The State of Wisconsin is resuming enforcing a code provision requiring fire sprinkler systems in certain multi-family homes, a policy that may help stop a plague of home fires in the Milwaukee area this winter. Multi-family homes taller than 60 feet, or six stories, and with three or more attached dwelling units will need to have an automatic fire sprinkler system installed.
- PUB DATE: 2/26/2021 5:55:10 PM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

The Cornell Area Fire Department is rallying behind one of their own after a firefighter was shot by a gun that discharged due to heat from a fire, ending up in the hospital. "He went from work and he was on a hose line spraying water. This was probably at least an hour into the fire when he was struck by a bullet that was shot out of a gun inside the house," said Fire Chief Dennis Klass, of the Cornell Area Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 2/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WQOW-TV ABC 18 Eau Claire

The Oshkosh Fire Department received a rating of one by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO) for the first time ever. According to officials, the ISO rates over 40,000 fire departments across the nation based on a scale from one to ten. One is the best possible score and in 2020 only 388 departments nationwide received a rating of one.
- PUB DATE: 2/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Now that the city’s new fire engine is in service and responding to calls, the old 1989 Ford it replaced will be sold at auction. City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the sale of Engine 7 through Ripon, Wisconsin-based Auction Associates. No date for the auction was provided. The truck no longer meets National Fire Protection Association specifications and would not be cost-effective to refurbish, according to a staff report.
- PUB DATE: 2/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: River Towns

A homegrown nonprofit working to help ease the stresses of active military members, veterans, first responders, and their families is on the cusp of getting its first forward operating base. The Delafield Town Plan Commission recently granted Wisconsin Heroes Outdoors the initial permission it needs to use the town’s former Fire Station #2, W329-S890 Kettle Moraine Drive, as its headquarters, and the town and the nonprofit are currently working out the details of a three-year-lease for the property.
- PUB DATE: 2/26/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: GM Today

Green Bay Metro Fire Chief David Litton joined Local 5 to talk about updates regarding the Green Bay Metro Fire Department (GBMFD). Chief Litton says the Bellevue Fire Chief resigned and was seeking other communities to potentially merge with, before finally setting on Green Bay. The merger will benefit taxpayers from both municipalities, says Chief Litton.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 7:58:28 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Consultants have determined the City of Platteville needs a new fire station. They proposed a nearly 32,000-square-foot concept that includes eight truck bays, training rooms, administrative offices and living quarters. A preliminary assessment indicated that a new structure could cost $8 million to $13 million.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Telegraph Herald

The Oshkosh Fire Department is being recognized as one of the best in the country. The department received an Insurance Service Organization (ISO) Public Protection Classification of 1, for the first time ever. The ISO rates over 40,000 fire departments all across the country on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the very best.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 2:14:12 PM - SOURCE: WTAQ FM Green Bay

A 35-year-old firefighter with the Cornell Fire Department is in critical condition Tuesday night after a loaded gun discharged a bullet into his abdomen as firefighters fought a Rusk County structure fire Friday. Justin Fredrickson, 35, a 16-year veteran of the Cornell Fire Department, was operating a hose line outside the structure when a loaded firearm inside the building discharged, the Cornell Fire Department said in a Tuesday evening news release.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firefighter Nation

Firefighters responded to a garage fire in Madison on Monday morning. A caller first reported “lots of smoke” in the area of Lakeside Drive near Colby Street at about 9:50 a.m. An incident report said the smoke was coming from a garage fire about a block away on West Lakeside Street. Officials got inside the garage through a side door and quickly located the fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 8:28:41 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Firefighters on Tuesday, Feb. 23 responded to the scene of a house fire in the Town of Addison. The call came in around 1:05 a.m. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a house fire at a single-family residence in the area of Alpine Drive and Highway 33. The fire was reported by one of the homeowners.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 2:03:50 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

Kids from Kenosha scouting troops spent hours over the weekend digging out fire hydrants buried in snow. Members of 10 troops, including younger kids from Cub Scout troops, dug out more than 230 buried hydrants around the community. Three additional troops plan to continue the work this week, with organizers estimating they will have freed more than 300 hydrants from the snow when they are done.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 1:47:26 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News - Metered Site

Multiple Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue (FDLFR) staff members went before the Commission on Fire Accreditation International to try to regain accreditation. FDLFR says, the commission voted unanimously to again grant accredited status to FDLFR. “I am so proud of our entire organization and extremely happy for the community of Fond du Lac,” says Fire/Rescue Chief Peter O’Leary.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Sharon Purifoy can remember her scariest day as a Milwaukee firefighter. It was her first day on the job in 2003. Nothing particular happened that day. But it was frightening for her to be starting a career in which life and death are separated by a very thin line. "The most scared I’ve ever been on the job? It had to be just walking in here.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 7:41:51 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

Just over a year ago, the now-famous 12-year-old English Bulldog named 'Tuff' fell through the ice, but was saved thanks to a quick response from the South Milwaukee Fire Department. Following Tuff's rescue, the fire department launched a fundraiser by selling t-shirts of Tuff, with the goal being to raise money to purchase water rescue equipment and to make a donation to the K9 for Warriors organization.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 6:48:38 PM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

Two children are dead following an early Saturday morning fire in Northwestern Wisconsin. The fire broke out around 4 A.M. at W Semrad Road in Minong. It wasn’t immediately clear the ages of the deceased children. Authorities have yet to comment. According to a GoFundMe page, the family does not have insurance and has a goal to raise $25,000 to help with funeral costs and other expenses.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBJR-TV NBC 6 Superior

A fire in Fond du Lac responded to a reported garage fire with an explosion on Feb. 21, that left a home uninhabitable. Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue says they responded around 9:20 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the 50 block of W. Bank Street for a reported detached garage on fire with an explosion. When arriving the garage was fully involved on fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The Kenosha Fire Department’s plans for a new station and training facility moved one step closer to reality after a mostly favorable review from city officials Thursday. Interim Fire Chief Christopher Bigley and other staffers within the department discussed plans for Fire Station No. 4, 4810 60th St.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2021 1:02:39 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News - Metered Site

Jen’s Sweet Treats in Cudahy decided to do something sweet for a couple of first responders on Saturday, Feb. 20. The First Responders Women's Weekend Fundraiser allowed the community to give back through their appetites. The bakery is treating two families of first responders. Rochester Assistant Fire Chief Cathy Wagner passed away earlier this month.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2021 11:08:35 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

When you think of firefighters.. most of the time you’d think of an adult… But the Onalaska Fire Department is looking to change that. Some high school students will soon have the opportunity to become certified firefighters. “I know when I was in high school I wasn’t thinking too much about what I wanted to be when I grow up, but I think this is an amazing career,” said Onalaska Fire Chief Troy Gudie.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2021 10:29:06 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse