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Wisconsin Fire News

Events planned all week to honor fallen Appleton firefighter Mitch Lundgaard

VIDEO: An Appleton firefighter who was shot and killed five years ago is being honored with a week of memorial activities. Mitch Lundgaard was shot on May 15, 2019, while rendering aid to a man who suffered a drug overdose on a bus at the Valley Transit Center. He was 36 and a 14-year veteran of the Appleton Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 5/13/2024 9:56:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Update: Seriously burned Milwaukee firefighter released from hospital

PHOTOS: A firefighter seriously injured while responding to a deadly house fire last month returned home from the hospital Friday afternoon. The Milwaukee Fire Department announced Ryan McMenamin was released Friday afternoon from Ascension St. Mary's Hospital. McMenamin suffered serious burns when he got trapped fighting an April 14 fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/13/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

UW-Eau Claire student, firefighter Albert Lin serves the greater good

VIDEO: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire biology student Albert Lin did not expect his undergraduate experience to include fighting fires and saving lives. The Evansville native attended UW-Eau Claire with plans to focus primarily on his academics. But he soon learned of a public-service opportunity from a peer in his chemistry course about becoming a firefighter for the Altoona Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 5/12/2024 9:04:09 AM - SOURCE: University of Wisconsin System

Shiny and new: Newburg Volunteer Fire Department showcases recently-acquired fire truck

PHOTO: The Newburg Volunteer Fire Department recently acquired a shiny new fire truck. According to NVFD Lieutenants Tony Scholten and Chuck Roethke, the department got the new truck in April, but has only used it for trainings thus far. The truck features a 3,000-gallon tank, which is larger than any of the other vehicles the department uses, as well as a pump that allows firefighters to spray the water directly from the truck, without needing a hydrant.
- PUB DATE: 5/11/2024 2:00:00 PM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today - Metered Site

Lt. Michael McCartney Named Wisconsin ‘HazMatter Of the Year’

PHOTO: Wisconsin's 2024 "HazMatter Of the Year" is our very own Lt. Michael McCartney! This statewide recognition is granted to just one person each year. The Wisconsin Association of Hazardous Materials Responders (WAHMR) honored Lt. McCartney at their 2024 conference. McCartney joined the MFD Hazardous Incident Team, as a team leader, in 2016.
- PUB DATE: 5/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: City of Madison

Anthony Burgard sworn in as Hartford’s new Fire and Rescue chief

PHOTOS: Anthony Burgard was sworn in as the new chief of the Hartford Fire and Rescue Department Wednesday during the city’s Police and Fire Commission meeting. Burgard, 41, was chief of the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company for the past four years. He started with that department in 2004. After taking the oath of office, administered by City Clerk Shanna Kreilkamp before a crowd of family, friends and colleagues, Burgard thanked those who helped him through life, "whether it be my family that physically raised me, my fire family that taught me (especially past Chief Terry Kohl of Richfield), and my beautiful wife and children that have helped support me and everything that I’ve done in the past.
- PUB DATE: 5/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today - Metered Site

No injuries in fire that destroys home, garage in Lincoln County

VIDEO: Authorities continue to investigate the cause of a fire that destroyed a home near Irma on Thursday morning. The Merrill Fire Department responded to the home located at N5621 State Road 107 in the Town of Rock Falls at 4:35 a.m. The fire caused a portion of Highway 107 to temporarily close. Merrill FD Battalion Chief Phil Skoug said in a news release that as crews arrived on scene, heavy fire was seen at the home along with an unattached garage.
- PUB DATE: 5/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS/MyNetworkTV/CW+ 7 Wausau

Green Bay electrical fire leaves 2 without a home, causes $90,000 in damage

Authorities in Green Bay say two people are without a home after an early Thursday morning fire caused an estimated $90,000 in damages. According to a release from the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, crews responded at 4:08 a.m. to reports of a house fire on 1229 Marquette Avenue. Once on scene, firefighters say all residents safely evacuated and they were able to see smoke coming from the one-story home.
- PUB DATE: 5/9/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Milwaukee Fire Chief discusses new mental health initiative for firefighters

This month’s issue of Milwaukee Magazine features a profile of Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski and the challenges the fire department is grappling with. Lipski, a fourth-generation Milwaukee firefighter, took the top spot in 2021 when the department was at a tipping point. He says staffing shortages have left firefighters overworked and exhausted as stations respond to an unprecedented volume of emergency calls.
- PUB DATE: 5/8/2024 10:05:00 PM - SOURCE: WUWM-FM 89.7 Milwaukee

Coming full circle: Oconomowoc woman named Watertown fire chief after starting career in department

Being sworn in as the new chief of the Watertown Fire Department felt like a sort-of homecoming for Oconomowoc resident Tanya Reynen. Having started her fulltime firefighting career at the Jefferson County department, Reynen said she developed many strong relationships, but chose to expand her experiences and opted to work on other departments as well.
- PUB DATE: 5/8/2024 1:10:00 PM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today - Metered Site

VIDEO: Passerby and Kenosha police officers rescue man from fire

Kenosha police officers and a brave passerby saved a man in a wheelchair from a burning building Thursday night. Kenosha police Officer Danielle Moore's body camera captured her running toward the house engulfed in flames near 69th Street and 57th Avenue just before 9 p.m. A man outside the home told her that there are still people inside the attached garage.
- PUB DATE: 5/8/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

Waterford structure fire; crews face unexpected water supply challenge

PHOTO: Firefighters battling a structure fire in the Town of Waterford late Tuesday, May 7 had to deal with an unexpected water supply challenge. Emergency crews were dispatched to the home on High Drive in Waterford just before 10 p.m. Tuesday. Kansasville Fire & Rescue Department (KFRD) provided assistance to several other departments battling the fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/8/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Higher demand seen in Eau Claire emergency departments

For more than a month, healthcare workers in the area have been working to maintain the same level of care in the Chippewa Valley as there are now only two emergency departments. Now, care is still being provided in the region, with some adjustments. “We have to work together so they get us back on the road,” Jon Schultz, the Eau Claire Fire Rescue Deputy Chief, said.
- PUB DATE: 5/8/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV NBC 13 Eau Claire

First responders in Racine learn to speak Spanish

VIDEO: Almost a dozen first responders in the city of Racine recently completed an introductory Spanish language course tailored to their line of work. From January to April, once a week for three hours police officers and firefighter-paramedics go to the class, “Spanish for First Responders” at Gateway Technical College.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

Follow Up: Live burn training begins in Wausau neighborhood

VIDEO: The Wausau Fire Department continued its ongoing training efforts Monday by simulating responses to structure fires near the intersection of North 2nd Street and Bridge Street. The training was done on a city-owned property, beginning with burning an empty shed and later focusing on putting out fires in contained rooms of the house they were working in.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9 Wausau

Cudahy firefighters rescue person that fell over lake bank, 50 yards down cliff

Cudahy firefighters rescued a person who had fallen down the lake bank near Allerton and Sheridan Drive on Sunday evening, May 5. Officials say the Cudahy Emergency Dispatch Center took a 911 call shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday. Police conducted a search of the area and established verbal contact with the victim.
- PUB DATE: 5/6/2024 4:53:48 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Cat may have caused Madison apartment fire that displaced person, 5 pets

One person and their five pets had to find a different place to stay Friday night after a fire at an apartment on Madison's east side. Investigators believe that the fire may have been caused by a cat jumping onto a stovetop and activating a burner. There were items on the stovetop that caught fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/6/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS/MyNetworkTV 3 Madison

At burn training, one Kenosha firefighter lives out a dream

VIDEO: It takes training, determination, and even dreams to become a firefighter. Come May 31st, a group of recruits will walk across the stage and to their first fire station. Each time they step into a burning building, they're prepared for the worst. “You get into these situations, and they take a lot of energy, especially as you pull people out," said Dale Howser, a captain paramedic with the Kenosha Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2024 6:43:43 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Wisconsin Public Service Foundation providing $75,000 to enhance community safety through Rewarding Responders Grant

PHOTOS: The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Foundation is continuing its support of the brave men and women who keep communities safe across the state. The foundation is offering $75,000 to help police, fire and emergency medical services agencies improve public safety. The funding is part of the foundation’s Rewarding Responders Grant program.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Public Service

Governor Evers signs order to fly flags at half-staff to honor fallen Wisconsin firefighters

Governor Tony Evers has signed Executive Order #222, mandating the flags of the United States and Wisconsin to fly at half-staff as a tribute to firefighters who died in the line of duty. The order was announced in a press release issued on Thursday, May 2. Flags will be lowered on Sunday, May 5, in observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2024 5:51:19 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

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