.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 5:20:09 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News

Officials are reporting no injuries at the Chippewa Manor Retirement Center after a kitchen fire broke out Monday around 10:50 a.m. Chippewa Falls Fire Battalion Chief Trevor Weiland said there were no injuries to occupants or fire fighters and only one resident will be displaced from the fire. A report of a sounding fire alarm sent officials to 756 Irvine Street where they found an evacuation underway.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 2:31:11 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News

The Village of Bellevue has officially transitioned into 24/7 staffing. In a Facebook post Monday morning, the village said, "At 7:00 this morning, we ushered in a new era in Bellevue. We are proud to announce that when the crew walked through the doors this morning, they began working the first 24 hour shift in Bellevue Fire Department's history.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 8:35:11 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

25 people are without their homes after a fire broke out at a Birchwood apartment building. Fire crews say the fire originated in a bathroom ceiling. The Green Bay Metro Fire Department says they found fire in the ceilings and walls of the bathrooms on the second and third floors of the building. They then had to pull those structures in order to find the fire in the void spaces.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 3:52:18 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

The process for hiring a new Clinton Fire Protection District chief is expected to be wrapped up early in 2020, according to interim Clinton Fire Chief Gene Wright. Wright, who also serves as the town of Beloit fire chief and town of Beloit administrator, said he and Clinton Fire Protection District Board President Ryan Wellnitz will start the review process the week of Jan.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 2:47:03 AM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette - Metered Site

The fire at 409 Center Ave. on Friday night caused $150,000 damage and displaced six people, the Janesville Fire Department reported. The cause was an electrical problem in one of the two apartments in the subdivided house, according to a news release. Firefighters “aggressively attacked the fire from the interior, and the fire was brought under control within 20 minutes of arrival,” the release states.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2019 11:25:28 AM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

More fires have recently broken out on La Crosse’s south side. The La Crosse fire department is looking at a site for a new station in that area, but was unable to get enough money to start building one. “I know Mayor (Kabat) and (city) council we’re trying to get it done, but it just wasn’t in the cards,” fire department chief Ken Gilliam said.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2019 8:36:59 AM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

The shooting death of an Appleton firefighter was one of the biggest local stories in 2019. Firefighter Mitch Lundgaard was killed, after going on a medical call at the transit center. Police Officer Paul Christensen and bystander Brittany Schowalter were wounded during a shootout with the suspect, 47-year-old Ruben Houston.
- PUB DATE: 12/27/2019 4:02:22 AM - SOURCE: WHBY-AM 1150 News Talk

Here in Wisconsin the US Fire Administration estimates about 90 percent of our firefighters are volunteers. And if you talk to just about any rural fire department they'll tell you, trying to find those volunteers is getting more difficult. That's in part why Senator Tammy Baldwin has sponsored the Volunteer First Responder Housing Act, a bill that would give lower income volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMT's loan guarantees to purchase homes.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 4:43:48 PM - SOURCE: NBC26

Local firefighters are responding to a chimney fire at a residence in Pleasant Springs, according to Dane County Dispatch. Firefighters from Stoughton and McFarland are working to put out the fire at 2056 Skaalen Road, dispatch confirmed. The call came in at 9:16 a.m. There are no reported injuries, according to dispatch.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 8:41:52 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

Fire destroyed a home in Calumet County Christmas night. At about 10:17 p.m., Harrison Fire Rescue was called to a home on Lake Shore Dr. Heavy smoke and flames were coming out of the roof. The homeowners and family they were hosting for Christmas escaped the fire without injury. Harrison's Fire Chief says due to the home's location, firefighters had to pump water from locations up the road.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 7:45:37 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Looking at the numbers at the end of the first year of the Racine Fire Department's home visit program, department Division Chief Brian Wolf said he's seen how the program "is greatly needed." For its first year, the program has been focused on cardiac patients. Fire Chief Steve Hansen said the department's partners in the program at Advocate Aurora and Ascension All Saints would like to see the program expanded, but the department's plan is to grow the program incrementally.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 5:32:09 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Fire crews from Jefferson County and surrounding areas were called around 7:20 a.m. for a 5th Alarm fire in a large commercial building near US-18 and Co. Rd. D in Helenville on Dec. 25. According to Helenville Fire Dept., the fire appears to have started inside the building, which has had multiple renovations and additions over the years.
- PUB DATE: 12/25/2019 11:46:26 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee