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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
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
