A brat, dip in the pool, and fireworks are all part of the perfect 4th of July. But they do come with risks. That’s why both the Merrill and Wausau Fire departments are urging residents to take precautions in their 4th of July celebrations this week. “Do things cautiously. Think about what you’re doing.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 3:43:28 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

A Janesville man was arrested after starting his house on fire following a standoff with police, according to a release by the city’s police department. Officers were called to a home located along the 100 block of Cherry Street around 3 a.m. Monday. Responding officers arrived to find Raymond Gross outside the house armed with a knife, the release said.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 7:38:04 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

One firefighter was taken to the hospital while fire crews battled a house fire Sunday afternoon on Mill Street. Fire crews responded around 2 p.m. to the 300 block of North Mill Street in Merrill, according to the Merrill Fire Department. Fire crews found smoke coming from the home and started extinguishing the fire from outside.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 3:51:18 AM - SOURCE: Wausau Daily Herald

The coronavirus pandemic didn't get in the way of a special birthday celebration in Kenosha Sunday, June 28. Dozens came out to recognize a retired firefighter on his 90th birthday. Will Rice retired in 1993, but still has a lot of friends with the Kenosha Fire Department, and on Sunday, they celebrated him in a big way.
- PUB DATE: 6/28/2020 7:42:47 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

One man was killed and another seriously injured after a motorcycle crash in Waukesha County on Saturday afternoon, June 27. It happened near WIS-67 and CTH-ZZ in the unincorporated town of Ottawa. Authorities with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation into the crash is ongoing, and drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor in the crash at this time.
- PUB DATE: 6/27/2020 5:27:35 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

The Wausau fire department’s 2nd district has a brand new station on the west side of town. This brand new fire department replaces and old one that dates back to the 1970s. This one is modern. “This is a day that will be remembered for a long, long time,” said Tracey Kujawa, Chief of the Wausau Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2020 7:40:50 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

One of the proposals in La Crosse’s 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Budget is a public safety center. The building would combine elements for both the fire and police departments in La Crosse. The top priority for the La Crosse Fire and Police Departments is to protect and serve the community, but they first need the resources to do so.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2020 6:56:53 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

Two people were displaced from their home after a fire engulfed a home on the 1400 block of Emilie Street, Thursday evening. When firefighters arrived on scene they found flames engulfing the back of the home. According to the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, they were able to quickly extinguish the fire on the outside of the home.
- PUB DATE: 6/26/2020 1:49:16 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The Suring man who died Sunday night following a crash has been identified as Zachary R. Zahn, 44. He was the fourth person to die in a motor vehicle accident in Oconto County this year. Zahn had served a decade on the Suring Fire Department, and was named a captain in January, said his cousin, Suring Fire Chief Mark Zahn.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2020 1:49:43 PM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

Gerard Washington is well aware of the issues that have plagued the Menomonee Falls Fire Department in the last year. But the village's new fire chief said that when he cleans up those issues, the community will see a gem. Since last June, concerns have been raised over fire vehicles being sidelined by repairs, a lack of staffing, leadership and communication issues, prompting the then-assistant chief to say the department was in "crisis.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2020 1:38:30 PM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin’s natural resources policy board has given the agency approval to begin drafting rules to restrict the use of firefighting foam containing hazardous chemicals known as PFAS. The Natural Resources Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve parameters for an emergency rule that will determine, among other things, how and where fluorinated foam can be tested and disposed of.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2020 4:56:06 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

Authorities are investigating a suspected arson in the Village of Salem Lakes that took place Wednesday, June 24. Kenosha County sheriff's deputies and Salem Lakes Fire Department responded to the area near 286th and Wilmot around 3:09 a.m. for a report of vehicles on fire near a home. First responders located two vehicles on fire in the driveway and fire on the exterior portion of the home.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 1:47:35 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

An essential service organization in the Chippewa Valley now has some much-needed new equipment. The Chippewa Fire District received two new Lifeline Ambulances Monday for use throughout the Chippewa Valley. The two vehicles will replace vehicles that have been in service for many years. The district said in a social media post that the new equipment will be of great value to the fire department and the community.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 12:45:20 PM - SOURCE: Chippewa Herald

Chaos erupted after a search for two missing teens on Milwaukee's north side Tuesday, June 23. A house on 40th and Lloyd was set on fire by protesters as police say they were trying to calm down the crowd. Both teens have since been located safe, and police say there is no evidence the teens were ever at the home.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 11:45:37 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

In a press conference Tuesday night, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said seven officers and a firefighter were injured at the scene near 40th and Lloyd where a large group congregated in search of two missing girls. The group gathered at a home that neighbors say is known to be used for human trafficking.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Beloit Fire Station Two was unstaffed for eight hours on Sunday, but medical services were not impacted, according to Beloit Fire Chief Daniel Pease. Pease said the station, at 2111 Cranston Road, was unstaffed due to a firefighter taking sick leave that was unrelated to COVID-19 exposure. “This caused the station to drop to two personnel, which is not enough to staff an engine,” Pease said.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 8:11:45 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

A natural gas leak from a gas line struck by an excavator was fixed at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, about an hour after homes downwind were evacuated. The 2-inch line was broken under the intersection of McKinley and Academy streets. Alliant Energy crews stopped the leak and were checking evacuated homes in the area for natural gas and reconnecting gas appliances before letting people back into their homes, said Ron Bomkamp, a battalion chief with the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 2:16:14 PM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

PHOTOS: A group of Madison firefighters rescued a group of ducklings Tuesday morning after they had fallen into a sewer. Engine 1 with the Madison Fire Department was notified that the ducklings had fallen into a sewer at the intersection of W. Dayton Street and Randall Avenue. Firefighters Wiese, Timm, Bower and Lt.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 9:03:49 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Madison police say officers had to drag a man out of a burning apartment after he allegedly started the fire as part of a domestic dispute. Police were called to 7004 Tree Lane just after 1 a.m. Monday, where officers found a woman and her child who had to evacuate in an attempt to get away from the man.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 1:42:47 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

Crews responded to a fire at Fox Valley rehabilitation center just days another fire had damaged the west wing of the building. According to officials, crews from the Fox Crossing Fire Department and Neenah Menasha Fire were dispatched for a re-kindle of the fire at Oakridge Gardens Nursing Home around 3:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 11:42:12 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay