Community blowback prompted the Wood County sheriff to reinstate a volunteer emergency response unit less than a week after he demobilized the service. Sheriff Thomas Reichert, who is retiring at the end of the year, said in a news release Monday that the "emotional response" from Wood County residents caused him to reinstate the Sheriff's Rescue so that people can have their voice heard with the County Board and the incoming sheriff, Shawn Becker. - PUB DATE: 11/26/2018 9:36:27 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Area residents who wish to dispose of something by burning it — such as the many leaves covering their yards — can use a new online tool from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources before they light the fire. The interactive tool “Can I burn?” asks users what they would be burning, where the materials come from and what their intent is. - PUB DATE: 11/26/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison
The occupants of a house on the city’s north side escaped unharmed when fire did extensive damage to their home early Sunday afternoon. The Milwaukee Fire Department was called to a house fire at N 11th and W Locust Streets around 1 PM this afternoon. According to officials, the fire was discovered in a first floor bedroom and it extended to the second floor and attic of the wood frame building. - PUB DATE: 11/25/2018 1:51:23 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee
An early-morning fire Wednesday left a rural Washburn family homeless headed into the Thanksgiving holiday. The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. at the home of Kirby Krueger on Friendly Valley Road about eight miles north of the city, Washburn Fire Chief Mike Pedersen said. “By the time we got there almost half the house was engulfed already,” he said. - PUB DATE: 11/21/2018 8:37:44 AM - SOURCE: Ashland Daily Press
A 55-year-old Rice Lake woman died when her vehicle crashed into a school bus Tuesday night in Barron County. Joy Tew was declared dead at the scene of the crash on Highway 48, just west of Rice Lake. All passengers and the driver of the bus were checked for injuries on-site and released. The bus was transporting 22 students from the Amery High School girls basketball team and four coaches at about 9:25 p. - PUB DATE: 11/21/2018 8:14:15 AM - SOURCE: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
A legislator is ripping the state Department of Natural Resources for allegedly forcing firefighters to rescue a deer stranded on a frozen lake. Republican Rep. Adam Jarchow tweeted Tuesday that a DNR warden "harassed" firefighters into rescuing a deer that had wandered out onto Balsam Lake. He said he would fire the warden for "being complicit in putting firefighters at risk, over a stupid deer. - PUB DATE: 11/21/2018 8:02:11 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau
The Onalaska Fire Department has a full roster after two new firefighter/emergency medical technicians joined the force in October. The new emergency personnel were presented to the Onalaska Common Council at its Nov. 13 meeting. Onalaska Fire Chief Billy D. Hayes introduced firefighter/EMT Jordan Hensler who comes to the department from Waterloo, and firefighter/EMT Mitch Schulte is from French Island. - PUB DATE: 11/21/2018 4:27:33 AM - SOURCE: Coulee News
VIDEO: A special holiday proposal happened during Appleton's Christmas parade. "I held a secret the whole time from buying the ring, to me lying about working, it's been a whole secret this whole time," says firefighter Bryce Sternhagen. Bryce and Samantha have been a couple for 7 years. Little did she know the surprise that awaited her when the Appleton Fire Department's float stopped in front of her. - PUB DATE: 11/20/2018 9:23:05 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay
VIDEO: Two unattended cooking fires in just four days has the Madison Fire Department sending out a warning ahead of the holiday season. On Wednesday, a tenant in an apartment complex on Brentwood Pkwy left a pan of oil heating on the stove. Fire Chief Steven Davis said when the woman returned to find a fire had started, she tried to put it out by throwing water on it. - PUB DATE: 11/20/2018 8:37:17 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will not hear Donald Tappa’s appeal, leaving his conviction in place for setting fire to the Log Jam Saloon in Oconto County. Tappa, 43, was convicted of nine counts, including arson, for the Dec. 25, 2013 fire. He is serving a 20-year prison term. Earlier this year, a state appeals court rejected his arguments for a new trial. - PUB DATE: 11/20/2018 6:45:30 AM - SOURCE: WLUK TV Fox 11
VIDEO: As California firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have left at least 80 people dead, Eau Claire County firefighters are keeping them in their thoughts while also asking for the community's support locally. The Township Fire Department says 70-percent of our nation's firefighters are volunteers. - PUB DATE: 11/19/2018 5:14:04 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News
On Monday, a volunteer from the Wisconsin Red Cross will fly out to California to help with wildfire efforts. Several volunteers have already traveled to California to help with evacuations - that includes four people from the Milwaukee area. The Camp Fire is the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century. - PUB DATE: 11/19/2018 8:36:16 AM - SOURCE: NBC26
Nels Gunderson, owner of I-94 Towing and Recovery in Osseo, said he has seen it all in his 44 years operating a towing service and serving on the Osseo Fire Department for 42 years, including the deaths of emergency responders trying to lend aid at accident scenes. It was because of the frightening and tragic stories Gunderson and other emergency responders can tell that they gathered at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Emergency Service Education Center on Nov. - PUB DATE: 11/18/2018 5:31:47 PM - SOURCE: Chippewa Herald
Buck Manley is the new chief of the Holmen Area Fire Department. The fire board held a closed session Nov. 7 to discuss Manley’s future with the department, then voted to not only continue the chief’s employment, but change his official title to fire chief. “It was unanimous to make Buck Manley the department’s fire chief,” said Doug Jorstad, Holmen Village Board’s representative on the fire board. - PUB DATE: 11/16/2018 7:03:22 AM - SOURCE: Onalaska Holmen Courier Life
The new fire chief at the Wind Lake Volunteer Fire Company, Don Catenacci, expects to stay in his current position despite allegations of assault and misconduct that have been alleged against him in Verona. Catenacci became Wind Lake’s part-time fire chief in September. He concurrently serves as the assistant chief at the Verona Fire Department in Dane County, which is also a part-time position. - PUB DATE: 11/16/2018 4:43:29 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times
City firefighters extinguished a blaze at a local restaurant during the early morning Thursday. The Waupun Fire Department was dispatched to Helen’s Kitchen, 1116 W. Main Street, at 4:01 a.m. for a report of a grease fire in the kitchen. Upon arrival, firefighters found a small fire. Crews were able to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but not before it had caused some damage. - PUB DATE: 11/15/2018 3:47:39 PM - SOURCE: wisc news
Officials with the Milwaukee Fire Department are investigating two separate fires that happened early Thursday morning, Nov. 15. A home and an apartment complex were damaged as a result of the fires. The first happened at a house near 20th Street and Scott Street around 12:20 a.m. Officials say no one was hurt — and all residents made it out safely. - PUB DATE: 11/15/2018 5:57:27 AM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6
The Racine Fire Department was dispatched to put out a garage fire caused by someone's turkey fryer Wednesday afternoon. According to a report, the fire started when the owners of the house left their turkey fryer unattended. The fire destroyed the garage and its contents completely, totaling an estimated $20,000 in damages. - PUB DATE: 11/15/2018 5:46:11 AM - SOURCE: Today's TMJ4
The Lodi Area EMS Commission met Monday night, and made mixed progress on a couple of long-simmering issues among the three municipalities — the Town of West Point, Town of Lodi, and the City of Lodi—that make up the body. Discussions to change the assessment structure, from a 40-40-20 share to a per-capita basis appear to have stalled for now, as the sides agreed to continue negotiations. - PUB DATE: 11/15/2018 1:41:18 AM - SOURCE: Lodi Enterprise
Now is not the right time for the city to look at a fire-based EMS model, the Hudson Common Council ultimately decided with a 2-4 vote, after discussing the issue at its regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 12. Council Member Paul Deziel brought the idea forward, saying as the city looks at its EMS options with a request for proposal, it should also be considering a model that combines fire and EMS services. - PUB DATE: 11/14/2018 7:00:02 AM - SOURCE: Hudson Star-Observer
