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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Watertown Fire Department
2000-2023 SECTION
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Established 1857
___ 2000 __________________
01 27 Police dept space problem, municipal bldg renovation, three police/fire precincts WDT
02
27 TRAIN FIREFIGHTERS TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL
CALLS
Watertown’s
mayor and fire chief are proposing a plan they believe will quicken the fire
department’s response time to emergency medical calls in the city. Under the plan, which Fire Chief Richard
Olson calls an affordable alternative staffing approach, the city would train
paid on-call firefighters who are certified as basic emergency medical
technicians (EMTs) to respond to emergency medical calls. There are currently seven of them. “We need to plug them in and make sure we can
use them,” Olson said. “For the city to
own the equipment (to respond to emergency calls) and have the people and not
use them is ludicrous.”
03 19 FIRE CHIEF RICHARD OLSON RETIRES
Fire Chief Richard Olson will
retire March 31 after serving in Watertown for 5 1/2 years. Olson gave formal notice of his retirement
plans to the Watertown Police and Fire Commission this week. Olson said, “I am age 53 and I'm qualified to
retire and it has been my intention to do so at this time. I have other things I want to do and I have some job opportunities that I will consider
seriously.” Olson said he recommends
that the city appoint fire Capt. Henry Butts as interim fire chief while the
department searches for Olson's replacement.
Olson succeeded Ron Weavel as chief. Weavel held the
post from 1987 [86] to 1994.
03 24 On-call firefighters for staffing
needs; reinstate inter-facility transport program; Chief Olson WDT
06 02 INTER-FACILITY TRANSPORT PROGRAM
A fire department service in
which Watertown patients are transported to hospitals in cities such as
Milwaukee and Madison has been revived after a
several-month hiatus. A measure to
reinstate the inter-facility transport program was signed recently by Mayor
Fred Smith, Interim Fire Chief Henry Butts and Watertown
Memorial Hospital Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Kathleen
Hargarten. An inter-facility transport
occurs when the Watertown Memorial Hospital calls to ask the department to
transport nonemergency patients to hospitals in Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Madison
or Milwaukee for specialized care not available in Watertown. On- or off-duty department personnel then
take the patients in department ambulances to their destinations while ensuring
the department is sufficiently staffed for city emergencies. WDT
06 29 Joel Edwards retirement, began in the
1970s WDT
10 11 WALTON ROAD GRASS FIRE
Smoke could be seen for miles
around the city of Watertown Wednesday afternoon as firefighters from four
departments fought a grass fire northwest of the city. The fire was ignited by sparks caused by
grinding of the tracks. Workers for the
Canadian Pacific Railroad were grinding the railroad tracks near Walton Road in
the town of Shields when a spark apparently landed in some dry marsh grass,
starting the fire, according to Watertown Fire Department Capt. Bill Schwenkner. “The
final result was a big fire, involving about 400 acres,” he said. Schwenkner had no
idea how far away smoke from the fire could be seen, but he said it was a very,
very large fire. The fire was northwest
of the intersection of Walton Road and the railroad tracks and on the west side
of the Beaver Dam River. Some of the
acreage burned is owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. WDT
10 21 WATERTOWN TIRE RECYCLERS BIN FIRE
Firefighters spent more than 11/2
hours combating a smoldering fire in a 29-foot-high bin in the town of
Shields. Firefighters were called to
Watertown Tire Recyclers, W7910 Provimi Rd, after
waste material in the bin started on fire.
During the blaze, firefighters made three trips to Watertown to refill
their tanker trucks with water because they could not access water at the site. Employees of Camcorp,
a company contracted by Watertown Tire, were repairing the bin and set the
waste on fire while smoking and using a grinding tool. The waste was a product of the tire recycling
operation. WDT
___
2001 __________________
01 31 CANADIAN PACIFIC ENGINE
FIRE
Fire struck the engine
of a train bound for Illinois on the Canadian Pacific Railroad as it approached
the northwest side of Watertown.
Watertown firefighters responded to the blaze at the railroad's
intersection with Welsh Road just before 7 a.m.
No one was injured. Seven
firefighters contained the fire and fuel.
They spent about 20 minutes battling the fire, which caused about
$30,000 in damage. WDT
03 10 INVESTCAST FIRE
A mechanical failure caused the
Saturday blaze at the Wisconsin Investcast warehouse, state investigators determined. No criminal activity was to blame for the
fire that destroyed most of the building, including its roof. Investcast
president Larry Blanton said he didn't anticipate serious disruptions in the
work flow at the foundry. He said area
foundries and suppliers were supportive.
WDT
05 03 GLOBE MILL FIRE
Flames continued to rise from the former Globe
Mill on South Water Street as a state fire marshal searched the scene for a cause of the fire that completely
destroyed the historic building.
As of late morning, the Watertown Fire Department was unable to explain
why the fast-burning fire occurred, pushing flames through the building’s roof,
but arson is believed to be the cause of the fire that destroyed the former
mill and Watertown landmark.
Image
Portfolio (scroll forward)
05 12 1220 E. MAIN HOUSE FIRE [portfolio of pics]
09 06 FIRE AT BANDSHELL
In 2001, a
"suspicious" fire occurred at the bandshell. There was approximately $30,000 in damage.
"The fire, which
started in the first floor area and extended into the
walls and roof of the band shell, was reported by a citizen who saw the smoke
at 6:59 p.m. Five hundred gallons of
water and fire fighting foam, containing an extinguishing agent, were used to put out the fire which kept 22
firefighters on the scene for 2 1/2 hours.
'Smoke was just pouring out of the roof area and eastern most side of
the structure,' said Watertown Fire Chief Henry Butts. 'Flames were visible for a short period of
time but there was thick black smoke and you could
hear the fire burning in the walls,' Butts said. Two engines, one ladder and an EMS team also
responded to the fire. No one was
injured in the incident. 'The structure
had a good amount of fire damage and will have a significant amount when we’re
done,' said Butts. " Insurance
covered most of the cost to repair the bandshell with the Watertown Park
Department crew doing most of them.
09 11 9-11
___ 2002 __________________
02 11 MUD LAKE MARSH FIRE
About 100 acres of
marshland were destroyed Thursday afternoon by a fire ignited with sparks from
Canadian Pacific Railroad workers who were welding on the tracks. Heavy winds caused the fire to quickly spread
in the Mud Lake State Wildlife Area off Walton Road. Firefighters set up to prevent the fire from
threatening four Izaak Walton League of Watertown property buildings. The initial call, which reached the Watertown
Fire Department at 2:15 p.m., was placed by railroad workers to the Dodge
County Sheriff’s Department, which transferred it to Watertown. Mutual aid was
provided by the Reeseville Fire Department, who set up equipment on the
opposite side of the Beaver Dam River in case the fire would jump it. However, the fire extinguished upon reaching
the river. WDT
03 18 CITY HALL EXPANSION AND
RENOVATION / Watertown Municipal Building
03 27 FUND-RAISING FOR A NEW LADDER TRUCK
A group of Watertown citizens has started a committee
to organize fund-raising efforts for a new ladder truck. Dennis Vanden Heuvel, who is a member of the
city's police and fire commission, decided to start a fund-raising committee
after seeing a need. WDT
07 11 LIGHTS ‘N SIRENS EVENT WDT, article & pics
12 07 AMONG THE TOP 5 %
The Watertown Fire Department ranks among the top 5
percent of departments in the state following a classification improvement by
its auditors. Earlier this year,
Insurance Services Office Inc., or ISO, completed a public protection
classification program of the station, which grades a community’s fire
protection on a scale from one to 10.
One represents the best protection. Watertown, which had been rated a
class four since its last audit in September 1987, improved to a three. WDT
12 10 UNIT CITATION AWARD
Several Watertown firefighter/paramedics/ EMTs
received a unit citation award for their work during an incident which occurred
on Aug. 29. They each received
certificates and pins. Fire Chief Henry
Butts said the department was extremely busy that day having received 15
calls. The certificate reads: “While working on
the 29th day of August 2002, during operations at Alarm #2002-1185, you
responded to an alarm for a ‘structural collapse.’ Upon arrival, the incident was discovered to
involve a victim who had fallen into the basement when roofing supports gave
way. The successful outcome of this
incident depended directly on several fire units working together utilizing the
low angle rope rescue system. Your professional manner and quick actions
contributed to the success of this operation.”
WDT
___
2003 __________________
01 24 FUND-RAISING EFFORT FOR NEW LADDER TRUCK
Spearheading a fund-raising effort for a new ladder
truck for the city's fire department, Dennis Vanden Heuvel told members of the
Watertown Rotary Club about the endeavor.
He began by narrating a scenario of someone who is sleeping and awakes
to a smoke detector going off. "The
fire truck coming to your house is 23 years old and some of the equipment on it
is over 40 years old," he said.
"Once the truck is in place, a firefighter climbs the ladder to
mount the heavy 40-year-old spray nozzle, then climbs down the ladder to get
the 3-inch fire hose and manually drag it back up the ladder to connect it to
the nozzle. That's what a group of us
saw 10 months ago, and we had a lot of questions." WDT
___
2004 __________________
03 26 NEW HEAVY RESCUE SQUAD,
SQUAD 1
Department’s new heavy rescue
squad, Squad 1, is now in service. After
intense training and change of the graphics on the
unit, the squad is ready for service.
The unit was purchased for $170,000, including shipping the unit from
the North Greece Fire District near Rochester, N.Y. Fire department management personnel made two
trips to inspect and receive training on the vehicle before completing the
purchase. WDT
05 15 JAMES ACKER New
Firefighter/Paramedic
The Watertown Fire Department has welcomed new
firefighter/paramedic James Acker to its ranks.
Acker’s first day was Thursday.
“We are very happy to have Jim on board,” Watertown Fire Chief Henry
Butts said. “He brings a lot to our
department with his experience, college degree and various state certifications
in fire fighting and emergency services. He is a very nice addition to our
department.” Acker told the Daily Times
he began his career in fire fighting in 1993 with the
town of Menasha Fire Department. WDT
05 23 SECOND FIRE STATION
A could become a reality in Watertown as early as next
year, under a scenario recommended by the finance committee of the Watertown
Common Council. Bielinski Homes, Inc.,
has offered to build a new fire station on property it owns at the corner of
West Road and Horseshoe Road. That is
the edge of a large residential development Bielinski is undertaking, and a
fire station there would dramatically improve response times when compared to
the current station in the municipal building, according to Mayor John
David. Bielinski’s offer is to construct
the new station at an approximate cost of $750,000. The building would then be turned over to the
city which would be responsible for maintenance and operational costs. WDT
07 01 JERRY HEPP honorary parade marshal
Jerry Hepp will be the honorary fire chief for the city of
Watertown during this year’s Fourth of July parade on Sunday. He will be riding in Watertown Fire
Department car # one during the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at the
intersection of Water and West Main streets.
Units will travel down Main Street and conclude at Riverside Park. Hepp is the first person to receive the new
annual title because he was the top bidder in an auction for the aerial
platform truck fund-raiser held at Badgerland Park in
September. WDT
07 07 SECOND FIRE STATION, West
Side, on hold
A second fire station on Watertown’s west side is on
hold after the Watertown Common Council voted not to make a
decision on accepting a donation of land and a building. The council voted 6-3 to postpone any
decision indefinitely, after assurances that the donor, Bielinski Bros., will
leave the door open on the offer for at least a couple years. Bielinski Bros. is the developer of a large
residential subdivision on the city’s west side. The land offered is located at the corner of
West Street and Horseshoe Road, at the western edge of the city limits. WDT
07 28 BUSIEST DAY
The Watertown Fire Department experienced its busiest
day ever on Friday, according to Fire Chief Henry Butts. Emergency personnel responded to 17 calls in
a 24-hour period, Butts said. The
previous record was 15 calls in a 24-hour period set on Aug. 29, 2002. Calls to the fire department have been
increasing steadily, Butts said. “But
one thing to take note is that the record was beat in less than two years,” he
added. Fire department personnel
responded to one fire alarm, three hazardous material incidents, two car
accidents, an inter-facility run and the rest of the
calls were for paramedic assistance. WDT
08 06 POPPERS BAR FIRE
The building that houses Poppers Bar and several
apartments at 700 N. Fourth St. was heavily damaged Sunday in a fire that
occurred at about 8:25 p.m. Watertown
Fire Chief Henry Butts told the Daily
Times that the fire was likely caused by careless use of smoking materials
in an upper apartment. Butts said
investigators discovered that the fire started in a chair in an upstairs
dwelling and spread from there. The bar
was closed and no one was in the building at the time
of the fire. No injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $100,000 to the
building owned by Ron Ziwisky. WDT
08 29 AERIAL TRUCK FUND
RAISING
The Watertown Aerial Truck Fund Raising Committee has
completed the first group of fund-raising efforts and has collected $84,085.92
toward the project. Those who
participated in the presenting the city with a check included fire Chief Henry
Butts, Mayor John David and committee members Jim Bird, Mike Rollert, Dennis Vanden Heuvel and Bill
Neubauer. WDT
___
2005 __________________
04 07 NEW FIRE ENGINE 1, a 2004 E-One Typhoon Pumper
Residents of the area will see a brand
new fire Engine 1 when the Watertown Fire Department sounds the sirens
as they go to emergency situations. The
new engine, a 2004 E-One Typhoon Pumper, can carry up to 1,000 gallons of water
and can pump it out at a rate of 350 gallons per minute. Fire Chief Henry Butts
said the new pumper will be the first truck out of the garage on the majority of emergency responses, and it will replace the
former Engine 3, which is a 1972 Pirsch engine. WDT
July
19-24 WATERTOWN TIRE RECYCLERS FIRE
The incident became the largest coordinated
response in Wisconsin history
WHS_006_275
A front-end loader started a fire at Watertown Tire
Recyclers that could be seen for several miles and the amount of smoke created
was so big it was captured by a satellite camera. The fire started when shredded tires got into
the engine compartment of a front-end loader. According to a state fire marshal
report, the tire debris was piled in such a manner that ventilation and cooling
of the shredded material was not complete.
Hot and humid conditions the week prior to the fire also contributed to
the heat in the tire pile.
Pictures of the black smoke that filled the air above
the recycling firm located in the Dodge County town of Shields were published
worldwide.
The Watertown Fire Department, along with 107 others
from around the state, responded to the fire between July 19-24, 2005. The fire was extinguished using a special
suppressant agent. A bill of more than
$1 million for fighting the fire was generated by the Dodge County Local
Emergency Planning Committee and submitted to the firm, its owner Thomas
Springer and his insurance carrier.
Before the fire occurred, neighbors of the recycling
firm at W7910 Provimi Road had formed a group called
Citizens for a Safe Environment with a goal of shutting down the business. The group had sought noncompliance action
from the county alleging the business was not meeting the permit requirements. In fact, a representative from the state
Department of Natural Resources was at the business talking with the owner when the
fire broke out.
__________________________________________________________________
The massive fire occurring at the
Watertown Tire Recyclers, LLC on the morning of Tuesday, July 19, 2005 in the
town of Shields, at the intersection of Provimi and
Rich roads, northwest of the city, was hard to miss at the time and will be
long remembered.
This fire would become The Really
Big One in the 150 year history of the Watertown Fire
Department.
It took crews five days to extinguish the fire. The incident became the largest coordinated
response in Wisconsin history.
920 Firefighters
who fought the fire
106 Fire
departments involved
10 Counties participating in the combined effort
11 Engines at the scene plus
8 Aerials and
107 Tankers
1,310 Man
hours at the scene by Watertown Fire Department personnel
2,600 Miles
traveled by WFD Tankers 7 and Tanker 8 making
325 Trips
transporting water to scene
10,500,000 Gallons of
water transported and used
2,200
Gallons F500 suppression agent used
5 Days duration
35 Number
of other calls received during the 5 days
162,000 Cost in dollars to Watertown Fire Department
120,000 Reimbursement in dollars received by WFD
Watertown Tire Recyclers operated
on 12 acres of land and the facility contained three buildings and over one
million tires stored in piles.
Billowing black smoke rising from
the mounds of tire to more than 100 feet in the air could be seen from almost
every street corner in Watertown, in the cities of Jefferson and Oconomowoc and
points beyond. The plume of smoke
eventually reached over the western shore of Lake Michigan,
more than 50 miles distant.
Fire department trucks, equipment
and firefighters from surrounding communities, near and distant, arrived at the
scene when the fire first broke out or during the days of it continuing to
burn.
Fire Chief Butts requested an “all-call page” that recalled two
off-duty shifts of firefighters and 25 paid-on-call firefighters. Butts struck seven alarms in rapid
succession. Included in this were mutual aid tankers from Clyman, Ixonia,
Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Lebanon, Lowell, Reeseville and Waterloo; engines
from Clyman, Lebanon, Lowell and Reeseville; and aerial ladders from Juneau and
Waterloo.
A unified command post was
established a half-mile east of the incident. A Dodge County Emergency Government mobile
command post was used as the operations center.
Representatives from the
Watertown Fire Department, Watertown Police Department, Wisconsin State Police,
Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and Dodge County Sheriff's Department and
health officials from the City of Watertown, Jefferson County and Dodge County
were all present.
The DNR declared the fire a
“Hazardous Substance Incident.”
Coincidentally, a DNR officer was conducting an inspection of the
business at the time that the fire broke out.
Watertown street department crews
were called in with front end loaders to move tires and create
passageways. A Bobcat moved propane
tanks out of the vicinity of the fire.
Tanker trucks filled and refilled
at a city fire hydrant in the parking lot of the Blain’s Farm & Fleet store
(1400 West Main Street) and hauled water 2-1/2 miles to the scene of the
blaze. This was one of four tanker
filling sites established. Soon a convey
was in place so to replenish holding tanks set up at the burning recycling
business and, having done so, returned to the source for more.
Watertown command officers were
rotated each period so that a Watertown chief officer was always in command at
the scene. Shift rotation of personnel
and equipment con-tinued with some departments
rotating only manpower, leaving their apparatus in position and for other
departments to use in their absence.
A fire suppression agent known as
F500, which is similar to
"wet water" was proposed to suppress the
fire.
Assistant Fire Chief Michael
Quint contacted a representative of the company that
manu-factures the agent to obtain the details on its
use, environmental impact and cost.
It was determined that the agent
could be delivered to the incident the following day.
The company was asked to ship 480
five-gallon containers of the agent to the scene. Arrangements were made with
the Wisconsin State Police to escort the tractor-trailer from the
Illinois-Wisconsin border to the scene.
On Thursday, July 21, efforts
continued to contain the fire until the suppression agent arrived at 6 p.m. The
agent was dumped into the water holding tanks and then applied with
conventional nozzles on handlines and master streams. At 6:30 p.m., application of the agent began
and continued throughout the night.
During the late evening and early
Friday morning hours, dense fog set in.
Tanker operators were unable to see the edges of the highway during
their more than two mile drive to continue water
supply operations. Watertown Assistant
Fire Chief Neal Zinda asked the command post to contact
the Dodge County Highway Department to supply highway cones every 150 feet so
that the tanker operators could see the roadway. With the cones in place, the
water shuttle operations continued throughout the night.
By Friday morning, July 22, the
results could be seen and the fire was being
extinguished.
Quint tapped the fire out on
Sunday, July 24, at 1024 hours, five days after the initial alarm.
Firefighters operated 11 engines,
eight aerials and 107 tankers at the scene during the operation. Other
equipment that responded included a heavy rescue and two ambulances.
Over 10.5 million gallons of
water was used to extinguish the fire, all of which was transported to the
scene by the tanker shuttle operations.
The water used for firefighting
operations dropped the Watertown municipal water storage system by nine feet.
It took 10 days to replenish the water supply.
Some 2,200 gallons of F500 suppression agent was also used.
The Watertown Fire Department
lost $20,000 worth of equipment fighting the fire. One thousand feet of
1-3/4-inch hose, 1,000 feet of 5-inch supply line and 2,000 feet of 2-1/2-inch
hose was destroyed by being punctured by the pieces of wire that had been cut
out of the tires.
Forty-three portable radio
batteries, 12 pairs of gloves, 10 pairs of boots, several nozzles and hand
tools were also destroyed.
Watertown Engines 3 and 4 were
stripped of equipment to make Engines 1 and 2 fully equipped to be able to
respond to alarms. It took several weeks to get the other two engines back in
service.
Watertown Fire Department
personnel spent 1,310 man hours at the scene.
Watertown Tankers 7 and 8 each traveled 1,300 miles, making 325 trips hauling
water to the scene.
Twice during the incident, on
July 21 and July 23, severe weather passed through the area. Incident
commanders were notified of the approaching weather and shut down all
operations. The aerial devices were
taken down and all water flow was stopped. This let all firefighters find cover
under apparatus, in ditches and elsewhere until the tornado and thunderstorm
warnings were lifted.
The owner of Watertown Tire
Recyclers, Tom Springer, had been the subject of criticism over time by
area residents, who had formed a group called Citizens for a Safer Environment,
in the attempt to either shut the place down or require it to be in full
compliance with operating rules established by the county.
The deadline for compliance had been July 1st and the drafting of non-compliance docu-ments was in progress at the time of the fire.
The fire was caused by shredded
tires getting into the engine compartment of an end loader, according to a
report released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal
Investigation. The tire debris had been piled was piled in such a manner that ventilation and
cooling of the shredded material was not complete. The heat could not escape and in due course a
smolder heap (it only takes one) of tire shreds ignited and the fire soon spread
throughout the maze of countless piled tires.
Almost a year after the fire
Watertown Tire Recyclers LLC agreed to pay $320,000 in penalties and costs for
allegations it had violated environmental laws.
The settlement resolved claims by
the State of Wisconsin, Citizens for a Safe Environ-ment,
the town of Shields, the City of Watertown, Dodge County and 94 other entities
that responded to a fire at the facility.
According to the Department of
Justice's complaint, prior to the fire, Watertown Tire Recyclers allegedly
exceeded its allowed volume of tires, failed to maintain adequate fire lanes,
stored tires improperly, and failed to submit required reports and to notify
the Department of Natural Resources of problems and changes.
The settlement provided for
payment of $267,893.21 to the local responders, $31,000 to the DNR for its fire
response costs, and $21,106.79 to the state in forfeitures and surcharges. It also called for the removal of all
contaminated soil remaining at the site and also
included stipulations that the tire collection and transportation business at
the site would cease by 2010.
Municipalities did not recover
the total amount of money spent on the fire fighting
operations. In Wisconsin, when the State
Attorney General sues, all money received goes into the state education fund.
Watertown received only a $120,000 reimbursement for the $162,000 cost of
fighting the fire.
Watertown Daily Times photo
WHS_006_243
< PORTFOLIO
OF PICS
2005
07 24 FIRE
Fire Extensively Damages St. Paul’s
Episcopal
Firefighters
use ladder trucks to spray the roof and attic areas of St. Paul's Episcopal
church with thousands of gallons of water in an effort to
knock down flames and halt progress of the blaze early Sunday morning
(WHS_005_228)
Lightning struck
St. Paul's Episcopal church during a severe late afternoon thunderstorm on
Saturday, July 23. Fire erupted in the
early hours of the next day, Sunday morning.
The beautiful church, located at the intersection of Second and Spring
streets, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The
fire started when the roof was struck by a lightning bolt, smoldering until
10:30 in the evening, when it spread from the roof to the steeple. Neighbors feared that some structure in the
area had been hit because of the severity of the lighting strike but police
were not able to find any such evidence upon investigating the concerns called
in to the department.
08 26 FEMA GRANT
The Watertown Fire Department has received a $132,300
grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Program. According to
fire Chief Henry Butts, the funds will be used to purchase 44 self-contained
breathing apparatuses and 99 oxygen bottles from Bendlin Fire Equipment of
Butler. The units, which comply with
modern standards of the National Fire Protection Association, are compatible
with the department’s current tanks so firefighters will still be able to use
the 70 oxygen bottles they hold. WDT
08 30 WATERTOWN METAL
PRODUCTS
One person was injured after a
fire broke out at Watertown Metal Products, 1141 S. Tenth St. A female employee was treated and transported
to Watertown Memorial Hospital by the Watertown Fire Department after showing
symptoms of heat inhalation. The
Watertown Fire Department received a call at 8:06 p.m. that a fire had broken
out near the north end of the building.
All employees were evacuated while the firefighters fought the blaze,
which was burning inside an approximately 20-foot air filter machine.
___ 2006 __________________
01 04 2005 BUSIEST YEAR EVER
The Watertown Fire
Department had its busiest year ever in 2005 and for the second consecutive
year responded to over 2,000 emergency calls.
According to Watertown Fire Chief Henry Butts, city firefighters in 2005
logged 2,134 emergency calls, which is 116 more than the 2,018 recorded in
2004. That is an increase of about 6
percent. Among the 2,134 calls, the fire
department responded to 278 fire calls, with 55 of them being actual
fires. Out of those 55 fire calls, 28
were for structure fires. Of the structure
fires, 19 were located in the city, five were in rural
contract areas and the other four were responded to as mutual aid.
City reaches deal
on fire contracts with townships, Doc WHS_005_549
12 21 2005 BUSIEST YEAR EVER
After months of negotiations it appears the city and surrounding townships
have agreed on a formula that will determine the costs for future contracts for
fire and emergency medical services. Watertown Mayor John David told Finance
Committee members Thursday he was sending out the 2007 contracts for fire and
EMS services to the surrounding townships that afternoon and he expected them
to be signed by the proper officials.
Neale Jones, chairman for the town of Shields, said this morning the contracts
still need to be approved by the appropriate committees
but he believes they will eventually be signed.
The formula used on the 2007 contract would charge the residents in the
townships of Emmet, Milford, Shields and Watertown in the city's service areas
the same rate that citizens in Watertown pay for these services. Watertown and the township residents will pay
80 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for fire and EMS services in 2007.
___ 2007 __________________
03 04 CRACKING FLOOR
The Watertown Common
Council in closed session Thursday night decided to repair the cracking floor
of the fire department garage with a carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass system.
Watertown Mayor John David said today the council members awarded the contract
to Maas Brothers in Watertown for about $387,000. Council members had also
considered filling the basement below the floor with a structured grid of steel
beams, but David said the carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass system was more
favorable because it will give more strength to the floor in addition to
keeping the basement fully accessible. WDT
03 21 LIGHTS ‘N SIRENS PLANS
One of Watertown’s most
popular summertime events, Lights ‘n Sirens, will be held at Riverside Park on
Thursday, July 12, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Planning is under way for the eighth annual community safety fair. This is a good opportunity for both children
and adults to get “up close and personal” with local safety professionals. The event is intended to promote injury
prevention through education and provides the community
the chance to meet with public safety personnel in a relaxed setting. The event is sponsored by Watertown Area
Health Services, Watertown Family Center, Watertown Police Department and
Watertown Fire Department. WDT
04 06 NEW AERIAL LADDER TRUCK
Watertown residents can
begin to feel a little safer starting in May.
According to fire Chief Henry Butts, the Watertown Fire Department’s new
aerial platform ladder truck will go into service on May 1. Butts said the main advantage of the new unit
is it will improve the fire department’s efficiency and the firefighters’
ability to work safely when aerial truck operations are needed. The fire department’s current ladder truck
was purchased in 1980 and because the company that built the vehicle is no longer
in service, it is hard to obtain parts when it breaks down. WDT
05 19 NEW AERIAL UNIT USED AT LEBANON
The Watertown Fire
Department had the opportunity to use its new aerial ladder truck Monday when
Lebanon firefighters sought mutual aid for a church fire. Minimal fire damage was reported to Immanuel
Lutheran Church at N572 County Highway R, according to Lebanon Fire Chief Brent
Boyd. A motorist driving by the century
old church at about 3:30 p.m. Monday noticed flames and smoke from the top of
the south tower near the cross. “When we
got the call for flames on the top of the church steeple near the cross, we
requested a third alarm at that location when we left the station,” Boyd
said. Watertown and Ixonia fire
departments responded to the scene, he said.
WDT
05 31 1301 S.
FIFTH ST. FIRE
06 01 FREIGHT
HOUSE FIRE / Loeb Storage Shed
Former
freight house that was just north of the former C.M.&St.
Paul train depot
07 21 TIRE FIRE SETTLEMENT up to date on second anniversary
of fire
A hearing in Dodge County Circuit
Court was canceled this week as the city of Watertown received a check for
$36,000 as part of a settlement with Watertown Tire Recyclers, Inc. The check, which was two months late, came
during the week of the two-year anniversary of the tire fire at the recycling
firm just northwest of Watertown. The
hearing was canceled when attorneys for Watertown Tire Recyclers withdrew a
motion to reopen the judgment. According to attorney Vicki Zick of Johnson
Creek, all payments have been made to date and there have been no changes to
the settlement. The city of Watertown
received its check Tuesday, according to city Clerk Mike Hoppenrath. WHS_005_550
07 27 PERSONNEL
Listing of all fire department
personnel
08 07 116 W MAIN FIRE
--- PHOENIX FIRE BELL enshrined
once again
In 2007 this writer was of the
mind to take a photo of
the 1876 U.S. Centennial Bell of the Phoenix Engine House he remembered
as being nicely displayed on the grounds of today’s City Hall, on the west side
of the fire station, near the bank of the Rock River. Alas, it was not to be found. Most everyone could remember it and most of
those folks thought it was still there.
In due course it was learned that the historic bell and its granite base
was removed by the Street Department about eight years ago and was “hidden” at
the back of a storage shed out by the airport.
On behalf of the Watertown Historical Society a plea was made to return
the bell to the place it belongs, near the fire station. So on the
150th anniversary of the Watertown Fire Department, the bell on its granite
base was enshrined once again and is certain to be an attraction for those
passing by or visiting the fire house.
08 12 Book on
150-year history of the Watertown Fire Dept released.
09 08 Controlled burn, training event
10 12 Keith Knollenberg hired as full-time
firefighter/paramedic
11 12 Watertown Head Start visited to promote fire
safety.
01 02 Perry Street
apartment building totally destroyed by fire by a mattress fire [WHS_005_555]
01 07 FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZE AT
BETHESDA. Watertown
firefighters battled a blaze today outside of a day services building at
Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services Inc. that was caused by a damaged gas
line. The Watertown Fire Department
received the call for the fire at the Bethesda building, 761 Milford St., today
at 6:42 a.m. Firefighters had the blaze
under control at 6:55 a.m. and completely out at 7:14 a.m. The fire occurred outside of the building and
was caused by a cracked valve on a gas line.
Fire started when the gas came in contact with
an ignition source in an air handling unit.
The building sustained minor smoke damage. WDT
02 01 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT. The Watertown Fire Department has received a
2007 Assistance to Firefighters Grant of approximately $33,000. In June 2007, Sen. Russ Feingold sent a
letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Domestic
Preparedness to support the fire department’s application for the grant. The grant is provided by the U.S. Fire
Administration to support training, wellness and fitness, fire-fighting
equipment, personal protective equipment and modifications to fire stations and
facilities. WDT
02 28 Brad Fox joins dept as firefighter/paramedic
03 09 SOUTH TENTH ST HOME FIRE CLAIMS ONE
03 29 316 SUMMIT AVE HOUSE FIRE
Vacant home at 316
Summit Ave., owned by Mae Snell-Lynch Gloede, was declared a total
loss. When firefighters arrived at the
scene 75 percent of the home was engulfed in flames. While battling the blaze, firefighters also
had the task of keeping the flames from spreading to an adjacent building and a number of cars parked near the home. Twenty-three firefighters from fire
departments in Watertown and Ixonia battled blaze. No injuries reported.
WDT
story
04 25 North Washington
St duplex fire caused by lightning
05 REPORT: Planning for the effective use of rapid
intervention crews for the Watertown Fire Dept; Michael H Quint, author
05 07 Mike Meyers
recognized by City Council for 40 years of service WDT, includes pic
05 07 Watertown
aerial ladder provided mutual aid, Lake Mills apartment bldg WDT
story
05 07 Fire in town
of Shields destroyed a two-story home and some records of the town
board. WDT
05 21 419 S. Washington St. resident
awoken and notified of blaze by his dog
WDT
05 21 Mason Pugh new firefighter/paramedic, replaces Ray
Tessmann. WDT
07 07 Bottle rocket
likely cause of fire, 216 N Church [ former Kusel
Home ]. WDT
07 07 Lights
‘n Sirens safety fair held at Riverside Park. [no link] WDT
07 08 City teen, Ben Richter, killed by lightning WDT story Local teen killed by lightning
remembered WDT story
07 08 Permit
issued in June to install walls for lockers.
WDT
07 16 Department Commemorates 150 Years -
Elk’s Club gathering
07 21 Four-unit
apartment complex fire, 800
block Clark St; about $35,000 in damages
WDT
07 26 Husband, wife
injured in plane crash at Watertown airport; Plane tumbled into hangar,
then caught fire
00 08 Muscular Dystrophy Assn collection by
firefighters
08 18 Common Council resolution denying
request from firefighter looking for the city to pay a supplemental income WDT
08 20 Department opposes Heron Landing
subdivision due to length of response times
WDT
Biefeld Promoted to City Assistant Fire Chief
Watertown Daily Times, 09 02 2008
Kraig Biefeld has been promoted to
assistant fire chief and director of Emergency Medical Services at the Watertown Fire Department.
Biefeld
replaces former assistant fire chief Neal
Zinda.
Biefeld
started his career in fire service in June of 1993 with the city of Watertown
as a paid-on-call firefighter. During
that time he went to school and received his paramedic
license through Gateway Technical College in 1997.
He
started working as a firefighter/paramedic with the city of Kaukauna in April
of 2000 and accepted the same position with the Watertown Fire Department two
years later.
Biefeld
has an associate’s degree in Fire Protection and holds a Wisconsin Paramedic
license I. He is also certified as a
firefighter Level I& Level II, motor pump operator-pumper, motor pump
operator-aerial, fire officer, fire instructor, fire inspector and a hazardous
materials technician.
Biefeld,
who is a CPR instructor, has attended classes at the National Fire
Academy. He has also been a member of
the Multiple Dwelling Code Council since 2005, which is a governor-appointed
position.
Biefeld
has been married for 18 years to his wife Christine. They have two children: Lynsey, 17, and
Kirsten, 10. The Biefelds
also do foster care for children.
“I
look forward to the opportunity to serve the Watertown Fire Department as
assistant fire chief and director of Emergency Medical Services,” Biefeld said.
10 13 Fire damages detached garage on Division
St WDT
10 14 10-year-old helps family avert tragedy,
Cole St WDT
10 20 Villages
of Lowell and Reeseville, EMS contracts for 2009. WDT
10 27 STATE OF THE COMMUNITY LUNCHEON
Watertown Fire
Chief Henry Butts Monday talked about the current role of the city’s fire
department during the seventh annual state of the community luncheon sponsored
by the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce.
The entire area the fire department supplies services to is
approximately 101 square miles, Butts added.
“We have quite a large area to take care of and with that comes a lot of
calls,” Butts said, while adding that the fire department responded to 2,083
calls in 2007 and just over 1,800 so far in 2008.
10 28 Fire Chief Butts talk about current role of
the fire department WDT
10 29 MCDONALD'S IS TOTAL
LOSS. First use of Mutual Aid Box Alarm System
McDonald's,
625 S. Church St., was declared a total loss after a two-alarm fire burned
through the roof of the restaurant. The
Watertown Police Department has determined from information provided by
witnesses and fire personnel that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning piece
of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment on the roof of the
building.
The
Watertown Fire Department received a call for the structure fire Tuesday at
6:11 p.m. and when firefighters first arrived at the scene heavy smoke was
pouring out of the roof on the east side of the building near the
drive-through. A second alarm brought firefighters from Ixonia, Johnson Creek, Jefferson and Lebanon. A total of 52 firefighters had the blaze under control in 2 hours
and 10 minutes and had it extinguished in 3 hours and 14 minutes. The last
group of firefighters left the scene at 9:47 p.m. It took firefighters more than three hours and 82,500 gallons of
water to extinguish the blaze.
For the
first time since it was implemented on Sept. 1, the Watertown Fire Department
used the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System
and Watertown fire Chief Henry Butts said he could not have been more pleased
with the results. The
Mutual Aid Box Alarm System is a coordinated effort that helps reduce the
amount of time it takes to get needed equipment to the scene of an emergency.
“Instead
of having to tell the dispatchers call this fire department and ask for this,
call this fire department and ask for that and call this fire department and
ask for that, all I had to do was say call Dodge and Jefferson County and
strike the second alarm for a fire at this address and it was done,” Butts
said.
A
McDonald's employee was injured and taken to Watertown Medical Regional Center,
but the injury was not directly related to the fire. The person had a medical condition which was exasperated by the
fire. No
firefighters were injured.
City
assessor Tom Brandt said the McDonald's building was valued at approximately
$630,000. The equipment inside the structure was estimated at about
$146,000. According
to the city's Building, Safety and Zoning office, the first building permit
issued to McDonald's was in April of 1975. The owner
of the building was Franchise Realty Interstate Corp. of Waukesha. Watertown Daily Times, 10 29
2008 & Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 10 29 2008
2009 Cross Reference note:
May 4, 2009 - Big Macs. Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Happy Meals.
Chicken McNuggets. Those are all food
items Watertown residents will once again be able to feast upon starting in
June. The new McDonald’s on South Church Street is scheduled to open on June 9,
according to operating manager Todd Pickett.
The new restaurant will be 5,200 square feet and feature the most recent
styles of the McDonald’s corporation.
The restaurant will also have a playland area and a dual drive through
lane. The former McDonald’s at the same location was declared a total loss in
October of last year when a fire caused the building’s roof to collapse.
11 13 Bill Adams hired by department WDT
11 14 Tanya Manke hired by department WDT
11
15 Rock River Pizza Co. and River City
Distributing Co.; a fund-raiser for the Watertown Fire Department WDT
12
18 Watertown Food Pantry donation; drive
sponsored by the Watertown Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 877 WDT
12 26 A garage in the Town of Watertown and
its contents were declared a total loss
WDT
___ 2009 __________________
01 22 2008
WAS BUSIEST YEAR EVER
The Watertown Fire Department had
its busiest year ever in 2008 with almost 2,200 calls for services. According to the city fire department’s
annual report, Watertown firefighters and paramedics received 2,186 calls for
service last year, which is up about 5 percent from 2007’s total of 2,083. Of those nearly 2,200 calls, 25 of them were
for working structure fires. Watertown
firefighters were dispatched to 19 structure fires in 2007, 14 in 2006, 28 in
2005, 29 in 2004, 18 in 2003, 28 in 2002, 45 in 2001 and 28 in 2000.
02 06 Fire Department Auxiliary Schedule,
several firefighters exceeding 600 hours per year WDT
02 17 Fire Department rates for area towns set
by Common Council WDT
04 03 Lifestar Emergency
Medical EMS considers Watertown; EMS rates WDT
04 16 APPLIED MOLDED PRODUCTS ROOF FIRE
The roof of the former Applied Molded Products building on South Montgomery Street
sustained about $10,000 in damages on Tuesday following a fire that was caused
by a person using a cutting torch, according to Watertown assistant fire chief
Kraig Biefeld. The Watertown Fire
Department was dispatched to the old Applied Molded Products facility, 426 S.
Montgomery St., Tuesday at 12:34 p.m., and the firefighters who first arrived
at the scene saw smoke coming from the northwest corner of the structure.
05 13 HAILED AS HEROES
Two local men are being hailed as
heroes by fire and police officials for potentially saving the lives of several
people during a blaze at a Jones Street home early Saturday morning. According to Watertown fire Chief Henry
Butts, the city’s fire department was notified Saturday at 3:19 a.m. of a house
fire at 409 Jones St. and while en route to the
scene, firefighters were told that people were jumping from the second floor of
the home. “This is the first time in 27
years that anybody has ever called me on the radio and said people were jumping
from a building,” Butts said. Butts was
also told while driving to the scene that five people were inside the house
when the fire started. Those five people
included a mother and four children.
06 25 Lifepak 12
cardiac defibrillator; Review of paid-on-call
firefighters to augment fire services WDT
06 29 Earl Nienow, 1930-2009, firefighter for 29 years,
retired in 1986 as lieutenant WDT
07 08 Breast cancer awareness and research,
members be wearing pink
T-shirts to support WDT
08 22 Combustible gas detector donated;
Chickens Unlimited WDT
09 15 Rich Nienow honored, 30 years as
auxiliary firefighter WDT
09 29 Fire Prevention Week; open house; teaming with the
Natl Fire Protection Assn; “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned” WDT
09 30 Fire Department visit to Public Library
at story time; Great Expectations Early Learning Center
WDT
12 14 Rural
fire rate hike on agenda WDT
___ 2010 __________________
01 25 ICE
TRAINING EXERCISE
Members of department take part, on Rock river, near station WDT [pic]
02 03 RESIDENTS
HONORED
For rescues during May 2009 house fire, John Jeffery and Kyle West
WDT [pic]
02 10 TOWN
OF WATERTOWN FIRE
Town of Watertown residence declared a total loss [$350,000,
structure and contents] WDT [pics]
03 18 SUPPORTING
THE TROOPS
Starting Friday, Watertown
Firefighters Local 877 and members of the Watertown Fire Department will be
wearing red T-shirts every Friday to honor and support the troops at home and
abroad. This show of support for the
troops has become a new tradition in fire service with departments throughout
the country, wearing red T-shirts every Friday.
03 18 CITY
FIRE CHIEF SAVES MAN FROM CHOKING TO DEATH
The Watertown Common Council was
briefed on the recent actions of city fire Chief Henry Butts that saved a man
from choking to death. In a letter
written to Watertown Mayor Ron Krueger, Pleasant Prairie fire Chief Paul
Guilbert said Butts saved the life of Mike Callan of Middlefield. Conn., during
the Wisconsin Fire Chiefs Education Association's spring conference held
earlier this month in Lake Delton.
Callan was the guest speaker at the event, which was attended by
approximately 65 fire chiefs from the state.
Menomonee Falls fire Chief
Jeffrey S. Hevey wrote to Krueger that Butts assisted Callan to a standing
position and administered three abdominal thrusts. The third abdominal thrust discharged a piece
of meat from Callan's airway. Krueger
discussed the letter about Butts' actions at Tuesday's council meeting and
confirmed that the city will be recognizing the fire chief in the future.
03 27 213 S.
SEVENTH ST.
213 S. Seventh St. $100,000
damage to home. Primary fire hydrant
malfunctioned; Second engine connected to another hydrant, pumping water to
first engine. WDT [pics]
04 14 $1,000 donation
from Golden Living for continued enhancement of services
WDT [pic]
04 14 Fire
at 1307 South Third WDT
07 06 11th annual
Lights 'n Sirens event returns to Watertown July 8
at Riverside Park WDT
07 29 Muscular Dystrophy Association;
Firefighters will remove their boots to collect money for
WDT
10 08 Students from Germany visit
Department
12 17 ASSISTANT
FIRE CHIEF COMMITS SUICIDE
bbbbb
12 22 FIREFIGHTERS RECEIVE LIFESAVING
MEDALS
Several Watertown firefighters were presented with lifesaving
medals during Tuesday’s common council meeting for helping revive Becky
Schroeder, who on April 1 was found unresponsive and without a pulse. AwardED were
firefighter Brad Fox, firefighter Chad Butler, firefighter Ken Riggs,
firefighter Greg Wellach, firefighter Brad Hering and
acting fire Chief Kraig Biefeld. WDT
DEC COMPLAINT FILED BY ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF
Assistant Fire Chief Michael Quint complaint against the city,
former fire Chief Henry Butts and Mayor Ron Krueger.
Watertown fire department in
turmoil after claims, suicide WSJour article
___ 2011 __________________
02 11 RIVER BEND RD FIRE
02 20 TEST AMERICA LABORATORIES destroyed by
fire.
03 11 SURVIVE ALIVE HOUSE RESTORED
Editor, Daily Times:
The Watertown Kiwanis recently
had a meeting honoring the volunteers who help to restore The Survive Alive
House. The house was built by Kiwanis
about 16 years ago, along with the gracious Capt. Ken Peterson who was working
at the Watertown Fire Department at that time and Dawn McBride who at
that time was a Kiwanian. They took hold of this project along with
the Watertown Kiwanis to make this dream come true. The materials were mostly donated by the
local business to keep the cost within reason. We all worked very
hard on this project. We had a lot of fun, story
telling (doughnuts) and jokes while we worked.
The restoring of the house is now completed
with the help of Ken Peterson, Deputy Chief Ralph Wandersee, material and time
from John Toma from Toma Construction, Chuck Volrath redid the pay phone
system, Jim Zuern with materials from Zuern Lumber and Steve Lehman for the new
stove from Felton Electric.
The house will soon be at schools,
gatherings, fairs, etc., to teach the children how to get out of a house in
case of fire. The house is completed with smoke added to detect a
fire in progress so the children learn to keep low and
get out quickly. When you see this house out and about be sure to
let the children go through as we have heard good results from the teaching of
this Survive Alive House saved lives.
Many thanks to all.
Watertown Kiwanis
Edna DeWitt, Secretary
03 23 Steven Beer, Asst Chief of Operations,
Fond du Lac Fire Dept, to be new chief of the Watertown Fire Department.
04 01 Steven Beer declines appointment
04 12 PANEL TO GET HELP PICKING FIRE CHIEF
The Watertown Police
and Fire Commission will be looking for outside assistance in selecting a new
fire chief. The commission decided on
Monday to invite representatives from Voorhees Associates and Springsted to attend
Wednesday’s meeting to explain their companies’ hiring practices. Commission members have asked the two
businesses to provide these services free of charge.
The police and fire
commission had originally offered the open fire chief position to Steven Beer,
but the assistant chief of operations for the Fond du Lac Fire Department
declined to take the job about two weeks ago.
Beer informed the police and fire commission that he wasn't going to
accept the position because of the recent police shooting in Fond du Lac that
killed one officer and wounded another. He felt that walking away from his
current job at this time would not be appropriate for the city of Fond du Lac
and the department.
The police and fire
commission originally received 17 applications for the fire chief position.
That list was pared down to seven after commission members studied all of the submitted resumes. Those seven applicants were
then asked to complete an essay in which each person was to outline his or her
leadership skills, abilities and other attributes each could bring to the
department. From that list, five
finalists were selected for face-to-face interviews. The commission had
selected Beer out of that group.
The fire chief position
has been open since Nov. 30, 2010, when former Chief Henry Butts resigned amid
an internal investigation of the department.
Assistant Chief Kraig Biefeld was named acting chief upon Butts’ departure
and will continue to serve that position until a new chief is on board.
05 26 FIREFIGHTERS FROM
GUATEMALA VISITED; Hearts in Motion
project
05 26 PROPANE EMERGENCY
TRAINING
N. First St.
parking lot; WI Propane Education and Research Council, sponsor.
09 06 GREGORY
MICHALEK APPOINTED FIRE CHIEF
Michalek
succeeds former fire chief Henry Butts, who resigned on Nov. 30, 2010, amid an
internal investigation of the fire department.
Assistant fire Chief Kraig Biefeld had been serving as acting fire chief
between Butts’ resignation and Michalek’s first day on the job. Michalek, who holds a bachelor's degree from
Western Illinois University, was most recently the fire chief of Bay City,
Mich. He had served that position since 2009. He started working as a paid
on-call firefighter for the fire department in La Grange, 111., in 1974 and was
promoted to captain in 2001. He stayed with the La Grange Fire Department until
he started his tenure with the Bay City Fire Department in 2009.
The
police and fire commission in March of this year had originally picked Steven
Beer, the assistant chief of operations for the Fond du Lac Fire Department, to
be Watertown's fire chief, but he declined the job. Beer informed the police and fire commission that he
wasn't going to accept the position because of the police shooting in Fond du
Lac that killed one officer and wounded another. He felt that walking away from
his current job would not be appropriate for the city of Fond du Lac and the
department.
09 22 DEPARTMENT NO LONGER ENDORSING
businesses, residents or organizations.
In the past allowed solicitation on its behalf for public education
materials.
11 15 CHIEF KRAIG BIEFELD presented the distinguished fire service award
and plaque by the Watertown Police and Fire Commission in recognition of his
service as interim fire chief from November 2010 to August. The award says Biefeld's
inspirational leadership contributed to and had a positive impact on the morale
and well-being of the Watertown Fire Department.
12 21 Butts
charged with theft. Did not
reimburse the city for airfare purchases made with the city’s credit card.
___ 2012
__________________
04 13 605 South Second St fire
05 17 GUNS N’ HOSES OF WATERTOWN WI KISS THE PIG
CONTEST
The
Watertown Citizen Police Academy Alumni is holding its first Guns N’ Hoses
Watertown event to raise money for the police and fire departments. The money raised will be divided equally between both
departments for items on their wish list and an amount to be determined to go
to the CPAA to help defray the cost of the event. The event will be called “Guns N’ Hoses of
Watertown WI Kiss the Pig Contest.” The contestants will be Watertown Alderman
John Coughlin, police officer Marcie Repta and Assistant Fire Chief Ralph
Wandersee. The winner of the contest,
the one who raises the most money in their name, will kiss a pig at the annual
Lights ‘n Sirens event held at Riverside Park on July
12.
06 01 MATT PIEPER
Newest full-time
firefighter/paramedic. From Hustisford,
worked as an on-call firefighter for 8 years before being hired full time at
the beginning of May.
07 18 LIFE SAFETY AWARDS
The Watertown Common
Council recognized five members of the Watertown Fire Department with life
safety awards for saving the life of Gordon Hensler, of Watertown, in September
2011. Firefighters Todd Christian, Chad
Butler, Brad Hering, Brad Fox and William Adams responded to an emergency call
for a man having a heart attack and when the firefighters arrived on scene
Hensler was unresponsive with no pulse and not breathing . . . “I truly want to
thank all of the personnel for their great service,” Hensler said. “I was
revived twice.” WDT
article
08 11 TRAINING SESSION AT RHINE RD AND PROSPECT
ST.
The Watertown Fire
Department conducted a training session on a house off of
Rhine Road, lighting several controlled fires inside the home and having
firefighters put them out, also training on search and rescue missions inside
the burning home. At the end of the
training the house was completely ablaze and allowed to burn down. WDT
> > Link to portfolio of pics [156 image set; view individually or as a
slide show] [full reference is
digital folder WFD WHS 006]
> > Link to video clip [4:43 minutes]
/ [full
video, 46:34 minutes]
09 04 2012 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Watertown Common Council will vote on. Contract has already
been approved by the Local 877 firefighters union and
recommended by the finance committee.
Department agreed to a wage freeze for 2012 and said the contract
continues most of the same conditions the firefighters had already been working
under. Expected to pass.
09 04 CHICKENS UNLIMITED donated $2,000 for
the department’s new training center located near the Watertown Municipal
Airport. WDT
09 05 W7889 PROVIMI ROAD
Watertown firefighters
responded on 09/04 at 9:43 p.m. to W7889 Provimi Road
in Emmet after a lightning strike set a detached garage on fire. The garage was a total a
loss; the damage to be around $15,000.
WDT
09 10 103 ½ COLLEGE ST. DUPLEX. 9:11 p.m. a neighbor saw flickering lights
and smoke coming out of a window. Fire
caused by a malfunctioning box fan. The
fire caused between $500-$1,000 in damage, mostly due to the smoke. Link to portfolio of pics
09 19 FARMINGTON MARSH FIRE. Fire and 35 mph. winds combined on September
19th to create a situation in which firefighters from throughout Jefferson
County were forced to scramble to control a potentially disastrous situation in
the marsh of the lowland valley west of N7153 Switzke
Road in the town of Farmington. The
flames headed north and northeast as fast as the winds could carry them. North
of the marsh were cornfields and beyond that, rural homes. The fire started
when the property owners were burning vegetation along fence rows earlier in
the day. ATVs got behind the flames and
got the fire out.” About 60 acres of
marsh and lowland were burned. Seven additional departments were called to the
blaze, including Lake Mills, Ixonia, Waterloo, Helenville,
Sullivan, Watertown and Jefferson. Upon
request, area farmers Dane Hartwig, Steve Shluter and
Lloyd Holterman came in with large tractors and disk harrows to help dig up
areas of vegetation and turn over soil.
A bulldozer from Weis Excavating of Johnson Creek also helped slice a
fire break across the land downwind from the fire.
10 03 SETTLEMENT with former Asst Chief
Michael Quint
The Watertown Common
Council unanimously approved a settlement with former Assistant Fire Chief
Michael Quint for $45,000 over a complaint Quint had filed in December 2010
against the city, former fire Chief Henry Butts and Mayor Ron Krueger. Quint had alleged Butts sent hateful letters
to various fire departments that were considering Quint for vacant fire chief
positions after Quint and Butts signed a settlement in January of 2010 in which
Quint voluntarily agreed to resign from the fire department. Quint received nearly $60,000 in severance
payments as part of the settlement.
Previously, in 2009, Quint filed a complaint against Butts alleging
serious misconduct on Butt’s part.
As a condition of the
first settlement, the city and Butts agreed a letter of reference from the
mayor would be the sole reference from the city for Quint’s records. The settlement also included a provision that
stated both Butts and Quint would seek to avoid negative public comments about
the other for the good of all parties.
The original complaint filed in December of 2010 said both Butts and
Quint understood there may be separate causes of action for making such
statements.
Quint later accused
Butts of breaching the agreement by sending hateful letters to various fire
departments across the county which were considering hiring Quint. Quint had used DNA evidence from envelopes
and soda cans to show that Butts was the person sending the letters. Butts voluntarily resigned from his position
on Nov. 30, 2010, amid an internal investigation of the fire department.
Quint’s complaint
against the city, seeking almost $800,000 in damages, was denied by the Common
Council in April of 2011. Quint
responded by filing a civil suit against the city in June of 2011 in Jefferson
County Court.
10 13 OPEN HOUSE Link
to portfolio of pics
10 22 
Special ride to school
BOUGHTON ST. FIRE
12 04 
Boughton
St fire
Fire in second story
bedroom of an apartment building at 1155 Boughton St, Unit 20; no injuries, but
$20,000 in damage. Firefighters found
flames shooting out of a second floor window. Bedroom was burnt out and other areas in the
apartment were damaged by smoke and heat.
No injuries reported. [image set CD_WHS_006
given to Fire Dept]
12 08 WALTON ROAD FIRE [video clip]
The Watertown Fire
Department received a call of a barn fire at N111 Walton Road at 9:31 p.m. The 40 feet by 50 feet barn was fully
engulfed and burning rapidly when firefighters arrived on scene. The barn was a complete loss and a home and
several other buildings on the property were damaged by heat coming off the
fire. Investigators believe the fire was
started by a torpedo heater being used in the barn. 14 Watertown firefighters responded to the
fire and as well as several other area fire departments. [image set CD_WHS_009 given to Fire Dept]
12 11 NEW GRASS RIG
-- -- RICHARD NIENOW
___ 2013 __________________
01 24 N9050 RIVER RD FIRE, [video clip]. Blaze in the basement knocked down in 10 mins. Cause believed to be electrical. $15,000-$20,000 damage. Ixonia Fire Dept responded with mutual aid
with engine, two tankers and manpower.
01 25 TOWN OF SHIELDS GARAGE FIRE, W9359
Garden Rd. Fully engulfed and spread to
nearby sheds. Twelve departments
responded.
01 31 BURLINGTON FIRE, Chief Michalek and
engine company called upon to help battle. Largest MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm Service)
response in
Wisconsin history.
02 01 RAPPEL DOWN THE HOSE TOWER
Assistant Chief Chad Butzine is the first
volunteer to rappel down the hose tower while other firefighters look on. The
department is spending time in the classroom and also
learning first-hand how to rappel, belay, tie knots, find anchor points and
build teamwork in order to train for ice rescues and ascending people from
confined, lower spaces. Rope rescue
training requires firefighters to wear helmets, gloves, harnesses and good
shoes. [Slideshow of WDTimes
images]
02 02 CADY ST FIRE, 213 W, [video clip]
A propane heater and delayed notification of
fire led to the total loss of a house.
Fourteen departments assisted at the scene. [Slideshow of WDTimes images]
02 17 1068 BOUGHTON GARAGE FIRE. Illegal wood burning stove with faulty
installation, $5,000 damage.
02 28 Firefighters Local 877 presented a check for $810 to Watertown
Regional Medical Center for the Friend to
Friend program.
02 28 Firefighters
rescued a wayward Labrador retriever who had ventured out on the Rock
River. West 4400 block of Riverview Rd.
04 02 
Firefighters rappel down a nearly
45-foot-deep rock quarry using ropes and anchor points.
04 23 109 N. TENTH ST. Structural fire.
04 27 1911 GATEWAY DRIVE
Garage fire. 
Owner tried to smoke
squirrels out of garage and held the smoke bomb right up to the rafters,
starting the fire. Took
about 5 minutes to knock down.
04 25 MOCK CRASH SCENE
.Editor, Daily Times: On behalf of the WHS Pledge of Excellence group,
I would like to thank a number of people who were instrumental in presenting
the Mock Crash Scene to the juniors and seniors on Thursday, April 25. This event has been taking place every other
year since 1997. The first people on our
list must be the fire department and EMS.
Assistant chief Kraig Biefeld took care of many of the details, while
Lt. Layne Fohr, firefighters Brent Kurtz, Mason Taylor, Matt Pieper and Scott
Umland were the men on the scene, showing the students what really happens at a
car crash. We cannot thank them enough .
. . – Tammy Foerster and WHS Pledge of Excellence Group WDT 05 02
04 29 STORY TIME JAMBOREE AT
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Dept. fields fire safety questions; equipment
demo.
05 09 MORGANS ROADHOUSE BAR
AND GRILL
in collaboration with River City Distributing, recently participated in a
Guinness Gives Back promotion to raise funds for the Watertown Fire
Department. A total of $500 from a
percentage of beverage sales and an event to learn how to pour Guinness from
tap was donated to the fire department, which will be used for training and
equipment. The bar, located at 715 W.
Main St., opened in January. Pictured
back row, Joe Kwapil of River City Distributing, Lt.
Layne Fohr, firefighter/EMT Brent Kurtz and firefighter/paramedic Matt
Pieper. Front, bartender Kristen Unser,
co-owner Craig Savage, fire Chief Greg Michalek and Assistant Chief Kraig
Biefeld. Not pictured is co-owner Tom
Evert.
05 09 FISHER-BARTON FIRE
Started by a furnace vent pipe. $10,000-$15,000 damage. Frederick
St, Portion of building location of Village
Blacksmith
06 06 FIRE INSPECTION RESPONSIBILITY SHIFTED TO FIRE DEPT
The Watertown Finance
Committee has approved shifting the responsibility of completing fire
inspections for buildings in the city from the Building Safety and Zoning
Departments to the Watertown Fire Department.
“The number one reason
was I’m responsible for all the fire inspections in the city by state law and a
local ordinance and I had no authority over it,” Michalek said. In addition to being responsible for
conducting the inspections, Michalek said he wants to have six firefighters
trained to complete the inspections by the middle of July. Currently the
inspections are completed by Building Safety and Zoning Department Inspector
Doug Zwieg. Michalek added he would like
to continue to use Zwieg as well as the firefighters to conduct the
inspections. “The firefighters already
go out and do a pre-planning visit to every commercial building in the city, so
they could complete the fire inspections at the same time.” He added the inspections would also help
firefighters become familiar with the buildings.
The city needs to
complete approximately 918 fire inspections a year, with some 400 to 500 of
those buildings require re-inspections every
year. The fire department would also
complete fire inspections in the townships of Emmet, Watertown, Milford and
Shields.
07 04 FIRE RUN TO 701 WILLOW CREEK PARKWAY
Electrical; Malfunctioning dishwasher
07 11 LIGHTS
N SIRENS EVENT at Riverside Park
08 09 FIRE AT 544 MILFORD ST.
The department responded to a fire that
started in the living room of the house. Two teenage children were home and
sleeping when the fire ignited. They were able to escape the home safely. The flames were contained to the living room,
but smoke damage was reported throughout the home. There were also two cats, two dogs and a boa
constrictor snake inside the home at the time of the fire. All the animals made
it out of the home safely. The Johnson
Creek, Beaver Dam and Ixonia fire departments also responded to the scene. Approximately $35,000 in damage. WDT
08 12 SHARES VEGETABLES WITH FIREFIGHTERS
Ramona Hackbarth plants
a vegetable garden on the south side of town and shares the fruits of her
labors with her neighbors and the firefighters at the municipal building. Main Street bridge named for.
09 08 DETTMAN FARM FIRE, N7397 County N, Milford Township
A farm building was deemed a total loss
after an early morning fire just off of CTH N between
I-94 and Grelton, the Tim Dettman farm N7397 County
N. The third major structure fire the
Dettman farm operation has faced over the past decade. WDTimes
article
09 29 501 N. FOURTH ST APARTMENT FIRE, Stacey's Bar
The Watertown Fire Department responded at
2:02 a.m. for a report of a structure fire. The back side of the building was fully
engulfed with fire blowing out the back windows on the second floor when
firefighters arrived on scene. A
28-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly starting a fire in the
apartments above Stacey's Bar that sent three people to the hospital. Two people, one woman and one man, jumped
from the second floor in the back of the building to escape the fire prior to
firefighters arriving on scene. The
woman fell through the doors covering the steps leading into the basement of
the bar and suffered an injury to her shoulder. The male who jumped suffered a
broken leg. Firefighters also rescued a
male from an apartment in the front of the second floor. The fire escalated to a third alarm with
departments from Lake Mills, Clyman, Johnson Creek, Waterloo, Lebanon, Lake
Mills EMS, Ixonia, Ryan Brothers, Juneau, Oconomowoc, Helenville,
Sullivan, Jefferson, Reeseville, Rome and Juneau EMS responding to the
blaze. The rear apartments on the second
floor were heavily damaged. The apartments and business on the first floor
suffered smoke and water damage.
Awards: Before the
October 15 City Council meeting Fire Chief Greg Michalek presented
Distinguished Service Medals to Assistant Chief Ralph Wandersee,
Firefighter/EMT Brent Kurtz, Firefighter/Paramedic Chad Butler, Firefighter/EMT
Brad Hering and Firefighter/ Paramedic Brad Fox for their service at the
September 29, 2013 structure fire at 501 N. Fourth St; Unit Citation Awards to
Assistant Chief Chad Butzine, Firefighter/ EMT Adam Fillmore and
Firefighter/EMT Taylor Heinzel, Firefighter/EMT Jay Blasé and Firefighter Dwain
Trewyn. Mayor David expressed his
sincere thanks and appreciation to all the firefighters for the job well done
at this fire.
10 03 N8482 COUNTY HIGHWAY X. Town of Watertown
An early morning fire in the town of
Watertown brought out 20 area fire departments and caused an estimated $100,000
in damage to a single-family home. The
fire apparently started on the outside porch of the home from a discarded
cigarette. Blaze
caused extensive damage to the second floor bedroom,
first floor living room and dining room.
The family of four was home at the time of the fire, but everyone was
able to escape the house without injuries.
WDTimes
article, WDTimes
image portfolio
10 08 St. HENRY’S 4-K CLASS FIELD TRIP TO FIRE STATION
10 15 FRIEND TO FRIEND OF WATERTOWN FUNDRAISER
Editor, Daily Times: Watertown Fire Department Local 877 members
hosted a brat and hot dog sale at the fire department’s open house on Oct. 5 to
raise money for Friend to Friend of Watertown.
This program helps fund mammograms for women in need. We would especially like to thank both
Johnsonville of Watertown and Brownberry Bread of
Oconomowoc for the donations of brats, hot dogs and buns. With their help we were able to kick start
our annual fundraiser and raise over $400.
Along with the brat and hot dog sale Local 877 is selling “pink gear”
throughout the month of October, all proceeds go toward Friend to Friend. – Watertown Fire Department Local No. 877
members.
11 07 GARAGE FIRE, 701 N. Church
Detached garage fire knocked down within
minutes
11 13 LIFE SAVING MEDALS / REPLACEMENT OF HEAVY
EQUIPMENT SQUAD
Common Council
Proceeding: Fire Chief Greg Michalek presented Fire Department Life Saving
Medals to Rescue 1 (FF Pieper & Taylor) and Engine 1 (Lt. Fohr, FF Kurz,
and FF/pm Esmeier).
These were awards presented for the crew's quick efforts on April 27,
2013 which resulted in Mr. David P. Smith being able to make a full recovery
from the event. Fire Chief also
presented Life Saving Awards to Rescue 1 (FF Fox & Adams) and Engine 2 (Lt.
Riggs, FF's Hering and Butler) for/their quick efforts on September 3, 2013 to
save Mrs. Edna Delair and allow her to make a full recovery. Mayor David expressed his sincere thanks and
appreciation to the Fire Fighters and Police Officers for the jobs well done at
these incidents.
Discussion. 4. Discuss
Fire Department apparatus repair. Due to
the age of the Heavy Equipment Squad and/the cost of repairs, the Finance
Committee felt it was reasonable to not repair this vehicle and plan for its replacement. Motion was made and seconded to not repair
the vehicle.
12 12 SMOKE DAMAGES 1006 PLEASANT STREET HOME
At the time of construction the foundation under the front porch was never
filled in. A piece of plywood was placed
under it and after a while the plywood dropped down about seven feet into the
ground. There was a crack into the top of the porch and cigarettes were falling down through it and one of the cigarettes ignited
the plywood on fire. The family had no
idea the board was down there. It has
probably been in the ground for 40 years.
The smoke from the burning plywood pushed into the house through the
basement, causing minor smoke damage.
Firefighters had to punch out the cinder blocks on either side of the
porch to get at the fire.
WHS
portfolio of images; WDTimes
portfolio of images.
12 19 FIRE FROM SNOWMOBILE WORK DAMAGES GARAGE /
730 Crestview Drive
Flames were knocked
down quickly before they could spread to the home, which was attached to the
garage. A father and son were replacing
a fuel line on a snowmobile in the garage when some fuel was spilled. Both the father and son had some singed hair
and smoke on their faces. But they were examined at the scene
and both refused medical transport. The
home sustained some smoke damage. The
garage sustained structure damage.
WDTimes
portfolio of images
___ 2014
__________________
01 20 LIFE-SAVING MEDAL PRESENTATION
Firefighters and paramedics for a call they
responded to on Sept. 6, 2013, for a pulseless, non-breathing patient. The quick response and skills performed on
this patient saved his life and allowed for a full recovery. L-R: firefighter-paramedic Scott Kreilkamp,
firefighter-paramedic Jim Acker, Lt. Tim Gordon, firefighter Greg Wellach and firefighter-paramedic John Duvernell.
01 22 2014 FIRE PROTECTION AND EMS AGREEMENT /
NEW AMBULANCE
The council approved a
2014 fire protection and EMS agreement with the towns of Emmet, Milford,
Shields and Watertown. The townships
will pay $186,222.54 based on applying the same tax rate paid by residents and business of the city of Watertown. That breaks down to $28,304.33 from the town
of Shields, $47,340.23 from the town of Emmet, $26,122.62 from the town of
Milford and $88,898.25 from the town of Watertown. Fire Chief Greg Michalek said the agreement
is similar to previous agreements but did add $6,000
to the cost. He added that cost was split across the
four townships.
Approved a resolution
to purchase an ambulance from Jefferson Fire and Safety of Middleton for
$193,498.40.
02 17 TWO VEHICLE FIRES DURING SUBZERO WEATHER
All-terrain vehicle in
garage on 500 block of Milford St. and vehicle fire in driveway on 200 block of
Bonner St.
03 04 ASSISTANT CHIEF RALPH WANDERSEE RETIRES
The Watertown Fire
Department has announced Assistant Fire Chief Ralph Wandersee will retire on
March 13 after working for the city for 30 years. Wandersee has been with the department since
Oct. 31, 1984. Wandersee held every
position in the department except for fire chief.
03 08 LIEUTENANT AND ASSISTANT CHIEF POSITIONS.
Common Council Proceedings
Fire
Chief Greg Michalek was present to discuss changes he would like in the Fire
Department Lieutenant and Assistant Chief positions. After discussion and explanation of these
changes, motion was made by Alderperson Romlein,
seconded by Alderperson Tietz to approve this change in job descriptions and
passed unanimously.
REVIEW DISCONTINUING USE OF A PRIVATE BILLING COMPANY
Chief
Michalek was again present to ask the Finance Committee to discontinue use of a
private billing company and bring the billing in-house. With the training for
staff and the software, there would still be substantial savings to the city in doing this. There was some discussion and
questions by the Finance Committee. Motion was made by Alderperson Tietz,
seconded by Alderperson Romlein to continue to pursue
the ability to do the billing for EMS & Fire services internally, by the
Fire Department and passed unanimously.
LIFE
SAVING MEDALS / UNIT CITATIONS
Mayor
David introduced Fire Chief Michalek to present Life Saving Medals to the crew
of Rescue 1 (Firefighter/ Paramedic Scott Umland and Firefighter/Paramedic Kyle
Esmeier) and the crew of Engine 2
(Assistant Chief Chad Butzine, Firefighter/Paramedic Mason Tayler and
Firefighter/ Paramedic Matt Pieper for their efforts that resulted in saving
the life of a man down and not breathing at the bowling alley at 766 N. Church
Street. Chief Michalek also presented Unit Citations to the crew of Rescue 1
(Firefighter/Paramedic Brad Fox, Firefighter/Paramedic William Adams) and the
crew of Engine 2 (Assistant Fire Chief Ralph Wandersee, Firefighter/ Paramedic
Chad Butler, and Firefighter/EMT Brad Hering) for their efforts that resulted
in saving the life of a female that had attempted suicide. Mayor David
congratulated all present for
their efforts.
03 12 GARAGE FIRE, 507 S.
Washington 
Caused by an
overloaded electrical circuit inside the detached garage.
03 20 GORDON PROMOTED TO
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF
Tim
Gordon, formerly a lieutenant, will be replacing retired assistant fire chief
Ralph Wandersee. Wandersee retired on
March 13 after working for the department for 30 years. Gordon has been with the Watertown Fire
Department for almost 20 years. He also worked as a firefighter in Milwaukee
for four years prior to joining the Watertown Department. The other assistant fire chiefs on staff
include Chad Butzine, Keith Becken and Kraig Biefeld.
03 27 FIRE PREVENTION GRANT
The Watertown
Fire Department has received a $1,500 fire prevention grant from FM Global, a
commercial property insurer. The award
will be used to assist with pre-fire planning to efficiently collect and track
data related to local community buildings.
The information will help the fire service
respond in an emergency situation. Through its Fire Prevention Grant Program,
FM Global awards grants quarterly to fire departments — as well as national,
state, regional, local and community organizations worldwide — that best
demonstrate a need for funding, where dollars can have the most demonstrable
impact on preventing fire or mitigating the damage it can quickly cause.
04 14 OFFICER’S QUICK ACTION HELPS RESIDENTS ESCAPE
No one was injured in a small
fire at the Washington Inn, 516 E. Main
St. Officer Scott Kind was at the hotel
at approximately 10 p.m. doing a verification check at the inn when he smelled
smoke in the building, followed the smoke to a room that was unoccupied,
alerted the fire department and other police officers and began an
evacuation. The building did not have a
fire alarm system; there was a smoke detector in the room where the fire began,
but it was not working at the time of the fire. A smoke detector in the hallway
was working. It is believed that the
fire was started by a candle on the floor next to the sofa in the room. Emergency officials also evacuated the
Firecracker Pub which shares a building with the Washington Inn. Video
Clip
04 18 DSPS RECOGNIZES DEPT.
The
Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services (DSPS) visited the
Watertown Fire Department. The DSPS
recognizes that the men and women of the department are dedicated to protecting
the lives and safety of the citizens of Watertown.
04 27 WIND AND
POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO BUILDING FAÇADE
Wind and potential damage to building façade, especially 300 E
Main (former Book World).
The Watertown Fire Department
responded Sunday at 1:45 p.m. to the intersection of East Main and South Third
streets to help the city take down the banner hung across the street after it
was reported the high winds were damaging the siding of the buildings the
banner was hung from.
04 29 STORYTIME JAMBOREE
Watertown Public Library event
05 07 CHAD BUTLER PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT
Fire Chief Greg Michalek said Chad Butler
has been promoted to lieutenant and will be transferring to the B shift
starting Friday. Butler previously
worked as a firefighter/paramedic with the A shift. Butler will be replacing Tim Gordon, who was promoted to assistant chief in March to replace
the retired Ralph Wandersee.
05 12 STORM CAUSES PARTIAL ROOF
COLLAPSE / Demolition of 223 W Main
video
Portfolio
of images
A three-story
building on the corner of West Main and South Washington streets was torn down
Monday after being deemed unstable by the Watertown Fire Department following a
partial collapse of the building’s roof during Monday’s storms. Caused by water pooling on the roof and the
high winds during the storm. Weight of
the debris from the roof then caved in the floor of the third story and piled
onto the floor of the second story. The
building was empty at the time of the collapse.
Firefighters also evacuated the Why Not Bar and a second
floor apartment next door at 221 W. Main St.
06 02 DEPARTMENT CONTAINS PETROLEUM-BASED LIQUID
ON ROCK RIVER
06 04 SECOND FLUID SPILL IN ROCK RIVER IN THREE
DAYS
WDTimes
article; WDTimes
portfolio of images
06 04 CIVIL WAR-ERA CANNONBALL found in
resident’s yard
The Watertown Fire Department was called on June 4th and they contacted Milwaukee’s Bomb
Squad. The cannonball was made of brass, and contained gun powder. It was about three-and-one-fourth inches wide, and weighed about five pounds. The cannonball was detonated in the city’s
quarry. WDTimes
story
06 07 1334 COLONIAL DRIVE
Garage fire
caused by heat lamp
07 02 LIFESAVING AWARDS
The common council recognized
several citizens and firefighters with lifesaving awards for a call on May 5 at
Piggly Wiggly where there was a man without a pulse and not breathing. Citizen bystanders Andrea Olson and Cathleen
Gurnee, a registered nurse at Watertown Regional Medical Center, provided CPR
to the man until firefighters arrived.
The crew who arrived consisted of firefighter/EMT Wes Jahnke, Lt. Layne
Fohr and Assistant Fire Chief Chad Butzine.
The patient has now made a full recovery and is doing well. Due to overlapping calls at the time another
crew to assist them was not available.
07 08 LIGHTS N SIRENS ANNUAL EVENT 
Image
Portfolio
07 21 BEGIN IN-HOUSE BILLING
Council Proceedings: Exhibit
#8067, to authorize the Fire Department to begin in-house billing on September
1, 2014 for EMS Services, with a checking account to be opened at JPMorgan
Chase Bank was presented. Carried on a
roll call vote: Yes – 9. No – none.
07 23 307 E MAIN CALL
Equipment malfunction caused smoke. 
Image
Portfolio
08 08 818 E MAIN STRUCTURAL FIRE
08 12 FIRE DEPARTMENT HONOREES
From left, firefighter/paramedics Scott Kreilkamp and Tanya Reynen and
firefighter/EMT-B Greg Wellach were recently awarded life saving medals for their actions during a June 21
incident where they helped to save the life of a man who fell and had suffered
what were at the time life-threatening injuries.
11 18 TWO NEW FULLTIME FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDICS
Lucas Vogt started at
the department on June 25. He has his associate degree in fire protection
technician from Waukesha County Technical College and is from both Hartford and
Lake Country fire departments. Dave
Kruser started on Nov. 5 and has received his education from MATC Madison and
Mercy Regional EMS in Janesville. Kruser is a former member of the Fitchburg
Fire Department. Vogt is filling a
vacant firefighter/paramedic position due to promotions and Kruser is filling a
firefighter/paramedic position vacated by William Adams, whom
was hired in the city of Madison.
11 21 JEFFERSON ROAD FIRE
12 19 PRACTICE SCBA SKILLS
12 21 1118 RIVER DRIVE EXPLOSION AND HOUSE FIRE
of 12 21 2014
Watertown
firefighters responded at 7:23 a.m. to 1118 River Drive for a reported
explosion and subsequent fire; the back of the house had been blown out. Firefighters could not enter the building
initially due to structural concerns, and the fire caused the roof to
collapse. The house will need to be torn
down. Five fire departments from
surrounding areas were at the scene assisting.
Nobody in the house at the time of the
explosion.
08 02 2019 -
FOLLOW UP: WATERTOWN MAN CONVICTED OF ARSON IN HOME EXPLOSION
A former Watertown
man, with an address listed at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution where he is
serving time for stalking causing injury, was convicted in Jefferson County
Circuit Court on one count each of burglary, domestic abuse and arson. The arson conviction comes following a 2014
home explosion and fire in Watertown.
According to a criminal complaint in the matter, Craig S. Lillge, 40,
formerly of Watertown, burglarized the home of his ex-girlfriend in Watertown
and activated a gas valve, leading to the home’s explosion and subsequent fire.
The home was a total loss.
Watertown’s
then-fire Chief Greg Michalek said when firefighters arrived on the scene the
back of the house had been blown out. Firefighters could not enter the building
initially, due to structural concerns. The fire caused the roof to collapse. He
said the house would need to be torn down. There was nobody in the house at the
time of the explosion.
___
2015 __________________
01 19 HAZARDOUS WASTE SPILL / LIFE SAVING AWARDS
The council
will vote on the second reading of an ordinance to give the Watertown fire
chief or authorized representative authority to bill those responsible for a
hazardous waste spill for the cleanup of that waste.
Watertown
Fire Department Life Saving Awards for Lt. Ken Riggs, Scott Umland, Brad Fox,
Matt Pieper and Brad Hering for an emergency response where the above
individuals resuscitated a patient believed to be having a heart attack and was
found without a pulse and not breathing.
The patient is expected to make a complete recovery.
01 21 HIGH ROAD CHIMNEY FIRE
N8128 High
Road fire confined to the chimney.
02 14 SPUNCAST: COMPRESSOR OVERHEATED
02 20 232 FREMONT ST. CHIMNEY FIRE
02 26 WHAT’S WITH THE CROWD?
Editor,
Daily Times:
Many times we arrive on an emergency medical call to initiate patient
care and are asked, “What’s with so many people?”
When someone
calls 911 with a medical emergency the dispatchers (person you talk to) will
ask you if the patient is having any trouble breathing, chest pain, is
conscious or unresponsive. These are key words for us as responders to get an
idea of how sick our patient may be. If our patient is very sick it is
important that we have as many hands on deck as
quickly as possible in these types of situations. 10 hands many times work much
faster than just 4.
Oftentimes
there are paramedics staffing the fire engine that day as well. This allows for
more assistance in patient care such as starting IVs, pushing important
medications, assisting in maintaining our patient’s airway. The engine company
will also assist in carrying in appropriate medical equipment, getting the cot
ready; assist in lifting/moving the patient; all of which saves time critical
to patient outcome.
Not only
does the engine respond to EMS calls, but the ambulance responds to many fire
incidents as well. Every member of the fire department is “cross trained” which
means that we are all firefighters and some level of EMT. When there is a fire
incident the ambulance crew has fire fighting gear
and breathing apparatus on the ambulance so they are
ready to assist immediately. The ambulance crew will then act as firefighters
and complete any task assigned from command.
Tanya Reynen, marketing
committee, Watertown Fire Department
03 02 115 N. WASHINGTON
Apartment
fire, electrical, contained to attic, $5000 damage
03 30 ACKER/FOX, EMT/FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Jim Acker,
left, received a certificate for EMT of the Year, while Brad Fox received a
certificate for Firefighter of the Year at the 67th Birthday Banquet of
American Legion Post No. 189 on March 14.
04 09 NUMBER OF RUNS IN 2014 / MABAS / SAFER GRANT
The total number
of runs in 2014 by the Watertown Fire Department was 2,369, with 579 of them
being fire runs and 1,790 being EMS runs. This total number of runs is about
21.8 percent higher than in 2001, with almost twice as many fire calls. Some of the increase in fire calls is due to
the advent of the MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System). MABAS was created by the Wisconsin State
Legislature in 2006 as a mutual aid measure that deploys fire, rescue and
emergency medical service personnel in a multijurisdictional or multi-agency
response. The end result is a more comprehensive
response, but that also places more calls on individual fire stations.
The city
itself had a reduction in its fire department paid staff in the wake of the
2008 recession. At the time, the
department had 25 full-time employees. It currently has 22. As part of its efforts to address the city's
staffing concerns, the Watertown Fire Department has applied for the SAFER
Grant. The SAFER Grant would increase
each shift by one staff member, bringing two shifts to a full crew of eight and
a third shift to seven.
04 25 PROVIDER OF THE YEAR AWARD, Dodge
County EMS banquet
04 28 MOCK PROM CRASH SCENARIO, Watertown
High School
04 29 EMERGENCY SIREN UPGRADE, South and
Benton streets
05 06 BRANDON WOJNOWSKI, a new
full-time firefighter/ paramedic
Brandon Wojnowski, 23, began working with the
department on March 11. He comes to
Watertown with six years of experience with Tess Corners Fire Department, first
as a volunteer and then as a member of that department’s part-time staff for
both fire and EMS. Wojnowski went to
Waukesha County Technical College for his firefighting certification and
attended paramedic school at Gateway Technical College. He began his career volunteering at Tess
Corners Fire Department, and had
started taking fire classes while still in high school. He said his dad has been in fire service for
30 years, also beginning as a volunteer but is now a fire chief in Greendale.
05 06 NAMED 2014 DODGE COUNTY EMS SERVICE OF THE YEAR
Assistant Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld said the Dodge
County EMS Association gave the award for reasons like the department’s 1,500
hours of continuing education in EMS and a save rate of 43.8 percent, more than
four times the national average of 10.4 percent.
The Watertown Fire Department has been providing EMS
service to the city of Watertown and portions of Dodge County since 1975. In 1993 the Watertown Fire Department became
the first paramedic level service in Dodge County to offer paramedic intercept
service to EMS agencies in Dodge County.
Aside from the high save rate, other accomplishments of the department
in 2014 include paramedics becoming certified as Pre-Hospital Emergency
Pediatric Providers (PEPP), license renewal for all EMS personnel and the purchase
of a new ambulance.
05 11 JOHNSONVILLE FOODS FIRE
Firefighters responded at 12:57 a.m. on
05/10 to Johnsonville Sausage, 104 E. Division St., for a structure fire. When firefighters arrived on the scene smoke
was coming from the building and fire was seen on the roof. The fire caused extensive damage inside the
building. The building was unoccupied at
the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. The blaze was under control in about an hour.
Johnsonville
sausage makers use downtime productively
Workers
at destroyed Johnsonville plant still paid, learn power of volunteering
05 13 BAKKEN CRUDE OIL RAIL RESPONSE CONSIDERATIONS
Council Proceedings, 04 21 2015 /// Presentation regarding Fire Department
readiness: Assistant Fire Chief Biefeld
was present in the absence of Chief Michalek to show a video and explain the
various things regarding the Bakken Crude Oil Rail Response Considerations. There are a growing number of concerns
regarding the number of Crude Oil Tankers that are traveling through our
City. Assistant Chief Biefeld showed
several different videos and explained the different types of preparedness and
things that would take place in the event of an unforeseen derailment happening
in or near Watertown. Council
Proceedings, 04 21 2015
06 01 PERRY ST. HOUSE FIRE
A mother and her two children (9 months
and 2 years old) escaped a 1:59 a.m. fire at their home at 1041 Perry St.,
after being awakened by a fire alarm and barking dog. Prior to the arrival of the fire department
the woman had thrown her children out of a window to a police officer and then
jumped out of the window herself to safety.
06 16 LOCATION OF ANOTHER FIRE STATION
Review Fire Station Analysis Executive
Summary. Fire Chief Michalek was present
to discuss the conclusions of the analysis that was done on the location of
another Fire Station within the City.
The study is recommending a site on Dayton Street for a second Fire
Station. It is located
in an area in which we have many calls to and is also quite a distance
from the Central Fire Station in the middle of our City. Chief Michalek noted that our fire responses are up 100% since 2002.
In April of this year 29% of our calls were multiple calls for service,
more than one call at a time. Monthly,
we are around 21% of our calls being multiple calls. It would give us better response time if we
had another location, especially for EMS calls which are going up substantially
every month and annually. This
information was provided by the Chief for the Alderpersons to think about. This will be coming back in the future for
further discussion concerning another Fire Station in the City of Watertown.
Council Proceedings
06 16 PAGING SYSTEM BID
(same date) Review& approve Fire
Department Paging System bid. The
current Paging System at the Fire Department is over 25 years old. In the Budget for 2015 a new Paging System
was approved. $ 26,000.00 was
budgeted. The Chief did receive two bids
for the System. The low bidder was Scan
Am, at$ 25,993.00. APS also put in a bid of$ 30,540.97. There was discussion concerning the Paging
System. The Chief explained that this is
an in- building paging system. It will
page out firefighters from all areas of the building. Not only within the Fire Department and the
Apparatus Floor, but in the dorm room, workout room, the basement offices, all
these areas have to be covered by the paging
system. It also allows the firefighters
to respond back verbally to the Dispatch Center. Motion was made by Alderperson Larsen to
recommend the purchase from Scan Am, seconded by Mayor David and passed
unanimously. Council Proceedings
07 07 LIGHTS N
SIRENS ANNUAL EVENT
07 14 SATELLITE
FIRE STATION PROPOSED
Kraig Biefeld, assistant fire chief for
the Watertown Fire Department, spoke with the Watertown Finance Committee about
a recent fire station analysis that had been completed by Vandewalle and
Associates. The analysis recommends the
construction of new stations in three different areas of the city to help
improve the fire department’s ability to respond to an increasing number of
calls in a very large area. However, the
analysis recognizes the financial constraints on such drastic actions and
instead offers a single new satellite fire station on the city’s west side as
the best first step to addressing these concerns.
The Watertown Fire Department’s service
area includes more than the city of Watertown, it includes significant portions
of the surrounding towns of Emmet and Shields in Dodge County and the towns of
Watertown and Milton in Jefferson County.
The current city limits contains about 12.5
square miles, while the entire fire service area covers approximately 88 square
miles. Response times are another large
factor in making the proposal to build satellite fire stations. The standard response time for fulltime departments is six minutes, as set by the National
Fire Protection Association. Those six
minutes are broken down into 60 seconds to answer the call and dispatch the
fire department, between 60-90 seconds to get dressed and out the door and four
minutes to reach the scene of the incident.
According to data from the Watertown Fire Department, the average
response time is between six and seven minutes for three of the city’s four
districts and just above five minutes for the final district. This is due to a couple of reasons, including
the large coverage area, but also the increasing prevalence of multiple calls
coming in simultaneously.
The analysis states the first new station
should be on the west side, as the station would largely serve present
development not well served by the current station as well as some future
residential and nonresidential expansion.
The proposed preferred site for the west side satellite facility is 127
Dayton St., a property previously identified by the Watertown Park, Recreation
and Forestry Commission as one that would be possibly desired for parkland. It
was proposed that the whole parcel could be purchased, as the satellite
facility would only require a portion of the land, and the remainder of it
could be developed as parkland by the city.
08 01 PLANE CRASH
ON BERYL DRIVE
Initial investigation
showed that as 1978 single engine Cessna was approaching the
Watertown Airport for a landing just before 6pm the plane lost engine power
and crashed through some trees, coming to rest on private property. The pilot, who was alone in the plane,
received minor injuries and was transported to the Watertown Hospital. Jefferson County Sheriff, Watertown Police
Department, Watertown EMS and Watertown Fire Department responded to the
scene. Jefferson County Emergency Communications
volunteers were also dispatched to the scene to assist.
08 18 GARAGE FIRE AT W8705 HIGH ROAD
Watertown
firefighters responded Tuesday at 10:09 a.m. to the property after a passerby
had seen the fire through the open garage door and notified the residents to
evacuate; the cause of the fire was electrical.
Residents exited the building the garage door had come down on its own
and cut off the oxygen for the fire, hampering it greatly and likely saving the
house. Extensive heat damage to the
garage, vehicle and contents of the garage.
Aid
sought for family displaced by fire.
WDTimes
article
09 02 ROOF FIRE AT SPUNCAST
A
malfunction of a furnace at Spuncast Inc., W6499
Rhine Road, caused a fire Tuesday night that was quickly extinguished by
Watertown firefighters. Firefighters responded
to the facility at 10:52 p.m. after the malfunction had caused molten metal to
go into the air and start a fire on the ceiling. Flames could be seen through the roof upon
arrival. There were no injuries, but the
production line had to be shut down and the building evacuated while the fire
was put out.
09 03 SEVENTH FILL-THE-BOOT CAMPAIGN
(L-R) Fire Department members Brad Fox, Scott Umland, Ken
Riggs, Tim Gordon and Elizabeth Wagler, Muscular Dystrophy Assn.
Department
raised $6,878 during its seventh year of Muscular Dystrophy Association’s
Fill-the-Boot campaign. The department
has raised roughly $65,000 since its first year of doing the campaign.
09 03 FIRST SOFTBALL GAME:
FIRE DEPT vs. POLICE DEPT
The Watertown Fire Department will be going
head-to-head with the Watertown Police Department in their first softball game
Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Riverside Park.
The game, to be played annually, will act as a fundraiser for the
Watertown Family Center.
Oct SERIES OF THREE ARTICLES
DEPARTMENT
AND ECONOMIC AND STAFFING ISSUES
WDTimes, WDTimes
10 07 2015, WDTimes,
10 05 NEW INFRA-RED CAMERAS; EXHAUST SYSTEM UPGRADE
Review & approve accepting the Assistance
Fire Fighter Grant for the Fire Department.
Chief Michalek was present to explain that we received a grant for
$65,000.00, which will go toward some new infra-red cameras and to upgrade the
Exhaust System in the Fire Department.
Motion was made and seconded to accept the grant. Common
Council proceedings.
10 05 ANDREA PETERS:
UPDATED JOB DESCRIPTION
Review & approve transfer of funds
in the Fire Department from the Revenue Account to the Expense Account, to pay
for the items that were awarded in the AFG Grant. Motion was made and seconded
to approve the transfer. 3. Review & approve the updated job description
for Andrea Peters. Chief Michalek was
present to explain that he had received an updated JDQ from Carlson Dettmann
recommending the pay grade for Andrea’s position be moved from a Grade F to a
Grade G. The Chief is requesting that
she be placed on Step 3. Motion was made and seconded to approve this pay grade
change immediately. Common Council proceedings.
10 05 NEED FOR NEW ENGINE
Fire Chief Greg Michalek was present to
explain the need for a new engine. He appreciates this being included in the
Capital Budget, as the newest engine is 11 years old, with the oldest being 31
years old. He also explained the need for at least one fire fighter, as he will
be having two gone on FMLA again at the end of this year and he has a strain
with the lack of staffing. Common Council proceedings.
10 07 EXHAUST SYSTEM, THERMAL IMAGING
CAMERAS
The council
voted 8-0 to purchase a completion and upgrade for the fire department’s
vehicle exhaust system from Hastings Air Energy Inc. of New Berlin for
$47,661. The fire department had received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant that will
cover up to 90 percent of the cost, so the city will only need to provide about
$4,766 for this purchase.
The council
also voted 8-0 to purchase two Argus Edge 320 thermal imaging cameras with
truck charger from Jefferson Fire and Safety of Middleton for $12,404. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant the
department had received will also cover 90 percent of
this cost, so the city will only need to provide about $1,240 for this
purchase.
10 20 UNIT CITATION FOR ENGINE 2 AND
RESCUE 3 at Common
Council meeting
Mayor David
presented a Unit Citation from the Fire Chief for Engine 2 and Rescue 3 which
states:
“On October
7, 2015, at approximately 0217 hrs, the Watertown Fire
Department was dispatched to a single vehicle accident at S. Concord and Brian
Court. Initial information on dispatch
was the vehicle crashed after a police chase and there was movement in the
vehicle. Engine 2 (with Assistant Chief
Gordon, Lt. Riggs, and FF/PM Fox) and Rescue 3 (with FF/PM Pieper and FF/ PM
Wojnowski) responded. Upon arrival they
found a midsized vehicle wrapped around a tree, almost cut in half. Inside the vehicle were five (5) victims
entangled in a heavily damaged vehicle.
Assistant Chief Gordon immediately requested a Box Alarm on a
Life-safety card. This brought an Engine
and Ambulance from Johnson Creek, Engine, Ambulance and Chief Officer from
Ixonia, Ambulance from Fort Atkinson Ryan Brothers, Ambulance from Waterloo,
Heavy Rescue from Jefferson, and a Chief Officer from Lake Mills. A Lake Mills Engine and Beaver Dam Ambulance
changed quarters to our station. Two
helicopters were also requested and responded from UW Madison Hospital. Engine 2 and Rescue 3 immediately started the
difficult and arduous task of extrication.
Due to the extensive damage to the vehicle and entanglement of the
victims, the extrication was very difficult and time consuming. They were able to extricate two victims prior
to the arrival of mutual aid companies.
All resources were required for the extrication for the victims in the
front seats. For their actions, at first
with limited manpower and an extremely difficult extrication with multiple
victims, Engine 2 and Rescue 3 are awarded Unit Citations. Their professionalism, resourcefulness and
skills in a very challenging and trying situation was no less than remarkable.”
11 08 TRAIN
DERAILMENT, TANKER CARS LOADED WITH CANADIAN CRUDE
< PORTFOLIO OF PICS
“I was
home when it happened about 150 yards to my south.
It sounded like giant metal dumpster being
dragged on concrete.”
Tanker car derailment west of
Montgomery Street crossing a little after 2 p.m., in the southwestern part of
the city where the Canadian Pacific mainline and the
Union Pacific branch line intersect.
Thirteen cars left the tracks at and near the intersection of the
Canadian Pacific mainline and the Union Pacific branch line. The 110-car train was bound for Chicago, with
109 of those cars carrying crude oil.
Canadian Pacific Railway says a broken rail caused an oil train
derailment.
"What I saw was the main car that
was leaking, jumped the tracks, landed into the back of that building, hit an
electrical transformer box and also had the natural gas leaking to it’ said
Assistant Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld. “The
leaking gas and spilled oil were in close proximity to the running generator in
the building as well as an electrical transformer."
Shortly after, the Johnson Creek Fire
Department arrived and Biefeld directed them to put down class B foam over the
oil on one side of the leaking rail car while Watertown Fire Chief Greg
Michalek had a crew spray the other side.
Firefighting foam creates a film over combustible fuel, minimizing its
contact with oxygen and cooling the affected area. When the Clyman and Ixonia fire departments
arrived, Biefeld said he directed them to check on the other derailed cars for
leaks before having the Clyman firefighters disconnect the power. Biefeld said besides shutting off the power
to the building, firefighters also had to disable the building's backup power
sources.
"You opened the door
and you could smell the crude oil fumes already, so if there was a spark that
would have started a fire with that generator running," Biefeld said.
"So they opened that door up, turned the
generator off, and opened up the other four doors and pulled out fuses or
anything to make sure the batteries weren't working." Biefeld and the firefighters began to dig a path
to divert the oil to a lower spot. WDTimes
story
More details. YouTube video clip
11 23 FIRE
PROTECTION & EMS AGREEMENTS
Exhibit #8238, to enter into Fire
Protection & EMS Agreements with the Town of Watertown ($86,622.97), Town
of Shields ($32,082.58), Town of Emmet ($52,831.69) and Town of Milford
($26,628.54) for 2016 was presented.
Carried on a roll call vote: Yes – (8) No – none (0).
11 23 HOME FIRE, 503
N. MONTGOMERY
A structure fire Friday night has left
a home on North Montgomery Street with heavy smoke damage and some fire damage
in its garage.
___ 2016
__________________
01 15 NEW TRAINING FACILITY AT AIRPORT
Several area businesses have agreed to
donate necessary materials to develop a new training facility for the Watertown
Fire Department near the corner of South Twelfth Street and Air Park
Drive. The department expects the
facility to be operational in the summer of 2017 with construction resuming in
the spring. The new facility will allow
the department to train in things like fire extinguishment, confined space
rescue, vehicle extrication, ventilation and much more. To reduce the impact the facility has on the
surrounding community, the fire department will only burn natural materials
like wood and hay, avoiding the toxic fumes of plastics and chemicals.
Shipping
containers, purchased with a grant through the Brandt-Quirk Foundation, will
eventually be built into the structures that comprise the training facility.
Johnsonville Sausage will also contribute to the project, supplying door
frames, scrap metal and several other materials from its former factory. Other businesses that have pledged services
and materials include: Sherwin-Williams, Dodge
Concrete, Rock River Blacksmith LLC and Jacobson Crane Service.
01 25 LIFE SAVING AWARDS
Fire Chief Greg
Michalek presented Life Saving Awards to crews of Rescue 3 and Engine 1 for
their response to a 55-year-old female patient on December 28, 2015. After two minutes of CPR, a pulse returned to
the patient. Those receiving Life Saving
Awards at the meeting were Assistant Chief Butzine and Fire Fighter/EMT Brent
Kurtz. Not in attendance, but also
receiving awards were Fire Fighter/Paramedic Pieper and Fire Fighter/Paramedic Reynan and Lieutenant Fohr. Council Proceedings
01 25 PURCHASE OF MARION RESCUE PUMPER
Review & approve
purchase of new fire engine. Fire Chief
Michalek was present to explain that 10 bids were received that ranged from
$672.660.00 to $554.564.00. The low bidder
was Marion Truck Body, which is a Wisconsin based manufacturer and is the
vehicle that is being recommended.
Citizen Dennis VandenHuevel was present to
address color scheme. Mr. VandenHuevel prefers vehicles to be red and white and feels
the Committee should set a standard.
After considerable discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve
the purchase of the fire engine from Marion Truck Body and to allow the Chief
and his Department to decide on the color scheme. Motion passed unanimously. Council Proceedings
02 02 BILLING / HIRE OF INTERN
8. Discuss & approve Fire Department Billing
Write-offs. Chief Michalek and Andrea
Peters were present to explain that the transition between LifeQuest
doing our billing and taking this over in-house, left accounts in the amount of
$28,824.16, which are currently viewed as being uncollectable. Motion was made and seconded to recommend the
write-off of these accounts. Motion
passed unanimously
9. Discuss & approve Fire Department to hire an
intern. Chief Michalek and Andrea Peters
explained that there is an opportunity to hire an intern for the Fire
Department for approximately 72 hours.
This individual is seeking to finish her degree. Motion was made and seconded to approve
hiring this individual for 8 hours per week, with the cost to be taken from the
Paid On-Call Fire Department Account.
Motion passed unanimously. Council
proceedings
02 09 PROPOSE BILLING AREA TOWNS FOR
AID CALLS
DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER
The Watertown Police and Fire Commission discussed the
burdensome amount of assistance the Watertown Fire Department is providing to
departments in surrounding towns that are unable to respond to calls in their
meeting Monday night. Fire Chief Greg
Michalek said the town of Lebanon in particular has
put strain on the department’s finances and personnel. He attended the Lebanon town board meeting
Thursday and presented a proposal that would bill the town $475 for each call
for aid.
The proposal and others like it may provide a
temporary solution, while Michalek and others in the state push for fire
districts that would better organize and fund fire departments in
Wisconsin. At its previous meeting, the
commission spoke with state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald and state Rep. John Jagler about creating legislation for fire districts.
Although it will likely be a lengthy process, the formation of a committee that
will perform a legislative council study on the matter is in the works.
Michalek handed out the fire department’s very first
monthly report newsletter. The
newsletter contains information about fire inspections, department training and
even includes a monthly run count. The
newsletter will be available to the public on the department’s Facebook page.
02 24 SAFER GRANT; JOHN DEERE GATOR
The Finance Committee
approved the fire department to apply for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response (SAFER) grant offered through FEMA. The grant provides funds directly to fire
departments for the hiring of additional firefighters on a renewable two-year
basis. The department will apply for
money to hire three additional firefighters.
Allowed the transfer of
a 2003 John Deere Gator from the water department to the fire department. The fire department plans on using the Gator
to respond to areas in city parks as well as for rural grass fires. The department will get the vehicle inspected
and fitted with the proper equipment once it is transferred.
03 04 FLOORING PROJECT IN FIRE DEPT
Council
proceedings: Committee Reports, Finance
Committee, February 15, 2016: Review
& approve Fire Department flooring.
Street Superintendent Rick Schultz and Fire Chief Greg Michalek were
present to show the breakdown of where the money was coming from for the
flooring project in the Fire Department.
Money will come from the Fire Department Repair Account #01-52-31-20,
Fire Department Supplies Account #01-52-3118, Municipal Building Capital Outlay
Account #01-51-71-16, Municipal Building Repair Account #01-51-71-20 and
Municipal Building Supplies Account #01-51-71-18. Motion was made and seconded to approve the
expense, which passed unanimously.
03 17 412 E MAIN, APT ABOVE VOGUE
CLEANERS
Fire was
started in between the walls of the kitchen and one of the bedrooms and was
most likely the result of an electrical malfunction. The fire caused water to leak into the
business downstairs but Vogue's products were able to
be moved and were not damaged.
03 23 520 OAK PARK AVE, 1:56 a.m.
Fire started
in the garage, was extinguished, but caused damage to the garage’s service door
and drywall.
03 24 WITH INCREASED HEROIN USE
COMES INCREASE IN OVERDOSES
Heroin
use has increased exponentially in recent years and, as a result, the number of
overdoses has also increased. Paramedics irst
responders find themselves attending to these individuals more and more
frequently. Tanya Reynen, a
firefighter/paramedic at the Watertown Fire Department, has noticed the
frequency of heroin related calls increasing in the last three years. WDTimes
story
04 15 206 SILVER DRIVE STRUCTURAL FIRE
Garage fire
spreads to attached home and to garage of neighbor. Owner closed on home
3 hours prior to fire.
03 04 DODGE CONCRETE FIRE ALARM
N969 CTH L Hwy,
Watertown. Control panel fire on silo
05 20 DONATION FOR ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE
Chickens
Unlimited donated $1,500 towards repurposing an all-terrain vehicle received in
February from the water department.
06 07 NEW SPARKY THE FIRE DOG COSTUME
Council
Proceedings: Discuss & approve
request for Pancake Breakfast – Fire Department Open House. The Fire Department wants to get a new Sparky
the Fire Dog costume to use for public relations events, classroom visits,
station tours, etc. The costume costs
approximately $4,000.00. They are
proposing a Pancake Breakfast in conjunction with the Fire Department Open
House. Motion was made and seconded to
approve this breakfast and the use of the funds to purchase the Sparky
costume. Motion passed unanimously.
07 01 404 DEWEY GARAGE FIRE
5 am unattached garage fire at
this address. Garage, contents and
vehicle a total loss.
This is a 3-unit
home with the lower level being one unit.
There were 3 adults and 4 small children down there. Upstairs is 2 units, a 2 bedroom and a one
bedroom. In addition, between both upper
units there were 3 snakes, a chameleon, a turtle, 4 cats and 4 dogs.
08 16 VEHICLE FOR OFF-ROAD FIRE OPERATIONS
WDTimes
photo
The Watertown Fire
Department recently finished customizing a John Deere Gator for off-road fire
operations in city parks and rural areas.
The Gator is fitted with a portable pump, 50 feet of hose, a 70-gallon
water tank and a stretcher. The vehicle
was transferred to the department earlier this year from the city’s water
department and the equipment was donated by the fire department’s rural
partners in the towns of Watertown, Emmet, Milford and Shields.
09 10 BATTLE
OF THE BADGES
FIRE DEPT vs POLICE DEPT, Charity Softball Classic
Team photo of members of the Watertown
Fire Department and the Watertown Police Department after the Battle of the
Badges fundraiser softball game. Both of
Watertown's public safety branches duked it out on the diamond for the Battle of
the Badges, a charity softball event.
Battle of the Badges pitted the Watertown Fire Department against the
Watertown Police Department in a friendly competition at Washington Park to raise
funds for new playground equipment at Douglas Elementary School.
09 19 FIRE
CHIEF PASSES EXECUTIVE FIRE OFFICER PROGRAM
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire
Administration’s National Fire Academy announced earlier this summer that
Watertown Fire Chief Greg Michalek successfully completed the Executive Fire
Officer Program.
Each of the four courses required a written applied research
product to demonstrate application of course theory
and concepts to real life situations with the student’s own organization. Each of these projects was evaluated through
a formal process, and progression through the program was contingent on achieving
each of these milestones. Six months
after completion of each of the courses, the EFOP participants were required to
complete an ARP in their own organization.
The required executive level courses include executive development,
executive analysis of community risk reduction, executive analysis of fire
service operations in emergency management and executive leadership.
09 26 ELECTRICAL
FIRE AT 208 1/2 N. FIFTH
Started by an
electrical malfunction in between the ceiling of the first story and the floor
of the second. No injuries. Estimated $20,000 in damage. Link
to portfolio of images
09 27 PLAN TO
HIRE ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER
The executive budget presented to finance committee
included plan to hire one additional firefighter to bolster the ranks of the
city’s understaffed fire department. This will be welcome news to the
department, which has been short three firefighters since it was fully staffed
in 2010, seeing a 33 percent increase in call volume over the same six years.
10 01 FIRE
PREVENTION OPEN HOUSE & PANCAKE BREAKFAST
10 09 QUARRY
ROAD BARN FIRE
Firefighters responded Sunday at 2:37 p.m. to W8131
Quarry Road for a barn fire. The fire
was extinguished but burned the roof of the barn. No one was injured.
10 22 MASS CASUALTY TRAINING EXERCISE
Mutual aid
from numerous area departments. Selected
segments from video given Fire Department
12 10 LIVE FIRE TRAINING EXERCISE
The
Watertown Fire Department will be conducting a training burn on December
10th. The exercise is a live drill. The house is located at 1004 S. 12th St. WFD staff along with members from Waterloo,
Johnson Creek, Clyman and Ixonia Fire Departments will practice extinguish
fires for two to three hours starting around 8 a.m. A whole house burn will
follow. The area departments will
practice skills in search and rescue, ventilation and fire extinguishment
during the exercise. Portfolio
of pictures
12 21 2016 MARION RESCUE PUMPER
A custom
2016 Marion rescue pumper was delivered to the Watertown Fire Department. The truck, which was purchased by the city
for $545,564, has the capability to carry a large amount of equipment in
addition to 1,000 gallons of water
12 24 MARTIN ROAD GARAGE FIRE
Watertown
firefighters responded Saturday at 10:11 p.m. to the W7000 block of Martin Road
for a garage fire. The garage was fully
engulfed by the time firefighters arrived and it was deemed a total loss after
the flames were extinguished. No one was
injured in the blaze.
___ 2017
__________________
01 10 DAN KARRELS & JOSHUA WEBER, new firefighters
Karrels was
hired on Dec. 19, 2016, filling one of the firefighter/ paramedic positions
while Weber was hired on Jan. 3 filling a position that had been vacant since
2010 due to city budget restrictions.
Karrels
received a bachelor’s degree in science of public administration from
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2012.
He obtained his firefighter one certificate in 2009, his EMT license in
2012 and his paramedic license in 2014.
He has worked for the Lisbon Fire Department and applied for the
position in Watertown in 2015.
Dan Karrels
began working for WFD in December of 2016, he is a firefighter/paramedic. Dan
grew up in Hartland, WI. He says he became a firefighter to follow in his
father's footsteps. His father was a firefighter for 34 years. Dan says some of
his fondest childhood memories were visiting his father at work,
and calling him at work to ask him what type of calls he had responded
to that day.
Dan and his
wife Megan have been married for two years. Dan's hobbies include golf, hunting
and fishing. His favorite part of the job is seeing the difference that we make
in people's lives.
Dan's most
memorable moment at WFD was when he told his Battalion Chief that he met his
daughter at the hospital, but it was actually his
Battalion Chief's wife.
Weber
currently lives in Fort Atkinson with his 9-year-old son and fiancée. Weber had been with the Fort Atkinson Fire
Department since 2002 and became a paramedic in 2011 after completing the
program at Madison Area Technical College.
After obtaining his licensure, he worked as a paramedic for Ryan
Brothers Ambulance Service in Madison.
02 10 506 COLLEGE
AVE structural
fire
Cause may have been electrical.
Estimated damage $10,000.
02 15 CRACKS IN
HOSE TOWER
Street
Superintendent Schultz was present to explain that there are some significant
cracks in the hose tower in the Fire Department and they want to investigate
why this is happening. He has spoken to
a structural engineer who will remove a few of the bricks and check the soil to
see what might be causing this, at a cost not to exceed $1,000.00. [City Council meeting of 02 07]
02 15 2017 FIRE
PROTECTION & EMS AGREEMENT FOR TOWNSHIPS
Fire Chief Michalek
presented the agreement with the Townships of Shields, Emmet, Milford &
Watertown for EMS and Fire Protection.
The agreements are basically the same as the previous contracts but does include the requirement to pay their fire dues to the
City. The total for the four is
$191,628.81. Motion was made and
seconded to recommend these contracts. A
resolution will be presented. [City Council meeting of 02 07]
02 15 2017
CONTRACT FOR EMS COVERAGE FOR VILLAGE OF REESEVILLE
Fire Chief
Michalek presented this contract in the amount of $11,795.00. Motion was made
and seconded to recommend this contract, which passed unanimously. A resolution
will be presented. [City Council meeting of 02 07]
02 15 APPLICATION FOR “SAFER” GRANT
Fire Chief
Michalek was present to explain this year’s SAFER Grant application. It has changed a bit from the past, where the
grant paid the total amount of wages and benefits for two years and a portion
of the third year and then after that the municipality picked up all
expenses. This year’s application has
the grant paying 75% in the first year and second years. In the third year they pay 35%. After that the municipality must pick up the
entire amount. Motion was made and
seconded to approve this application and passed unanimously. [City Council meeting of 02 07]
02 28 EMS
BILL COLLECTION ENHANCED
Since it took over its own EMS billing duties in 2014,
the Watertown Fire Department is seeing higher collection numbers because of
more reliable methods made available by the state. Established in 2009, the SDC allows the fire
department to refer outstanding debts to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue
for collection action. Before the
change, the department used LifeQuest, a collections
agency that specializes in fire and EMS billing.
The department also offers hardship requests to
those with an inability to pay the bill in full or at all. Patients can request their ambulance fee to
be waived, reduced or divided into monthly payments. Depending on circumstances like monthly
household income, dependents and specific hardships, the city's finance
committee makes determinations on a case-by-case basis on whether requests will
be approved. WDTimes article
03 01 FREDDY
THE FIRE TRUCK / SIREN REPLACEMENT
1. Review & approve purchase from Robotronics for the Fire Department. Assistant Chief Biefeld was present to
explain that the department had decided to change direction for the purchase
from their Pancake Fundraiser. They wish
to purchase a Freddy the Fire Truck at a cost of $9,800.00 which will be used
to inform children about fire safety.
The money will come from Fire Prevention Donations Acct. #01-58-11-04. Motion was made, seconded and passed to
approve this purchase.
2. Review & approve Fire Department Emergency
Government Siren Replacement Proposal. The Fire Department received three bids
and is recommending Federal Signal for a cost of $18,118.00. Motion was made and seconded to recommend
this purchase. Motion passed
unanimously. A resolution will be presented.
03 14 PART-TIME
CLERK POSITION
Finance Committee, February 27, 2017. Review and approve hiring of part-time clerk
position for Fire Department. Fire Chief
Michalek recommended hiring Jane Rakos. Motion
was made, seconded and passed unanimously to approve hiring Rakos.
04 25 LT.
RIGGS RETIRES
After nearly three decades with the Watertown Fire
Department, Lt. Ken Riggs finished up his final shift Tuesday afternoon. Riggs began his career as a volunteer
firefighter in Palmyra before taking a job with Bell Ambulance in Milwaukee
where he worked for five years. He
joined the WFD in 1990 and has been an integral part of its team ever since. He
was one of the original paramedics when the department started providing the service
in the 1990’s.
04 25 RESCUE
STRUTS & PORTABLE MONITOR NOZZLE
[same date] Unanimously authorized the fire
department to purchase rescue struts and a one-man portable monitor nozzle for
$4,400. The struts are used to stabilize
wrecked vehicles and buildings, allowing firefighters to access patients more
efficiently.
05 05 DONATION
FOR EXTRICATION EQUIPMENT
The American Legion Auxiliary Unit #189
donated $300 to the Watertown Fire Department towards the purchase of
extrication equipment. The equipment is
used to extricate victims that have been trapped in vehicles following
collisions and other situations where victims need to be removed from equipment
or wreckage. This donation was obtained
through the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #189’s fundraising efforts.
05 09 WATER
RESCUE SUITS
Chickens Unlimited donated $1,200 to the Watertown
Fire Department for the purchase of water rescue suits. These suits are used for both ice and water
rescue incidents as well as training for these types of incidents.
05 10 AIR
PARK DRIVE STRUCTURE FIRE
Watertown firefighters responded Tuesday at 4:25 a.m.
to the 200 block of Air Park Drive for a structure fire. A porch of an apartment was partially burned
after a resident disposed of a smoldering cigarette in a wicker basket. The fire was extinguished
and no one was injured.
05 17 1007 N.
WATERFIRE
Mid-morning fire caused by a recalled dehumidifier
left a portion of a duplex uninhabitable.
Started in basement and burned through a portion of the first floor.
05 24 NURSING
HOME FIRE
A structure fire injured one resident at Dycora
Transitional Health on Hospital Drive early Saturday morning. “We’re not exactly sure of the cause of it
yet, possibly electrical,” fire Chief Greg Michalek said. “The fire burned the bed with the patient in
it and part of the wall.” Michalek said
the blaze was contained to a single room of the
112-bed nursing home, but the wing it is located in
also suffered water and smoke damage.
Firefighters along with a number of police
officers and Dycora personnel were able to evacuate the 20 patients in the
affected wing. The sprinkler system
activated and put the fire out but there was a lot of smoke.”
. . . . On August 9th Dycora Transitional
Health Administrator Jameie Johnson headed a special
luncheon held at the facility which sought to recognize firefighters and staff
for their evacuation efforts during a fire.
In addition to the luncheon, Johnson handed out plaques and awards to
the firefighters and staff who helped manage the crisis. Dycora will dedicate a tree at the facility honoring Audrey Ninmann and her late
husband, Arthur, who perished as a result of the fire.
06 06 DEPARTMENT
BATHROOMS
Review & approve tile replace in Fire Department
bathrooms. Street Superintendent Schultz
presented two bids. Motion was made and
seconded to approve the low bidder, Vogel’s Tile & Flooring of Fort
Atkinson, in the amount of $4,430.15.
Motion passed unanimously. Council proceedings of 06 06 2017
06 26 WESTERN
AVE. WARNING SIREN REPLACED
New outdoor warning siren replaced an older siren
located near Luther Prep on Western Ave.
06 28 509 S.
FIFTH STREET STRUCTURE FIRE
10:15 pm.
The fire
originated from cardboard boxes stored under the porch. No injuries or serious damage reported.
07 04 FOURTH
OF JULY PARADE
07 04 1430
HENRY ST. STRUCTURE FIRE
The
apartment unit that caught fire was empty and no injuries were reported. The fire is believed to have started on a
couch and extinguished itself while firefighters were responding.
07 11 LIGHTS ‘N SIRENS
Portfolio of 50 pics
07 17 AHA AWARD FOR EMS EXCELLENCE
The Watertown Fire Department has received the
American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Award for
implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who
experience severe heart attacks. Every
year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial
infarction, the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood
flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore
blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked
vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes
emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care and
improving the quality of life for these patients. Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline
Silver award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required
achievement measure for one year.
The Watertown Fire Department is currently working with
Watertown Regional Medical Center in achieving a Chest
Pain accreditation.
07 21 REPAIRS
TO DEPARTMENT ROOMS
Council Proceedings:
Review & approve repairs to Fire Department rooms. Motion was made and seconded to move forward
with the bid from Jefferson Glass at $2,900.00 to replace the windows and to
authorize Street Superintendent Schultz to get the sanitary sewer pipes
replaced as soon as possible. This
passed unanimously.
08 16 ACCEPTED
SAFER GRANT
The City Council accepted the Staffing for Adequate
Fire and Emergency Response grant offered by the federal government. The SAFER
grant will allow the city to hire three additional firefighters, welcome news
for the fire department, which continues to experience record call volume. The
grant would cover 75 percent of the new firefighters’ salaries for the first
two years, with the city paying the remaining 25 percent. In the third year,
the grant scales down to 35 percent of the stipends with the city responsible
for 65 percent. The city would then take on full financial responsibility for
the additional staff in the fourth year.
08 21 EXTRICATION
TOOLS GRANT
Council Proceedings:
Committee Reports Finance Committee, August 1, 2017. Review & approve Assistance to
Firefighter Grant for purchase of Extrication tools. Chief Michalek was present to explain this
$35,000.00 grant, of which the City’s portion would be $3,150.00 to purchase
new extrication equipment. Motion was
made and seconded to approve applying for this grant, which passed unanimously.
08 21 “SAFER”
GRANT ACCEPTANCE
Council
Proceedings: RESOLUTIONS Exhibit #8507,
to authorize the acceptance of a SAFER Grant from the Federal Government for
three years for the hiring of three additional fire fighters, with the grant
providing 75% of the usual annual cost for the first and second years and 35%
of the annual cost for the third year was presented. Sponsor: Mayor David. From: The Finance
Committee. Alderperson Tietz moved for adoption of this resolution, seconded by
Alderperson Kilps and carried on a roll call vote. Yes — 9. No — none.
08 22 KRAIG
BIEFELD SELECTED AS INTERIM CHIEF
Assistant
fire Chief Kraig Biefeld will once again assume the role of interim fire chief
after being selected by the city’s Police and Fire Commission in its meeting
Monday night. Biefeld will undertake the
duties and responsibilities of former fire Chief Greg Michalek while the
commission continues its search for a new chief.
Biefeld
began his career with the city’s fire department in 1993 as a paid on-call
member. He eventually got his paramedic
certification and moved on to work full time for the Kaukauna Fire Department
for two years. Biefeld then returned to
Watertown in 2000 and has remained employed here ever since. In 2008, Biefeld was named director of
EMS. He also served a stint as interim
chief in 2010 between the transition of former Chief Henry Butts and
Michalek. WDTimes
article
09 17 410 S. SIXTH
ST FIRE INJURES OCCUPANT, KILLS TWO CATS
A Watertown
man was transported to the hospital after escaping a 3 a.m. fire in his 410 S.
Sixth St. apartment early Sunday morning (09/17). After receiving mutual aid assistance from a
dozen area departments, firefighters were able to contain the blaze to one of
the building’s four apartment units. The
apartment suffered over $50,000 in damage not including personal property lost
that was lost in the fire. The fire was
a result of careless use of smoking materials which were placed in a trash
receptacle.
09 26 FIRE, EMS
DEAL WITH AREA TOWNSHIPS
The city’s
finance committee approved a contract that will provide fire protection and EMS
coverage for 2018 with the townships of Watertown, Milford, Emmet and
Shields. This year’s contract will total
$204,537, about $13,000 more than last year’s.
Interim fire Chief Kraig Biefeld said because of a failure to update
numbers in the formula, the townships have not been getting charged as much as
they should have for the past several years.
The committee also approved a 5 percent increase for the city’s fire and
EMS contract with the village of Reeseville, which hasn’t had its rate
increased since 2010. The 5 percent will amount to
$587 in 2018.
—
Unanimously authorized the purchase of cabinets and countertops for the fire
department kitchen. The work will be
completed by Peirick’s Semi Custom Cabinets for $18,523 if approved by the
common council.
— Authorized
the sale of a 1994 E-350 Ford ambulance on Wisconsin Surplus, an online auction
website.
—
Unanimously denied to accept the donation of a vintage
Watertown fire truck from a private citizen. While the committee agreed the
gesture was generous and the truck was a piece of history, it voted not to
accept the donation because of the storage, maintenance and insurance costs
associated with the fire truck.
— Approved
to transfer money from the fire department’s repairs account to cover $8,480 in
work done on the fire department training site at the corner of South Twelfth
Street and Air Park Drive.
10 03 SELF-CONTAINED
BREATHING APPARATUSES
The city's
fire department will likely receive $340,000 for new self-contained breathing
apparatuses. It will also receive $3,000
in general fund dollars to replace a fire hose. Watertown finance committee.
10 05 MDA
FUNDRAISER
Members of
the Watertown Fire Department hit the streets in September for their annual
fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This year’s donation to the MDA was just over
$5,929. The fire department and MDA have
teamed up for the past nine years raising money to help fund research and
life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and care
centers, including the MDA Care Center at Dean Clinic, UW Hospital, American
Family Children’s Hospital as well as Froedtert Clinic and Children’s Hospital.
They also helped send more than 40 local children to “Wonderland,” an MDA
summer camp in Camp Lake, at no cost to their families.
10 30 807 MAPLE
CREST LANE FIRE
Five people
were displaced from their home after a structure fire caused extensive damage
to a single-family residence at 807 Maple Crest Lane Sunday night. No one was injured in the blaze which took
firefighters less than an hour to extinguish.
The fire is believed to have been started from discarded bonfire ashes
that were placed in a garbage can in the garage. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to
the garage area, but the house suffered significant smoke damage. Damages will total about $150,000.
11 08 ASSISTANT CLERK STOLE
CASH
An assistant
clerk at the Watertown Fire Department resigned in September after it was
discovered that she stole a small amount of cash from the city. The employee, Jane Rakos, pleaded guilty to
two counts of theft in Watertown Municipal Court in October. She was fined $857.20 for both citations and
was also ordered to pay restitution to the city. Both instances of theft involved denominations
less than $100
12 05 AMBULANCE
BILLING & RECEIVABLES
Review
Ambulance Billing & Receivables. After considerable discussion, Fire Dept.
Administrative Assistant Andrea Peters, felt she could
set up a multi-tier system, similar to the previous
provider, which would move aged receivables out of the current balance. She will report back to the Finance Committee
in December. Common
Council meeting of 12 05 2017
12 05 COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING AGREEMENT
Exhibit
#8550, to approve the 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the
International Association of Fire Fighters was presented. Sponsor: Mayor David.
From: The Finance Committee. Alderperson Tietz moved for the adoption of this
resolution, seconded by Alderperson Smith and carried on a roll call vote: Yes
— 9. No — None. Common
Council meeting of 12 05 2017
12 13 TRAILER FIRE
$90,000 damage to a 900-sq. ft. trailer
home at 9027 County Highway Q. Fire
contained to its area of origin
12 14 ASSISTANT
FIRE CHIEF FOUND NOT GUILTY
Watertown
Assistant Fire Chief Tim Gordon was found not guilty of obstructing a police
officer. The municipal charge against
Gordon was initiated by the city of Watertown and alleges he intentionally
misrepresented an incident that occurred while he was on duty in March
conducting a fire inspection. WDTimes
article
12 29 EXTRICATION
TOOLS / EMS RECEIVABLES
Fire
Department. Interim Fire Chief Biefeld explained the City received a grant
towards the purchase of these tools. The
grant will cover 90% of the cost. The
City’s net cost will be approximately $2,800.
Motion passed unanimously to recommend approval of the purchase. Update on EMS billing. Andrea Peters of the
Fire Department was present to explain that she worked with the software
provider to develop a three-tier system for accounts in various phases of the
collection process. Motion passed
unanimously to approve the new system for recording EMS receivable balances.
12 21 KRAIG
BIEFELD IS CITY'S NEW FIRE CHIEF
After
serving as Watertown’s interim fire chief for the past several months, Kraig
Biefeld has been selected to fill the fulltime position by the city’s Police
and Fire Commission. Biefeld will
succeed Chief Greg Michalek, who retired in mid-August.
Biefeld said
he hopes to supplement rich history of the Watertown
Fire Department, which his own great-great-grandfather was a part of at the
turn of the 20th century.
Biefeld
began his career with the city’s fire department in 1993 as a paid on-call
member. He got his paramedic
certification in 1997 and moved on to work full-time for the Kaukauna Fire
Department for two years. Biefeld then
returned to Watertown in 2000 and has remained employed here ever since. In 2008, Biefeld was named assistant chief
and director of EMS. His most recent
stint as interim chief was his second, also holding the position in 2010
between the transition of former Chief Henry Butts and Michalek.
Biefeld
holds an associates degree in fire protection and
bachelor’s degree in fire science. He
recently completed the Executive Fire Officer Program through the National Fire
Academy and is also a Wisconsin Certified Emergency Manager.
In addition
to his lengthy history of public service, Biefeld is also heavily involved in
the local community. He serves as a treatment foster parent, an assistant cub
scout master, and a board member of the Watertown Historical Society. He is also president of the Jefferson County
EMS Association, secretary/treasurer for the Jefferson County Fire Chiefs
Association, chairman for the Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning
Committee and board member of the South Central Health
Coalition. WDTimes
story
Comment received: “Congratulations Kraig. You treat the citizens of Watertown like
family.”
01 19 THREE NEW
FIREFIGHTERS
Capitalizing
on funds from a federal grant, the Watertown Fire Department added three
firefighters to its ranks earlier this month.
The firefighters Eric Latter, Benjamin (Ben) Carl and Brian Richards all
grew up in Wisconsin.
Latter, 26,
received his fire and EMS training at Waukesha Technical College and got his
start as a volunteer firefighter with the Allenton Volunteer Fire Department in
2010. Latter
said he enjoys spending much of his free time on outdoor activities like
hunting, fishing and boating.
Carl
received an associate’s degree in fire protection and paramedic training
through Waukesha County Technical College and began his firefighting career
with Hartford Fire and Rescue in 2014. He gained further experience as a
paramedic working for Lifestar Emergency Medical
Service.
Richards has
worked for the town of Delafield, Pewaukee and Lake Country Fire Departments in
various positions since 2008. He has an associates degrees
in both firefighting and paramedicine.
01 22 REVIEW AND APPROVE FIRE
CHIEF SALARY
COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS. This was an
adjustment to the original memo due to it not including Paramedic Add-On
Pay. The recommendation is Grade T, Step
3, plus the Paramedic add-on coming to approximately $42.47 per hour. Motion
was made, seconded and passed unanimously to approve the pay rate for the new
Fire Chief.
01 23 FINANCE
COMMITTEE AUTHORIZATIONS
Update on
EMS billing. Andrea Peters of the Fire
Department was present to explain that she worked with the software provider to
develop a three-tier system for accounts in various phases of the collection
process. Motion passed unanimously to
approve the new system for recording EMS receivable balances.
Authorized the purchase
of a variety of health and wellness
equipment for the fire department including weightlifting equipment and an
infrared sauna that will help detoxify firefighters after fires. Firefighters across the nation experience
higher rates of cancer than the normal population due to exposure to toxic
metals and carcinogens. The sauna is
meant to help accelerate the expulsion of some of these toxins before they
enter the bloodstream of firefighters.
The equipment will be paid for through funds raised from community
events like the department’s annual pancake breakfast.
Authorized the purchase
of six sets of Fire Dex turnout gear
for the fire department. The gear will
be purchased from Emergency Response Solutions for $10,620.
Authorized the fire
department to apply for a $50,000 grant to replace its breathing air compressor.
The 26-year-old compressor is noncompliant with current National Fire
Protection Association regulations. If
the grant was received and accepted, the city would only be responsible for 10
percent of the compressor’s cost.
01 23 LIFESAVING
AWARDS
Lt. Chad
Butler along with firefighters Brent Kurtz, Brad Hering, Scott Kreilkamp and
Brandon Wojnowski were presented with lifesaving awards for their efforts by
Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld.
02 06 COUNCIL
PROCEEDINGS:
REVIEW AND
APPROVE PURCHASE OF FIRE DEPARTMENT TURNOUT GEAR
Chief Biefeld requested
permission to purchase Turnout Gear that is in the budget. Motion was made,
seconded and passed unanimously to approve this purchase.
REVIEW
AND APPROVE PURCHASE OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS EQUIPMENT
Biefeld explained that with
donations and money from fund raisers the Fire Department would like to
purchase weights and a sauna to detoxify firefighters after a fire. Motion was
made, seconded and passed unanimously to approve this purchase.
REVIEW
AND APPROVE APPLYING FOR AFG GRANT
Chief Biefeld explained an
opportunity to obtain a grant to replace the current Breathing Air
Compressor. The City share would be
about $5,000 and the current compressor is 26 years old. This would occur with the 2019 Budget. Motion was made, seconded and passed
unanimously to apply for this AFG Grant.
LIFE
SAVING AWARDS PRESENTED
Fire Chief Biefeld and Mayor
David presented Life Saving Awards to Assistant Chief Butzine, Lieutenant
Butler, Firefighters Kurtz, Hering, Kreilkamp and Wojnowski. On July 23, 2017 they responded to a call for
an unresponsive patient and administered life saving measures which allowed
that individual to be here today.
HEALTH
AND WELLNESS EQUIPMENT
Exhibit #8585, to authorize
purchase of Fire Department Health and Wellness Equipment in the amount of
$7,108.31 from reserve account #01-58-11-04 was presented. Sponsor: Mayor
David. From: Finance Committee. Alderperson Zgonc moved for adoption, seconded
by Alderperson Raether and carried by roll call vote: Yes–8. No– None.
TURNOUT
GEAR
Exhibit #8586, to authorize the
purchase of Fire Department Turnout Gear from Emergency Response Solutions in
the amount of $10,620.92 to be taken from account #01-5231-51 was
presented. Carried by roll call vote: Yes–8.
No– none.
02 20 CHIEF
BIEFELD, NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY COURSE
Four-year course for Executive Fire
Officer Training Certification
03 14 FIREFIGHTER/
EMT OF THE YEAR
Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld was honored by
American Legion Post No. 189 as Firefighter/ EMT of the Year at a birthday
banquet held Saturday celebrating the 99th anniversary of the founding of the
American Legion.
03 14 SNOWMOBILE
CLUB APPRECIATION
The Hubbleton Riders Snowmobile Club donated $400 to the
Watertown Fire Department as a thank-you for the services the department
provided at the Mid-State Grass Drag for snowmobiles at Badgerland
in Watertown last summer.
03 20 COMMON COUNCIL
PROCEEDINGS:
2019
FARM TECHNOLOGY DAYS
Fire
Chief Biefeld requested permission to pursue the opportunity to provide Fire
and EMS coverage for 2019 Farm Tech Days at the Walter Farm in Jefferson
County. Motion made, seconded and passed
to authorize pursuit of this opportunity.
Biefeld is to return with any final agreement.
EXPIRED
TURNOUT GEAR
Review
and approve disposal of expired turnout gear.
Chief Biefeld explained that 41 sets of turnout gear are expired and the Fire Department would like to donate them to
Hearts in Motion and a local fire explorer program. Motion made, seconded and passed to authorize
the donations.
PAID ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS TO PERFORM
FIRE INSPECTIONS
Review and
approve use of paid-on-call (POC) firefighters for fire inspections. Chief
Biefeld explained that due to the number of inspections and increased call
volume it is increasingly difficult to complete these inspections. He is
recommending use of qualified POC firefighters to
assist with completing inspections. Motion made, seconded and passed to
authorize POC firefighters to assist with fire inspections within the 8 hour
per week limitation.
NEW
SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS
The
Watertown Finance Committee authorized several items brought forth by the
city’s fire department, including the purchase of new self-contained breathing
apparatus equipment. The new SCBAs have a number of features that bring them up to National Fire
Protection Association standards and will replace units that have been in
service since 2004. Some of these
features include rechargeable batteries, voice amplifiers, better weight
distribution and a 4,500 PSI tank, which will allow firefighters about 25 more
minutes of air. Several of the SCBAs will also have built in thermal imaging
cameras that will help identify fire and victim location. After reviewing two quotes the committee
unanimously voted to purchase the SCBAs and related equipment from MSA for
$238,962.
03 26 913 LIBERTY
LANE STRUCTURAL FIRE
No one was
injured in a house fire that destroyed a home at 913 Liberty Lane. The resident’s five occupants along with
their pet dog were able to escape the blaze unharmed and by their own accord. Firefighters arrived on scene around 4:13
a.m. to find the structure fully engulfed.
04 05 CHIEF
BIEFELD TALK ON HAVNG EMERGENCY PLAN
Schurz Elementary
School; Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP)
04 17 APPLICATION
FOR THREE LUCAS DEVICES
Council
Proceedings: Foundation Grant for
medical equipment. Chief Biefeld
explained he would like to apply for a grant from the Aurora Foundation to
purchase three Lucas Devices, which provide chest compressions during CPR. The units are $15,000 each, but with this
grant there would be no cost to the City.
Motion carried to approve application.
04 27 BECKEN
RETIRES AFTER 33 YEARS
After nearly 33 years with the Watertown Fire
Department, firefighter Keith Becken worked his last shift with plans to
retire. Becken joined the WFD on Jan. 9,
1986, after working four years with the Greendale Fire Department.
He got his paramedic certification in 1993 and became an assistant chief
in 1996. Becken said he was drawn to the
career because many of his family members, including his grandfather, father
and brother, were involved in the fire service as well.
05 01 AMBULANCE
USE FOR WARRIOR DASH EVENT
Council
Proceedings: Ambulance use for Warrior
Dash event. Fire Chief Biefeld explained
the Warrior Dash/Run event at Milford Hills is required to have an ambulance
with paramedics present during this event.
We charge $175/hour for our ambulance and would be on site approximately
10 hours. Motion carried to approve the
request.
05 01 CHANGE
TO LEBANON EMS COVERAGE AGREEMENT
Council
Proceedings: Change to Lebanon EMS
coverage agreement. Fire Chief Biefeld
presented Lebanon’s counter-offer of $250 per
occurrence. Motion carried
to approve the change from the original $475 to $250.
05 01 FIREFIGHTER
& LAW OFFICER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Recognitions at 2nd District American Legion Spring
Conference in West Bend. Watertown Fire
Chief Kraig Biefeld received the Firefighter of the Year award and Watertown
Police Officer Stacy Schroeder received the Law Officer of the Year award.
05 01 MATT
MARTIN NEWEST FIREFIGHTER
Martin, who
attended Waukesha County Technical College for his fire and EMS training, began
his first shift on April 20. A child of
a Military family, Martin grew up across the country and overseas. He graduated from Muskego High School and is
currently married with three children.
05 24 JIM
ACKER NEW ASST FIRE CHIEF, DIRECTOR OF EMS
The
promotion of Jim Acker to the position of assistant fire chief and director of
EMS. He succeeds Fire Chief Kraig
Biefeld in that position. Acker is a
14-year veteran with the department and served as union president for 11
years. He has been instrumental with the
development of a Health and Wellness program, as well as numerous departmental
projects. Acker began his fire career
with the town of Menasha Fire Department, continuing with Lake Mills EMS, Bell
Ambulance, Inc., Oregon Area Fire/ EMS District and the Watertown Fire
Department. His education includes an
associate degree of applied science — paramedic, state of Wisconsin certified
firefighter 1 and 2, motor pump operator, aerial motor operator, emergency
services instructor 1, and fire officer 1.
06 05 TURNOUT
GEAR
COUNCIL
PROCEEDINGS: Fire Chief Biefeld
explained 12 sets of gear were purchased but 17 are needed and a budget
amendment would be needed to make the additional purchase. Motion carried to allow this budget
amendment. Exhibit #8645, to authorize a
budget amendment transferring funds from the Fire Department Salaries account
to the Turnout Gear account was presented. Sponsor: Mayor David; From: Finance
Committee. Carried by roll call vote.
06 13 MISSION: LIFELINE EMS BRONZE AWARD
The
Watertown Fire Department has received the American Heart Association’s
Mission: Lifeline EMS Bronze Award for implementing quality improvement
measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks. The Mission: Lifeline initiative provides
tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following
protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program
recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of
care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify the
medical center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital
personnel.
07 17 SALE OF
SCBA UNITS
Council
Proceedings. Sale of Fire Dept. SCBA
units. Chief Biefeld proposed selling
the old SCBA equipment to 5 Alarm Fire Supplies for an in-store credit of
$4,600. Motion carried to recommend
approving the sale with the agreement that the City will not have liability if
5 Alarm resells the units.
07 23 ASSISTANT
FIRE CHIEF PAY RATE
Motion
carried to approve the new Assistant Fire Chief pay rate at Grade N, Step 5.
08 24 JEFF PENNA AND JASON QUICKER,
two new
firefighters
The
Watertown Fire Department recently hired two firefighter/paramedics to fill
positions left open from retirement and promotions. Jeff Penna and Jason Quicker started their
new positions with the department at the beginning of August.
Penna brings
with him almost a decade of EMS experience.
He worked several years as a critical care
paramedic at Bell Ambulance and has been a member of the Johnson Creek Fire and
EMS Department for the past 10 years.
Penna received his fire training through MATC. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
Jason
Quicker grew up in Richfield and joined the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company in
September of 2013. He attended WCTC in Pewaukee and received his fire and
paramedic certification. In his free
time, Quicker likes to be outdoors and go camping, climbing, hiking, fishing,
boating and hunting. He said he likes
winter and is an avid snowmobiler, likes to snowboard and plays ice hockey.
08 22 BUTLER
AND WELLACH PROMOTED
Chad Butler
was promoted to the position of assistant chief/shift commander. He replaces Keith Becken, who retired earlier in this year after 33 years of service. Greg Wellach was
promoted to the position of lieutenant.
He replaces Butler in that position.
Chad Butler is a lifelong resident of Watertown and started as a paid-on
call member in 1995. He became a
full-time firefighter/ paramedic in 2001 and in 2014 was promoted to
the position of lieutenant.
Wellach started
with the Watertown Fire Department in 2004 as a paid, on-call member and was
hired as a full-time firefighter in 2005.
Butler is
assigned to “B” shift and Wellach
is assigned to “C” crew.
09 10 POLICE DEPARTMENT BEATS FIRE
BOYS
The fourth annual Watertown Fire
Department vs. Watertown Police Department is in the books. The final score was 20 to 10 in favor of the
police department. Everyone had a great
time and thank you to everyone for supporting the
Watertown High School Gosling Nest!
09 10 TOWNSHIP 2019 FIRE PROTECTION & EMS AGREEMENT
Council
Proceedings. Finance Committee. The last contracts were out of date which
means there will be a significant increase.
For this reason, the Finance Committee agreed to charge half of the new
rate for 2019 and go to the full rate in 2020.
Motion carried to recommend to Common Council.
10 02 TOWNSHIP 2019 FIRE PROTECTION & EMS AGREEMENT (2)
Council Proceedings. 2019 Contract for EMS coverage for the
Village of Reeseville. Motion carried to
approve this contract with a 2% rate increase.
Process to contract with external EMS Billing Company. Motion carried to give Chief Biefeld
permission to issue an RFP for external EMS billing services. Exhibit #8691, to approve the 2019 Fire
Protection & EMS Agreement with the Townships of Watertown, Milford, Emmet
and Shields was presented. Carried by
roll call vote: Yes-9; No-0
10 03 WATERTOWN/HERINGEN
EXCHANGE PROGRAM
German
exchange students visited the Watertown Fire Department along with several
other locations in Watertown on Oct. 3.
The students, along with teachers Kim Schneider, Andrea Voelker and
Joerg Morge, were given the opportunity to learn about the city’s fire
department, explore the apparatus and get a hands-on demonstration on some of the equipment.
The students were part of the Watertown/Heringen
Exchange Program, where they visited the area from Sept. 27-Oct. 7. The group was made up of 10th- and 11thgraders
from Heringen,
Germany.
10 07 FIRE
PREVENTION OPEN HOUSE & PANCAKE BREAKAST
Public ·
Hosted by Watertown Fire Department
Sunday,
October 7 at 8 AM – 12 PM
Fire Safety
Week, Oct 7-13, 2018, 16 page pamphlet
10 09 GARAGE FIRE AT W3091 COUNTY HIGHWAY CW
A passer-by who could see flames visible coming from the middle of the
detached garage placed the call.
Watertown firefighters arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. The Watertown Fire Department received help
from Waterloo and Lake Mills for personnel, Ixonia and Johnson Creek for water
tenders, Jefferson for an ambulance on scene and Jefferson County Sheriff’s
Department for traffic control at the scene.
During the fire, the Watertown Fire Department also had two requests for
EMS which were handled by the change of quarter companies that were at the
station. These companies were Western Lakes EMS, Helenville
Fire and Lebanon Fire. The fire was
contained to the area of origin by fire units and no injuries were reported
from the fire. The fire started inside
the garage in the area of where a recently used lawn
mower was parked. Damage to the building
and contents is estimated to be $25,000.
11 19 OAK HILL RD CHIMNEY FIRE
An evening chimney fire at the N9600 block of Oak Hill Road was contained
to the chimney area.
11 29 RIVER GAUGES AND RFP’s
Common Council Proceeding: Chief Biefeld is recommending the purchase of
two more accurate gauges to replace the one that we currently have. Motion carried to approve two river gauges
from Solinst at a price of $4,396.
`
EMS Billing Company for Watertown Fire
Dept. Seven RFP’s
were sent out but only 3 bids were received back. It is recommended to go with LifeQuest Services for a 3-year contract. While their bid was slightly higher, it is a
service the department is familiar with and had favorable service in the
past. Motion carried to recommend LifeQuest be awarded the contract for EMS billing for 2019
with following the terms in their proposal to us on November 1, 2018; provide a
30 day or other reasonable out clause in the contract and consider some
adjustment in their proposed rate of 6.95% for billing us for their services . Ambulance billing write-offs. This item was laid over to the next meeting
of the Finance Committee.
12 08 PRACTICE BURN
Firefighters from Clyman, Waterloo and
Watertown fire departments received some “real life” training with a practice
burn at a former residence at 1112 West St.
Firefighters from the three departments practiced their search and
rescue, victim removal and ventilation skills.
When training ended Saturday a controlled burn of the entire structure
took place.
Not made aware of so video not captured.
12 28 BRIAN RICHARDS AND BEN CARL
Completed 12 month
exam, end of probationary period
___ 2019
__________________
01 09 WILL JONES JOINS DEPT.
Jones went to Madison College and is originally
from Fort Atkinson. He was a firefighter
and paramedic at the Ashland Fire Department prior to coming to Watertown.
02 25 WAUPUN EQUIPMENT Co. / N9695
Frohling Lane
Estimated $1.1 million in damages and destroyed an
implement repair building at Waupun Equipment Co. on the west side of
Watertown.
03 05 FIGHT FOR AIR CLIMB
Members of
the Watertown Fire Department will join other fire departments across the state
in scaling the U.S. Bank Center in downtown Milwaukee for the Anthem Blue Cross
& Blue Shield Firefighter Challenge, which will be held during the American
Lung Association in Wisconsin’s Fight For Air Climb Saturday. For the challenge, teams of five or more
firefighters will compete for the title of the fastest fire department along
with top fundraising team. The teams are required to climb in full gear
— helmet, mask, boots and air tank — which can add 50-75 pounds of weight as
they tackle the 47 floors and 1,034 steps of the U.S. Bank Center building.
04 01 ALEXA WEGNER JOINS DEPT.
Alexa is a
firefighter/paramedic and started her first day today on A Crew. She will have a one-year probation, during
which she will be tested monthly on fire and EMS skills. Wegner lives in the town of Watertown with
her fiancé, Tim, and their two dogs. She
began working for Jefferson EMS in 2013 and volunteered with the Jefferson Fire
Department in 2017. Wegner completed
Waukesha County Technical College’s paramedic program in 2018. After she finishes her probationary year with
the department, Wegner wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in fire and emergency
response management from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
04
01 FIREFIGHTER HERING RECOGNIZED
Firefighter Brad Hering recognized at Common Council meeting by
Mayor David for 15 years of service.
04 29 BURT CHRISTENSON
After 30
plus years of honor and bravery in the fire service, Burton Christenson has
completed his last shift with the Fire Department. Burt joined the Watertown Auxiliary in 2001
as a Firefighter/EMT.
05 23 CHRISTENSON, ACKER RECOGNIZED BY CITY
The council
recognized the retirement of Firefighter/EMT Burton Christenson who has served
the Watertown Fire Department since 2001.
He received a plaque from Mayor Emily McFarland and Fire Chief Kraig
Biefeld gave him his helmet, a tradition the department does when someone
retires. The council also congratulated
city employees for their service James Acker of the fire department for 15
years
06 04 PART-TIME CLERK/TYPIST POSITION
Res. Exh. #8829, to approve a budget amendment to decrease Auxiliary
Salaries Account and increase Administrative Support Staff Account for the
recent hire of a part-time clerk/typist for the Fire Department was
presented. Carried by roll call vote:
Yes-7; No-0.
06 07 ORDINANCE
An ordinance to amend section 303-27 “modifications”
of chapter 303, “fires and fire prevention” of the City of Watertown general
ordinances. From: public safety &
welfare committee. The common council of
the City of Watertown does ordain as follows: [published
ordinance]
06 18 604 N. SECOND St. / Fire Displaces 4
The Watertown Fire Department responded to a
call of smoke entering into the two-family residence
located at 604 N. Second St. at 8:08 p.m.
Units arrived on scene at 8:10 p.m. to find that everyone had evacuated
the residence. The on-scene engine made
entry into the residence and found smoke in the interior of the structure on
the second floor. The fire crews found the origin of the fire by opening up walls and ceilings to find fire and charring in
those areas. The fire crews disconnected the power to both residences and
continued overhaul operations. The fire
displaced four occupants from the upper unit,” Watertown Fire Chief Kraig
Biefeld said. “The fire department did not find any working smoke detectors in
the residence. The cause of the fire was
electrical. Damage estimated to be
$7,500.
07 08 LADDER TRUCK UPDATE
Finance Committee.
Fire Department ladder truck update.
Chief Biefeld explained that more issues were found, but repairs are
underway and coming in below the original estimate.
07 11 20th ANNUAL COMMUNITY SAFETY FAIR / LIGHTS ‘N SIRENS EVENT
6 to 8 p.m.
at Riverside Park in Watertown. This
will be the 20th annual community safety fair.
Food and beverages will be available to all attendees. The Watertown Police Department, Watertown
Fire Department, Watertown Family Center, Watertown Regional Medical Center and
Chickens Unlimited are sponsoring the event.
07
15 PUBLIC PROTECTION CLASSIFICATION REPORT
The city of
Watertown received some good news with the recent report “Public Protection
Classification Summary Report for Watertown” from the Insurance Service Office,
according to Kraig Biefeld, city fire chief.
The report
is a summary of Watertown’s ability to provide fire protection services to
their community. ISO has evaluated over
46,000 fire departments in the United States and has assigned each department a
Public Protection Classification based on the data they collect from emergency
communications, the water department, and the fire department. Emergency communications counts
for 10% of the points, the water department counts for 40% of the points and
the fire department accounts for the remaining 50% of the points to determine a
PPC. The PPC codes go from 1-10 with one
being the best rating and having an overall score between 90 and 100.
The latest
report shows that Watertown’s PPC rating went from a Class 3 with a score of
74.21 in October 2014 to a Class 2 with a score of 80.83 which will go into
effect in Oct. 1.
This is the first time the city has received this rating. Only 1,945 communities in the United States
have received a PPC of 2 or better which equates to 4.2% of all communities.
The biggest increases came in fire department training and fire department
company personnel. Fire department training increased 2.84 points for a score
of 8.14 out of a possible 9 points, while the score of fire department
personnel increased 1.04 points for a score of 5.83 out of a possible 15.00.
The report
shows that when a community’s investment in fire protection and mitigation is
higher, it results in lower fire losses to the community. Insurance companies
then use the PPC ratings of a community for insurance underwriting to help
establish premiums for homeowners and commercial businesses. In general, the price of fire insurance in a
community is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC grade.
07 27 1400 KIMBERLY COURT GARAGE FIRE
A Watertown garage fire that began Saturday
night in a garbage can was quickly extinguished by the Watertown Fire
Department but still may have caused an estimated $50,000 damage to the new
structure and its contents, which included three cars. it is believed the fire began in a garbage
can where fireworks had been discarded.
There were no injuries reported as a result of
the incident.
08 06 COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Fire
Department Strategic Plan. Motion
carried to present this to the Committee of the Whole.
Dodge County
Sheriff’s Office & Watertown Fire Department Intergovernmental SWAT/ TEMS
Memorandum of Understanding. Dodge
County provides all equipment and training for this, while Watertown FD covers
costs of overtime for mandated training and call response. Motion carried to approve this MOU.
Calculation
process for EMS Service Coverage Agreements.
Motion carried to table this item and bring it back after getting quotes
on what other cities are doing with service coverage fees.
Village of
Reeseville EMS Service Coverage Agreement.
Motion carried to table this item until the calculation above is agreed
upon.
09 10 JAMES BEAUBIEN, new hire
Firefighter/paramedic
James Beaubien. Beaubien started on Aug. 9 and is currently assigned to “C”
crew. Beaubin
replaces firefighter Scott Umland, who retired earlier this year. Beaubien grew up in Newberry, Michigan, and
moved to the Milwaukee area in 2012. He
started his career in public safety in 2011.
Some of his interests outside of work include fishing, playing sports
and anything outdoors. Beaubien will be
on probation for the next year while he completes his training.
09 16 EMS ANNUAL CONTRACTS APPROVED
The
Watertown Finance Committee Monday recommended numerous proposed emergency
medical service (EMS) annual contracts between Watertown Fire Department and
neighboring towns, with increases in charges slated for some towns in 2020. One agreement the committee recommended was
an EMS service coverage contract with nearby village
of Reeseville. Under the proposed contract, Reeseville, which has used
Watertown Fire EMS services since 2002, would be charged the same rate for EMS
services as city of Watertown residents. This contract would see the EMS
service cost for Reeseville go from $12,951.28 in 2019 to $24,619.39 in 2020,
an additional $11,668.11, according to documents at the meeting. Previously, Reeseville’s fee was determined
through a formula created in 2002 based on village population. The new
calculation would take into account the tax rate, the latest assessed value of
the area covered and the percentage of EMS calls
compared to Watertown EMS calls. City officials determined this would match the
amount Watertown residents currently pay.
The committee also recommended a contract for the fire protection and
EMS coverage for the towns of Watertown, Shields, Emmet and Milford, all of
which the department has been servicing since 1926. The new contract calls for
Watertown fire charges of $269,699.18 in 2020, up from $260,029.86 charged this
year.
Another
agreement approved was an EMS service coverage agreement with Johnson Creek
that allows Watertown Fire Department to respond to calls requiring EMS if the
Johnson Creek Fire and EMS services can’t adequately gather staff. The agreement is similar to
one that the department has with Lebanon, according to Biefeld, and allows for
the departments to not be liable when responding to each
others calls. The committee also
approved a mutual aid agreement with Juneau Fire Department that allows the
requested agencies to provide backup equipment and personnel at no cost to the
requesting department.
10 21 FINANCE COMMITTEE ACTIONS
Sale
of Fire Dept. items on WI Surplus Online Auction. Motion carried to approve sale of old
breathing compressor. Update on area
protective services. Chief Biefeld
updated the Committee on conversations with some Dodge County departments about
mergers and shared- service agreements for additional coverage. No action taken. Mutual Aid & Intercept Agreement updates
with Lebanon EMS. Motion carried to approve this agreement. Application to Firehouse Subs for LUCAS
medical device for EMS. Motion carried
to approve grant application. Changes to
Call-In/Call Back Time in employee handbook.
Motion carried to approve changes as presented.
11 16 LIVE-BURN TRAINING SESSION
1225
North Fourth Street
12 11 NEW CLEAN AIR ROOM
The
city filed a permit to build a clean room at 106 Jones St., the city’s
administrative building. The estimated
cost of the project was $8,000. The
project was for the fire department and the room will house the department’s
air compressor, which was purchased earlier this year, according to Chief Kraig
Biefeld. Biefeld said the room will
prevent contaminants from entering the compressor in the air used to fill the
department’s breathing apparatuses.
These apparatuses are used by firefighters during fires and other calls.
12 19 HONORED FOR LIFE-SAVING ACTIONS
Dispatcher
Julia Schmelzer, Police officer James Simon, Watertown Fire Assistant Chief Tim
Gordon, Fire Lt. Brad Fox, firefighter/ paramedic Mason Tayler,
firefighter/paramedic Patrick Schultz, firefighter/ paramedic Jeff Penna and
firefighter/paramedic Alexa Steinbach each received a life-saving award for
their actions in saving the life of a patient earlier this year.
On
Oct. 21, members of the Watertown police and fire departments were dispatched
by Schmelzer to male patient who was not breathing and did not have a
pulse. While the personnel was en route, Schmelzer provided
pre-arrival CPR instructions to the caller.
Officer Simon arrived on the scene shortly after and took over CPR until
the Crew A fire personnel composed of Gordon, Fox, Tayler, Schultz, Penna and
Steinbach arrived.
Department
personnel took immediate action by providing continuous high-quality CPR using
a LUCAS (Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System) device. A LUCAS device is a chest compression system
that helps providing chest compressions, applying a
monitor, checking heart rhythm and delivering shocks to a patient’s heart,
among other features.
Pre-arrival
instructions, which played a key role in this live saving situation, is a fairly new practice by the Watertown dispatching team. The dispatch center began implementing
pre-arrival instructions in February of this year. The instructions fall under
five categories: cardiac arrest with CPR for both adults and children; choking;
seizures; delivery for an active labor; and
bleeding. All dispatch members are CPR certified and the unit received training from Wisconsin EMS
as well as its own inside training.
Although the usage of instructions is in its infancy at the department,
the dispatch team typically gives instructions one to two times a week.
All
of the public service members honored received a
certificate from the fire department for their actions.
___ 2020
__________________
01 21 $60,000 IN DAMAGES AT 923 LABAREE ST.
Watertown Fire Department received a call at 12:57
a.m. for an active fire with smoke and flames at 923 Labaree
St. The first arriving unit reported the
fire was coming from the second story and the on-scene crews were able to knock
down the fire from the exterior and get inside to put the fire out. The source of the fire was determined to be
electrical.
04 04 SMALL BLAZE AT NORTHERN TRAILS MEATS, 109 Emerald St
When firefighters arrived
they found a man trying to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. The fire, caused by a clothes dryer, was
contained to a room in the building.
there is damage to the building’s electrical system, but no structural
damage to the building. The health
department was called out to check the establishment because of the food inside
the building, which it determined was fine.
05 13 FIRE KILLS DOG, CAUSES $120,000 DAMAGE
A
fire Monday morning in Watertown killed a pet dog and caused approximately
$120,000 damage to a single- family home at 917 Sand Street. All occupants had escaped with
the exception of one dog. The dog
was located, and CPR was performed.
Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
The fire started in the basement, which hindered firefighting
operations. There were no injuries to
firefighters or civilians; the occupants were able to get out of the house
safely, along with three dogs.
0 6 29 FF/PARAMEDIC ALEXA STEINBACH
Swearing in
of FF/Paramedic Steinbach and celebration of the completion of her probationary
year.
07 01 DAN KARINEN & SHELBY PERKET
Two of the newest additions.
Dan Karinen is assigned to B crew and started in April. Shelby Perket is
assigned to C crew and started in June.
09 05 FIREFIGHTER AUSTIN BREWER
Newest
department member, Firefighter Austin Brewer.
Austin Grew
up in the Town of Erin and is a 2017 graduate of Hartford Union High
School.
Austin comes
from a family of firefighters, his father, grandfather and an uncle all serve
or have served on the Ashippun Fire Department.
Austin
continued that tradition by also becoming a member of Ashippun Fire.
Austin
obtained his Emergency Medical Technician – Basic certification and his Associate’s Degree in Fire Protection Technician from
Waukesha County Technical College. He is
currently finishing a Certificate program through Fox Valley Technical College
for Paramedic.
10 09 NEW MARION RESCUE PUMPER
The Watertown Fire Department has taken
delivery of a new rescue pumper from Marion with a 1,000-gallon tank and Hale
QMAX 2,000-gpm pump. This unit is
mounted on a Spartan Gladiator chassis with a 450-hp Cummins ISL9 engine and
Allison 3000EVS transmission.
09 05 FIREFIGHTER ALEX BRAUNSCHWEIG
The
Watertown Fire Department would like to welcome our newest member, Firefighter
Alex Braunschweig.
Alex grew up
in Wooland, Wisconsin until his move to Neosho,
Wisconsin in 2015. He is a 2015 graduate
of Hartford Union High School.
After high
school Alex attended UW Steven Point studying Wildlife & Forestry
Management for a year before obtaining his Firefighter I & II, Driver
Operator and EMT Basic certifications from Moraine Park Technical College.
Most
recently Alex completed the Paramedic program through Fox Valley Technical
College.
11 02 NEW Med 54 AMBULANCE / A F450 Lifeline
vehicle
Replaces Med 53
Features
include its “door forward” layout, Power Load Cot, additional scene and spot
lights, and auto dimming emergency lights.
12 14 1153 BOUGHTON ST. KITCHEN FIRE
The first
arriving units on the scene found a two-story residential apartment complex
with smoke coming from a front door of the unit. A cooking fire that started on the stove
top. Upon the fire engine's arrival,
crews made entry into the apartment and knocked the fire down. The rescue crew then entered the apartment to
perform a search and found the family's cat.
Fire damage estimates are about $20,000.
There were no injuries to firefighters.
However, a civilian on scene and a cat were evaluated for smoke
inhalation.
12 14 COVID-19 VACCINE
Fire
Chief Biefeld and members of the department received the COVID-19 vaccine
the week of December 14, 2020.
12 17 FORMER CHIEF CHARGED ON SEX OFFENSES
CORDELE,
Georgia — Former Watertown Fire Department Chief Henry Butts, who resigned his
position in Watertown in November of 2010 amidst an internal investigation into
theft, has been indicted in Crisp County, Georgia on multiple sex offenses. Butts faces five counts of aggravated sodomy,
two counts of sexual battery and one count of sexual exploitation of
children. The offenses allegedly
occurred between April 9 and Sept. 16, 2013.
WDTimes
article
12 24 COUNCIL OKs COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
Police & Fire
A firefighter starting a career with the
Watertown Fire Department after Jan. 1 will earn $51,139 annually or $24.58 an
hour, according to a collective bargaining agreement approved between the city
and Local 877 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The collective bargaining agreement covers years 2021 to 2023.
Firefighting employees will work a normal work cycle of one 24-hour tour
of duty followed by one 24-hour period by another 24-hour tour of duty and so
on. The normal starting time for a tour
of duty will be 7 a.m. All employees of the fire department will be required to
live within a 45-mile radius of Watertown City Hall as a condition of
employment.
Also, the city’s finance committee and the
police officers reached a one-year collective bargaining agreement beginning
Jan. 1, 2021. All police employees will
be required, within 12 months following their hire to
live within a 25-mile radius of Watertown City Hall, which shall include the
city limits of Lake Mills, Oconomowoc, and Jefferson. . . .
WDTimes full text article
03 01 FIRE KILLED NEARLY 200 CHICKENS
A fire caused
$5,000 in damages and killed nearly 200 chickens Monday. The department was paged out at 7:25 p.m. to
a residence in the W5000 block of Horseshoe Road. When fire units arrived a 20-foot-square
chicken coop was fully engulfed in flames.
The cause of the fire may have been the space heaters.
03 12 RAUTERBERG
NEW DEPUTY CHIEF
The
Watertown Fire Department has named Anthony Rauterberg as its new deputy chief. Rauterberg was
raised in Milwaukee and is a graduate of St. Francis High School. After high school, he attended Mercy School
of EMS for his paramedic license. He
also attended Waldorf University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree
in fire science administration.
03 -- JADEN SCULLY JOINED DEPT
Started in
March 2021. Jaden grew up in Oconomowoc
where he graduated High School in 2018.
Jaden chose to enter the fire service because he grew up with family in
the fire service and had an interest in public safety. Assigned to C shift and is attending
paramedic class.
05 -- IAN
STEMPER JOINED DEPT
Ian Stemper
began working for WFD in May of 2021, as a firefighter/paramedic. Ian grew up in Durand, Illinois and moved to
Wisconsin in 2014. Ian graduated from
Durand High School in 2012. He chose to
enter the fire service because he has family in the fire service. Ian also has family that served in the
Military. Currently assigned to A crew.
05 10 TIM GORDON RETIREMENT
The retirement
of Battalion Chief Tim Gordon. Tim
joined the Watertown Fire Department in 1994 as a firefighter/paramedic. Throughout his years in the fire service he has held the rank of Lieutenant, Assistant Chief,
Watertown Firefighters Local 877 President and Battalion Chief.
05 26 SWEARING IN CEREMONY FOR RATUERBERG, FOX AND
PIEPER
This week
the Watertown Fire Department held a swearing
in ceremony for 3 department members.
Anthony Ratuerberg was sworn in as Deputy
Chief - Operations, Brad Fox was sworn in on his promotion to Battalion Chief
and Matt Pieper was sworn in on his promotion to Lieutenant.
06 03 FIRM TO EXPLORE NEW FIRE STATION
Watertown Common Council members agreed to
allow the fire department to spend $18,500 of its budgeted funds to hire Five
Bugles Design of Eau Claire, which specializes in the planning and design of
public safety buildings. The current
fire station is 60 years old and needs replacing. It was built in 1964 with room for five
emergency vehicles, but it now houses 13 including four ambulances and two
tenders, which are large, water-carrying capacity motor vehicles which provide
water for firefighting in areas not serviced by a municipal water supply. The City of Watertown began its emergency
medical services in 1975.
06 07 HIGH SCHOOL
NHS DONATES TO DEPT.
The Watertown High School National Honors
Society chapter used funds raised through an Emil’s Pizza fundraiser and
donated $500 to the local fire department.
The fire department partnered with Watertown High School and the NHS
chapter to offer two CPR training classes next year so Watertown students will
have the opportunity to be better prepared to handle certain medical
emergencies.
06 10 BRAD HERING RETIREMENT
06 12 FIRE
AT 203 LAFAYETTE ST.
An
overheated fan motor caused $50,000 in damages to a
two-story, single-family residence. Call
of a residential structure fire at 12:34 p.m.
Kristianne Busshardt is the homeowner. Upon arrival, firefighters could see smoke
coming out of the second-story windows.
06 15 FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC OPENING
06 15 CHAD A. BUTZINE, 20 YEARS OF SERVICE
06 29 SMOKE DETECTORS
DONATED
Blain's Farm & Fleet donation of smoke detectors for Community
Risk Reduction Program
08 XX TANNER
HANSON
Firefighter/Paramedic
Tanner Hanson started his fire service career in 2018. Tanner grew up in Stoughton, where he
graduated from Stoughton High School in 2018.
Tanner was hired at WFD in August of 2021. Tanner enjoys spending time with his family
& friends, he also enjoys the outdoors, working out, and snowboarding.
09 11 20 YEAR REMEMBRANCE AND COMMEMORATION OF 2001
ATTACK
09 15 INCREASING DEMANDS PLACED ON DEPARTMENT
Watertown
Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld spoke recently about the demands placed on the city’s
fire department in 2021, saying one of the things that worries him most is
simply being able to recruit and retain staff members qualified to respond to
emergency calls.
The chief
has witnessed requirements increase from a person needing to have Firefighter I
certification and an EMT Basic license, to the need for Firefighter II
certification and all applicants being required to be paramedics. Watertown firefighter candidates need a
minimum of Firefighter II certification and be licensed as a paramedic within
one year of hire to be qualified.
The fire
department currently has a staff of 24 fulltime
personnel in this division that work on a 24-hour basis on three shifts of
eight, with a minimum staffing of six.
Personnel work an average of 56 hours a week or 2,912 hours per year. This staff provides a dual role, in which
they have to know two disciplines, one as a
firefighter and one as a paramedic.
Statistics
provided by the department indicate its run volume has
increased nearly 30% since 2009, but staffing in that same time
period has only increased to just shy of 4%. The net cost, per capita, for the Watertown
Fire Department is $107 per resident, while the average fire department in the
state costs $159 per person.
Watertown is
“an urbanized city” with 68.9% being residential properties, 21.6% commercial
properties, 6.5% manufacturing, and 3% making up other types of properties. It
covers 12.4 square miles, surrounded by rural, farmland communities.
The
Watertown Fire Department covers an area surrounding the City of Watertown
through a fire and EMS contract with the townships of Watertown, Milford,
Emmet, and Shields, for a total of 101.1 square miles of fire and EMS coverage
and provides EMS transport service to the Township of Lebanon. The city’s population was estimated to be
23,945 in 2020. The population in the
rural coverage area is 3,215.
When there
are large incidents, fire departments in the area will use the Mutual Aid Box
Alarm System. MABAS has been able to
help with mutual-aid response; in 2020, the Watertown Fire Department responded
to 106 requests for mutual aid, while receiving mutual aid 25 times.
10 06 KITCHEN FIRE AT 211 S. WARREN
A morning
kitchen fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damages at 211 S. Warren St. The department received the fire call at 9:36
a.m. and arrived just two minutes following the page. The fire started near the stove and was
contained to the kitchen, but there is smoke damage throughout the residence.
12 07 ALEX BRAUNSCHWEIG BIO
Alex
Braunschweig began working for WFD in September of 2020. Alex is a firefighter/paramedic. Alex grew up in Woodland, WI. Some of Alex's hobbies are hunting, fishing,
family trips, softball, baseball and volunteer work. Alex recently (Sept '21)
married his high school sweetheart.
12 16 PAUL H. NOE (1934–2021)
Paul worked as a firefighter for the City of Watertown for 22
years.
___ 2022 __________________
01 10 RYAN IWAMOTO
Ryan Iwamoto
began working for WFD in May of 2021.
Ryan is currently a probationary firefighter/paramedic. Ryan grew up in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. Ryan moved to Wisconsin at the age of
25. He graduated in 2006 from Kealakehe
High School. Ryan also has an Associate Degree in food service. Ryan's hobbies include various outdoor
activities, such as fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, ATV riding and
boating. After taking various fire and
EMS classes for five years, Ryan is excited to become a fulltime firefighter/paramedic.
01 12 FIRE CHIEF BIEFELD TO END
29-YEAR CAREER
City
officials announced Kraig Biefeld will retire from the Watertown Fire
Department effective May 2.
Biefeld
began as a parttime paid-on-call firefighter with the
City of Watertown in 1993 and became a paramedic in 1997. He briefly left Watertown to start as a
full-time firefighter with the City of Kaukauna and returned to the area in
2000 as a firefighter and paramedic in Watertown. He was promoted to assistant chief and EMS
director in 2008 and promoted to fire chief in 2017.
Under Biefeld’s supervision the fire department was able to
achieve an Insurance Service Office (ISO) score of two which falls into the top
3% of fire department in the nation. The ISO provides this score, often called the
“ISO fire score,” to homeowners insurance companies. Insurers then use it to help set homeowners’
insurance rates. The lower the number
the better equipped a municipal fire department is to put out a fire, the less
likely one’s house is to burn down.
Biefeld was also instrumental in updating the city emergency action plan
and creating the continuity of operations plan (COOP) that helped provide
guidance to the city during the start of the COVID pandemic.
Biefeld said
his most memorable calls during his career at the Watertown Fire Department
included the massive tire fi re in 2005 which burned for weeks with plumes of
its smoke seen in the City of Milwaukee, the flooding in 2008, the train
derailment in 2015, and the rain/flooding event in 2018 were all events he
didn’t forget.
Biefeld has
served his community through his fire service, but also through volunteering
with the Boy Scouts and as a board member for Leadership Wisconsin. He also serves as secretary/treasurer for the
Jefferson County Fire Chiefs Association, Jefferson County EMS Association
president, Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Commission chairperson,
Mutual Aid Box Alarm System trainer, and MABAS Policy and Procedures Committee
chairperson.
Biefeld
won’t take part in the creation of a new Watertown fire station, which council
members agreed in June to spend $18,500 of its budgeted funds to plan and
design the public safety building.
Biefeld retirement video tribute:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=667312311228341&ref=sharing
02 01 PATRICK “PAT” J. THEDER
August 20, 1945 - February
1, 2022
Patrick
“Pat” J. Theder, 76, of Watertown, passed away on
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at Select Specialty Hospital in Milwaukee.
Patrick John
Theder was born on August 20, 1945 in Watertown, the
son of Peter and Betty (nee Crouch) Theder. He was a 1963 graduate of Watertown High
School. He served in the United States
Marine Corp. On April 12, 1969, he
married Pamela Griep at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Watertown. Pat had been employed as a firefighter and
EMT, starting with the Watertown Fire Department in 1967. He was promoted to
lieutenant in 1978 and then promoted to captain in 1995. After he retired from the fire department in
1998, he was the Jefferson County Coroner for 18 years. Pat was a member of the Marine Corp League,
the VFW and American Legion Post 189. He
loved spending time at his lake home with friends.
Pat is
survived by his wife of 52 years, Pam Theder;
daughters, Wendy (Tony) Cataldo, Heidi Theder, and
Naddy (Danny) DeWitz; granddaughters, Alicia, Brittney, Kiersten, and Molly;
great-grandchildren, Aiden, James, Arabella, Ciara, and Journi; siblings, Mike
(Karen) Theder and Susan (Gary) Reynolds; as well as
other relatives and friends.
He was
preceded in death by his parents and great-granddaughter, Galiana.
A
Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Hafemeister Funeral Home and Cremation
Service of Watertown is serving the family.
02 02 615 N.
FOURTH ST. HOUSE FIRE
The
Watertown Fire Department responded today to a call to 615 N. Fourth
Street in the City of Watertown for a house with a large amount of smoke
coming from it. Fire units arrived on
scene shortly after the call to find the house with an active fire and
requested help from neighboring fire departments. The sole occupant was just returning home at
the time the fire was reported, and with help from Watertown Police, was given
a warm place to stay during the time of the fire. The occupant denied any smoke inhalation or
injuries at that time. Arriving units
entered the house and were able to have the fire suppressed within 12 minutes
of being on scene. Watertown
Fire Department and mutual aid units stayed on scene for roughly 1.5 hours for
overhaul.
The cause of
the fire was investigated by the Watertown Fire Department fire investigator
and deemed to be accidental with the probable cause being paper product too
close to a heat vent pipe. The damage to
the house is estimated to be over $42,500 and is extensive. There are no reported injuries from the fire.
The
Watertown Fire Department requested help through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm
System (MABAS). The following units arrived on scene to assist; Waterloo,
Johnson Creek, CLR, Lebanon, and Hustisford.
-- -- YEARS
OF SERVICE
Kreilkamp,
Scott G: 30 Years
Heimerl,
Robert A: 10 Years
Peters,
Andrea L: 10 Years
Brant,
Joshua P: 5 Years
02 21 BRANDON WOJNOWSKI BIO
Brandon
Wojnowski, aka "Wojo," began working for
WFD in March of 2015. Brandon grew up in
Muskego WI. His father was a firefighter and Brandon grew up around the fire
department. He always loved his father's
passion for helping others and making a difference in people's lives, that's
why Brandon became a firefighter.
Brandon's hobbies include deer and duck hunting, fishing, riding his
Harley and traveling. Brandon currently
has a fiancé, Lindsay, and they have a dog named Bailey. Brandon loves that this job involves being
able to make a difference in people's lives and that he has so much fun doing
it. Brandon says that some of the most
memorable moments of his career came during his probationary year. During that year he was able to respond to
many unique incidents, those incidents included structure fires, plane crashes
and a train derailment.
04 09 STRUCTURE FIRE CLAIMS LIFE
The WFD was
dispatched to a call at Watertown East Apartments located at 1153 Boughton St
at 3:49 a.m. for an apartment with a large amount of smoke coming from it. The fire was called in by another tenant at
the apartment complex.
Fire units arrived
on scene shortly after the call to find an apartment building with smoke coming
from one of the apartment units. There
was a report of possible victims in the fire. The arriving units made entry to
the apartment and started a search and were able to knock down any fire. The Watertown Police Department was able to
determine that some of the occupants were able to self-evacuate and that there
were possibly more occupants inside the apartment complex. A fire victim was found in the apartment unit
and was transported to the Watertown Regional Medical Center and later
succumbed to injuries. The fire was
contained to the apartment unit
The State
Fire Marshall has been called to help investigate this fire with the support of
the Watertown Police Department and the Watertown Fire Department Fire
Investigator. The cause of the fire is not known at this time
and is being investigated. The damage to the unit was extensive and is
estimated to be over $30,000 in damage. The Red Cross was called for the
displaced occupants.
The
Watertown Fire Department requested help through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm
System (MABAS) and the following units arrived on scene to assist; Ixonia,
Waterloo, Johnson Creek, CLR, Lebanon, and Lake Mills EMS.
There were no working smoke detectors present in the apartment.
04 25 ALEX BRAUNSCHWEIG, & JADEN SCULLY SWEARING IN
< scroll forward
05 05 TRAVIS TEESCH NEW FIRE CHIEF
Travis Teesch will be the city’s new chief of fire and emergency
operations, replacing Kraig Biefeld, who retired.
Teesch comes to
Watertown from his former position as assistant fire chief in Kaukauna, where
he served since August of 1999.
Teesch holds a
Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in fire
and emergency response management and a Master of Science in administration
from the University of South Dakota.
In addition
to his long-term employment as assistant chief in Kaukauna, Teesch
has also served as an adjunct instructor at Fox Valley Technical College, was a
State of Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board member from 2003
to 2009 and is the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 127 secretary, serving
from 2017 to present.
Teesch will begin
his new role in the City of Watertown on June 7, 2022. Deputy Chief Anthony Rauterberg
will serve as acting chief in the interim.
05 07 CONTROLLED BURN
The
Watertown Fire Department held a training burn with area departments that
included Clyman, Lowell, Reeseville (CLR) and Waterloo. Burning in acquired structures allows
firefighters the opportunity to see the process and changes of fire behavior
and how the heat in the room changes in various conditions. These trainings
provide knowledge and repetition of tactics to properly prepare firefighters to
the conditions they could face on any given day.
05 17 HONORED FOR SAVING A LIFE
At the
Common Council meeting a group of firefighter/paramedics
were honored for saving a life on scene.
Battalion Chief Chad Butler, Lieutenant Greg Wellach,
Firefighter/Paramedic Josh Brant, Firefighter/Paramedic Cory Schultz,
Firefighter/Paramedic Kyle Esmeier,
Firefighter/Paramedic Alex Braunschweig, EMT Advanced student Brett
Meints. Firefighter/Paramedic Cory
Schultz also received commendation for his commitment to community CPR
education and his dedication to the citizens of Watertown
06 08 EX-CHIEF
BUTTS SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS
CORDELE,
Georgia — Former Watertown Fire Department Chief Henry Butts, who will turn 58
in July, will
spend at least the next 25 years in Georgia state prison after being
convicted on multiple sex offenses in that state. As part of a plea agreement in late May,
Butts entered pleas of guilty to six counts of aggravated sodomy, and one count
each of aggravated sexual battery and sexual exploitation of children.
10 28 STRUCTURE FIRE AT 300 LAUREN LANE
On October
28th at 3:43 pm the Watertown Fire Department received a call from Watertown
Police Dispatch Center for a report of a garage fire at 300
Lauren Lane.
Prior to
arrival, crews could see heavy smoke in the sky and requested a MABAS Box Alarm
to the Working Still level bringing in additional fire/EMS units and command
staff to the scene. Upon arrival, fire
department personnel found an attached garage with heavy fire showing and dark
smoke coming from the eves of the townhouse.
Firefighters
used 2 attack hose lines to start extinguishing the fire and prevent it from
spreading to the adjacent townhomes.
Crews then went interior and extinguished any fire inside the structure. There were working smoke detectors within the
units. All occupants were outside of the
affected townhouse. An investigation is
ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
No injuries were reported. The
Red Cross is assisting the residents affected by the fire.
Fire damage
estimates are about $180,000.
11 01 AUTUMN
STEGGALL / New Firefighter/Paramedic
12 09 100
WESTERN AVENUE FIRE
THREE FATALITIES
The
Watertown Fire & Police Departments, along with the State Fire Marshall are
actively investigating a fire that occurred in the 100 Block of Western Ave.
Police and
Fire personnel were dispatched at approximately 12:36am for a reported house
fire.
Upon arrival
the home was engulfed in flames, and personnel were informed that residents
were still trapped inside.
Firefighters
attempted to rescue the victims, but were driven back by the intense heat,
smoke, and flames.
Firefighters
worked inside and outside to extinguish the blaze.
The Police
Department can confirm that three victims lost their lives in the fire. The
Police and Fire department will not be releasing the names or ages of the
victims at this time.
The cause of
the fire is under active investigation as personnel continue to process the
scene.
Assisting
agencies include; Fire agencies responding through the
Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Dodge County
Sheriff’s Office, and the State Fire Marshalls office.
12 25 W3855
EBENEZER DR
On December
25th, Christmas Day, at 10:59 pm the Watertown Fire Department
received a call from Jefferson County Dispatch Center for a report of a fire at
W3855 Ebenezer Drive.
Prior to
arrival, crews requested a MABAS Box Alarm to the Box Level bringing in
additional fire/EMS units and command staff to the scene. Crews could see a glow from the fire while
responding. Upon arrival, the engine
company found an approximately 120 x 60 metal barn that was well involved.
Firefighters
used multiple attack hose lines and provided a defensive attack while
protecting nearby buildings from catching on fire as well. About 28,000 gallons of water was used to
extinguish the fire. All staff were
accounted for and no injuries were reported. An investigation is ongoing to determine the
cause of the fire.
Fire damage
estimates are unknown at this time.
The
Watertown Fire Department was assisted on the scene by Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, Lake Mills Fire, Lake Mills EMS,
Johnson Creek Fire, Waterloo Fire, Jefferson Fire, Lebanon Fire, and CLR Fire
(Clyman, Lowell, Reeseville), Ashippun Fire, Ixonia Fire, Juneau EMS, Sullivan
Fire, Columbus Fire, Cambridge Fire, and Western Lakes Rehab Unit. Western Lakes EMS and Hustisford Fire
Department provided coverage at the station during this incident.
02 06 CARLOS WALDSCHMIDT
New hire
firefighter/paramedic Carlos Waldschmidt.
Carlos worked his first shift today, assigned to B crew.
02 22 DESIGN
BID FOR NEW FIRE STATION APPROVED
Watertown
Common Council members voted to hire Short Elliot Hendrickson of Madison at a
cost of $547,580 to design the city’s new fire station. The current station stands at 17,268 square
feet, and it’s no longer suitable for the department’s needs and not cost
effective to renovate. Current station
lacks adequate space for our apparatus and our firefighters, proper areas for
conducting training, performing maintenance or decontamination equipment and
gear.
The new fire
station will be constructed off Church Street, west of the Able Light Thrift
shop. The piece of land is a 7.6-acre
plot near 621 Bernard and 668 Johnson streets, but
does not yet have a designated address.
The city purchased the land for the fire station in late 2022 using fund
balance money, meaning that no money was borrowed to buy the plot. The estimated cost of the fire station is
between $11-$13 million. WDTimes
article
WFD_FACILITY_CONCEPT_STUDY <
pdf file
03 02 DENNIS
"DENNY" SCHRAMM (1939-2023)
April 3,
1939 - March 2, 2023
<> Dennis
"Denny" M. Schramm, 84, of Watertown was called to his new home. He had endured his struggle with Parkinson's
disease and other ailments for 10 years.
He became a firefighter on January 1, 1968, promoted to Lieutenant in
1975 and Captain in 1978. He was EMT and served as the department's training
officer. His job was something he was proud of and enjoyed for 24 years. WDTimes
obit
09 29 1220
AMERICAN WAY / COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE BLAZE
A commercial
structure fire on Friday afternoon sent one person to the hospital and caused
nearly $125,000 in damages. Watertown Fire Department crews were called
at 2:12 p.m. Friday for a report of a fire at The Roller Specialist, 1220
American Way. When firefighters arrived,
they found smoke coming from an open garage door. An employee used a fire extinguisher to
control the spread of the fire until emergency crews arrived. The investigation revealed that the fire
originated from hot embers after the use of machinery. Loss estimates are $125,000 for the building,
equipment and other contents inside the building.
The Roller
Specialist, which was founded in 1994, is one of the Midwest’s industrial and
printing roller custom shop. The business has approximately 50 employees
and custom manufactures rollers for industries across the U.S.
___ 2024 __________________
01 26 211
N. MAPLE St, Structure Fire
On January
26, 2024, at 8:30 pm, the Watertown Fire Department responded to a call from
the Jefferson County Dispatch Center reporting a fire at 211 N. Maple Street.
Prior to our
arrival, automatic aid was initiated, elevating the incident to a MABAS Box
Working Still Level. Upon arrival, the
ambulance crew discovered a detached garage with flames visible. The engine company conducted a thorough
walk-around of the garage, revealing flames on all four sides with
exposures. Firefighters effectively
utilized two attack hose lines, leading to a swift extinguishment of the
fire. Approximately 2,000 gallons of
water and 5 gallons of foam were used in the firefighting effort. All occupants
and staff were safely accounted for, and no injuries were reported.
03 13 TANYA REYNEN
APPOINTED FIRE CHIEF
Reynen’s
career in public service spans nearly two decades, marked by significant
contributions and achievements. Most
recently, she served as the Deputy Chief of Training Center at Lake Country
Fire Rescue, where she spearheaded innovative initiatives and fostered a
culture of excellence. Prior to her
tenure at Lake Country Fire Rescue, Reynen served in various capacities
including as a paid on call Firefighter/Paramedic at
Western Lakes Fire District, an adjunct Fire/EMS instructor at Waukesha County
Technical College, and as a Firefighter/Paramedic at Watertown Fire Department
and Town of Brookfield Fire Department.
Chief Reynen
will take command of the department in April. A public swearing-in ceremony
will be held at that time.
05 19 GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW FIRE STATION
09 05 JOSHUA
BOLDT, MATTHEW CYR, KOLETON SPIRK
<
PORTFOLIO OF PICS
THIS CHAPTER IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
__________________________________________________________________________________________
1900-1999 section Other Segments Return to
beginning
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Cross References:
Fuermann Brewery;
Fire Department occupies former site of brewery.
Special Police. The Watertown Historical
Society collection has a picture of seventeen "Special
Police of the Watertown Fire Department." The men were all Civil War veterans and
appear to be wearing military hats. They
were led by Capt. Leonard Jaehrling. He came to Watertown from Germany for a time,
then went to New York, where he joined a Civil War detachment as a
captain. He was sent to Watertown as a
recruiting officer and remained here after the war. He formed this group of aides to the fire
department.
150 year history book now available in ebook
format
Early badge [of John 'Put' [“Putt”] Reichardt (Reichert)
The Watertown Fire Department: 1857-2007
492 pages, $19.95 +
$7 s/h if applicable
The 150 year history of the Watertown Fire Department is now
available. This comprehensive reference
book is filled with images and details on the history of the department, fully
indexed and also documents
the major fires that have occurred in the city.
All proceeds derived
from the sale of this book go to benefit the Watertown Historical Society. Those wishing to order copies, which make
fine gifts, may do so by sending their check of this amount to the Watertown Historical
Society, 919 Charles St., Watertown, WI
53094.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
History of Watertown, Wisconsin