Merrill Fire Department recently purchased new ballistic vests for its paramedics to wear on potentially high threat EMS calls, replacing the outdated, hard-to-maintain ballistic vests the department had been using, the Merrill Fire Department announced this week. In addition to active shooter scenarios, paramedics will wear the vests on calls that involve drug overdoses, domestic violence and physical altercations.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wausau Pilot and Review

The Kenosha Fire Department located human remains on Tuesday, Jan. 11 within the debris of the Model Market fire location near 54th Street and 24th Avenue. Investigators had been trying to locate a man who may have been inside the market when the fire occurred last Wednesday, Jan. 5. The Kenosha County Medical Examiner was called to the scene on Tuesday – and has taken custody of the deceased.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Calling it the first in Dodge County, three fire departments have merged into one, addressing a problem facing many small-town stations. The former Clyman, Lowell and Reeseville Fire Departments are together known as CLR Fire & Rescue. The merger on January 1 finalized the effort that stretched more than five years.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2022 8:44:58 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

One firefighter killed while responding to an incident on January 6 was laid to rest Wednesday with a funeral and fire department procession. There is an empty space that 69-year-old Jim Ludlum left behind at the Mineral Point Fire Department. “This is going to be a long process for them,” Iowa County Emergency Management Director Keith Hurlbert said.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2022 5:37:00 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Stoughton Fire crews were called into action for a fire on Tuesday. Crews were sent to the 1000 block of Stoughton Avenue just after 7 p.m. for reports of fire coming from the second floor of a home. All residents had evacuated the house when firefighters arrived and were uninjured. Firefighters later rescued a hamster from the first floor of the home.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2022 8:37:01 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

VIDEO: A two-alarm condo fire in Elm Grove resulted in no injuries Tuesday morning, Jan. 11. Firefighters responded to the four-unit condo building on Bluemound Road near Elm Grove Road around 10:30 a.m. for a fire that started on a porch, reported by a resident. Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the second floor, and the fire quickly spread to the attic, causing significant damage to the second floor.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

The winter weather continues to get colder in Southern Wisconsin, and firefighters in the Madison area are preparing accordingly. Monona Fire Department firefighters are training to battle the elements while responding to emergencies. The department conducts various training every Tuesday. On January 11th, firefighters worked on ice and water rescues.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2022 10:35:19 PM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC 15 Madison

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski offered an apology on Tuesday, Jan. 11 to the family of the deceased woman that was found inside a vehicle that crashed and burned near 76th and Green Tree on Sunday morning. Jenna Reichartz, 21, was found hours later by a worker at the tow lot. Surveillance video shows a car engulfed in flames Sunday morning.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2022 10:32:48 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

The Wausau Fire Department has been approved by the City Council to pursue grant funding for nine additional firefighter and paramedic positions through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money would come from FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program; which is designed to help communities get up to what’s considered standard staffing levels for their size.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2022 10:12:01 PM - SOURCE: WSAU-AM 550 Wausau

Temperatures around zero degrees and dangerous wind chills mean it’s even more important to bundle up if you’re going outside. The Wausau Fire Department’s thermal imager device can measure how much heat our bodies lose in cold temperatures. The thermal imager is used to translate heat into visible light.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2022 8:52:14 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

The city of Milton and four surrounding townships on Monday announced their plans to ask to join the Edgerton Fire Protection District in an effort to address fiscal and staffing challenges. Bryan Meyer, the chairman of the Town of Milton, said the current Milton Fire Department that serves the area covers roughly 90 square miles of land in the city and town of Milton as well as the towns of Harmony, Johnstown and Lima.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGLR-FM 97 Lancaster

Fond du Lac Fire Rescue is welcoming its largest class of recruits. The team of seven will help to man a fourth ambulance in the city. Monday was day one for the seven Fond du Lac Fire Rescue recruits. While they’re spending their first day working on paperwork and getting to know their new fire service family, it’s also the beginning of a new era within the department.
- PUB DATE: 1/10/2022 3:57:16 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

At about 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, the Appleton Fire Department was dispatched to Green Bay Road for a space heater that had been on fire in a residential home. Smoke was reported inside the residence. The first arriving fire department unit confirmed a single family home was evacuated. The residents believed they had the fire extinguished, having used their fire extinguisher.
- PUB DATE: 1/10/2022 2:38:06 PM - SOURCE: WGBA-TV NBC 26 Green Bay

Just three days after two Mineral Point firefighters were killed in a crash, members of their community raised roughly 50 thousand dollars to help support the two men’s families. Fire Capt. Brian Busch and firefighter James Ludlum died Thursday in a crash on Highway 151 while responding to another crash.
- PUB DATE: 1/10/2022 1:36:07 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

At least twenty-seven people were rescued from the ice along the Bay of Green Bay on Saturday. Sam Greenberg is a volunteer firefighter with Southern Door County who was off-duty at the time and went to assist. “Even before I got down to our property down there, I could see out in the water a large crack had developed on that ice,” said Greenberg.
- PUB DATE: 1/10/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Hall of fame inductees organized a “Fill The Boot” fundraiser for the families of two firefighters killed in the line of duty earlier this week. Cpt. Brian Busch was driving a fire truck with passenger James Ludlum when a semi truck hit them on U.S. Highway 151 Thursday morning. The two men received special recognition at the Mineral Point High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Girls basketball games.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2022 4:38:53 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Local fire departments and state safety officials announced Friday a new grant initiative that will help fund youth firefighter training programs. The program will provide fire departments, technical colleges, and school districts with grants of up to $25,000 to develop or expand training programs for high school juniors or seniors.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2022 4:28:59 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Milwaukee police are investigating a crash that happened Saturday, Jan. 8 involving a Hales Corners Fire Department ambulance. It happened around 6:15 a.m. near 43rd and Oklahoma. According to the Hales Corners Fire Department, the ambulance was on its way back from St. Luke's Hospital and was heading to another call when the crash happened.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2022 9:14:34 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

With new statewide data obtained by NBC15, first responders say a trend is moving the wrong direction. The numbers from Wisconsin Department of Transportation reflect statewide crashes which involve emergency vehicles, like police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. There were about twice as many crashes in 2021 than there were in 2016, the data show.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2022 6:27:13 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Firefighters from 10 departments in surrounding towns and cities battled a fire in a multi-family dwelling Friday in Alma. The first department arrived at the dwelling on North Second Street around 12;30 p.m. By the time the first firefighters arrived, all of the occupants had evacuated as well as neighbors on both sides of the building.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2022 3:35:16 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse