oct. 10, 2012

TO EMERGENCY PERSONNEL 2011TO EMERGENCY PERSONNEL 2012

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW AND THE THREE LAKES NEWS

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW AND THE THREE LAKES NEWS

OCTOBER 7-13, 2012

Oct. 10, 2012 Courtesy of the News-Review and The Three Lakes News

TEAMWORK

Eagle River Branch633 N. Railroad St., Eagle River, WI 54521

Rhinelander Office121 Sutliff Ave., Rhinelander, WI 54501

715-479-4491 or toll-free 1-877-365-4800

Emergency preparation and financial planningboth take teamwork. Most emergency situations

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We salute these dedicated volunteers.

Whatever your financial goals,we can help you come out a winner.

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Serving everyone who lives, works or owns real estate in thecounties of Vilas, Florence, Forest, Oneida, Langlade, Lincoln and Price.

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Know that careless ness isa major cause in many fires.

Install smoke detectorsand fire extinguishers in yourhome and work area.

Fire Prevention Home Checklist1. Is electricity delivered to a centrally located switch box?2. Are all fuses of the proper size and does the wiring look

good?3. Are extension cords hooked properly? Are they in good

condition?4. Are motor fuels stored in proper places and in proper

containers?5. Are cleaning fuels and other cleaning liquids properly

stored? Are cleaning rags stored properly?6. Have stoves and heating equipment been kept in good

repair?

7. Is furnace room neat and free of combustiblematerials?

8. Is building free of wastepaper, garbage, etc. outsideand in?

9. Is fire department phone number posted near the phone?

10. How many fire extinguishers? Are they serviceable?11. Are basement and attic free of combustible material

and liquids? Are stairways and hallways clear for goodexit purposes? Are there two ways of escape fromevery room?

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Dispatchers By Alan Burton

Some call them dispatchersOthers are called operator or clerkOr telecommunicator or aideSome are police officers; most are notSome are firefighters; most are notThe name is not importantBut they are.Dispatchers serve many mastersYet they are masters themselvesSome serve the police, or fireOthers service the EMS, or sheriffsSome serve the highway patrolMany serve all of theseYet that’s not importantBut they are.Dispatchers perform many functionsThey command the radio channelsThat no one else understandsThey make sense of the unsensibleHear the unhearableRemember everything, forget nothingYet that’s not importantBut they are.Emergency phone calls are never-endingProblems to make a priest blushCrises that defy resolutionComplexities to confound a lawyerWith the clock runningSomeone is watchingAre they performing up to speed?Yet that’s not importantBut they are.Some deal with problems at the counterIs the computer up?The officer needs the informationNow!

Doesn’t anyone realize that livesAre at stake here?Isn’t this important?Expectations are highPay too often is lowHours are usually longShiftwork and overtimeChristmas and EasterComplaints are of no availThere is no one to listenYet that’s not important.Dispatchers are expected to knowWhat a police officer knowsWithout the same trainingFor who does the officer look toFor questions about the lawResources that are neededFor help . . .Of course that’s not important either.Dispatchers are the hub, we knowThey are the center of the universeWe knowEven if no one else doesAnd that IS important.Dispatching is an outrageous careerBut most won’t make it a careerFew people can take itFew people would want toFew people have the staminaFew people can afford itAnd that IS important.Police officers need dispatchersFirefighters need dispatchersThe community needs dispatchersAnd that IS important.And so are They.

INDEXA R B O R V I T A E

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 61 & 62B OULD E R J U N CT I ON

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 67 & 68C O N OVE R

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 38-41 & 43E A G L E R IV E R

Fire Department Pages 3-7EMTs Pages 18 & 19City of Eagle River Police Department Page 8

L A C D U F L A M B EA UFire Department & EMTs Pages 63 & 64

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 32, 33, 35 & 36

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 69 & 70

Fire Department & EMTs Pages 26-30




Fire Department Pages 50-53

Fire Department &EMTs (Oneida County Medic 10) Pages 10, 11, 13, 15 & 16

Vilas County Sheriff’s Department Page 60



--Written in commemoration of the first National Dispatchers Week — 1987

L A N D O ’ L A K E S

M A N I T O W I S H W A T E R S

P H E L P S

P L U M L A K E

P R E S Q U E I S L E

S T . G ERMA IN

S U G A R C A M P

T H R E E L A K E S

W O O DRUF F

W INCHE S T E R

V I L A S C O U NT Y


The Eagle River Area Fire Departmentpurchased a new utility vehicle in 2012,improving the department’s trail rescuecapabilites no matter what the season ortrail condition.

The four-wheel drive John Deere Gator825i features tracks and wheels for alltrail conditions, an enclosed cab and a rearMedlite transport box with a Stokes bas-ket for transporting accident victims, ac-cording to Assistant Fire Chief Tripp An-derson.

“The Gator replaces a 1996 Polaris six-wheel all-terrain vehicle that we got fromthe hospital when we took over the rescueduties for Eagle River Memorial Hospitalin 2006,” said Anderson. “The departmentalso is applying for a Department of Nat-ural Resources (DNR) grant for a fire sup-pression unit for the back. Then we coulduse it for battling wildfires.”

The fire suppression unit will costabout $8,000 and will include a watertank, a foam system, hose reel and spacefor a Stokes basket, though there wouldn’tbe space for a First Responder seat.

The specialized rescue vehicle cost thedepartment about $25,000 with the medi-cal unit and other features. Anderson saidthe department still needs to add emer-gency lighting and decals to the rig.

While the department has a trailer forthe Gator, Anderson said the squad is con-sidering purchasing an enclosed trailer forthe machine.

Other features of the Gator, purchasedat Lakeland Lawn & Equipment in ArborVitae, include power steering, side-by-sideseating for two rescue personnel in theheated cab and a seat in the rear Medliteunit for a First Responder. The tracks canbe taken off and replaced with wheels.

“The tracks are supposed to handle avariety of trail conditions, including deepsnow, so we probably will leave them onyear-round,” said Anderson. “We also canuse this on a snow- and ice-covered lakefor rescues.”

The department funded the vehiclewith a gift from the Bernadine “Bunny”Venn estate, funds from the department’scream puff trailer and proceeds from theannual pond hockey event, according toDeputy Chief Jim Bonson.

“The firefighters took this on as theirown project, without any money from thefire department commission,” said Bon-son. “It’s a gift from the firefighters to thecommission.”

Last year, the Eagle River departmentrefurbished one of its tanker trucks,adding a new stainless-steel tank, newtires and much-needed additional equip-ment at a cost of about $90,000.

“If we had to replace the completetruck, we’d probably be talking about aquarter of a million dollars,” said Fire

Chief Patrick Web er. “It’s going to buy usat least another 15 years out of the unit,then maybe we’ll have to look at a chas-sis.”

The refurbishing project was fundedthrough a capital outlay through the firecommission for vehicle replacements.

The department also received twogrants last year to help update its radiosto comply with new Federal Communica-tions Commission (FCC) regulations,which require public safety departmentsto switch over to narrow-band frequencies.The change provides more air space foremergency radio traffic, according to An-derson.

“A number of our radios were compati-ble for reprogramming, but some of themweren’t,” he said. “The new radios wereapproved by some grants, one through theDepartment of Natural Resources and onefederal grant, the Homeland Securitygrant.”

In addition to new portable radios, the

department purchased mobile radios forinside of its trucks. The total cost for thenew radios was around $30,000.

The department put a used PierceArrow ladder truck into service in 2010.The 1984 truck was bought from theMcHenry Township Fire Protection Dis-trict in McHenry, Ill., for $55,000, fundedby the fire commission.

The truck features a three-section 100-foot tower ladder with a platform, a seven-person cab and a 200-gallon water tank.

“There is a water nozzle in the bucketthat is controlled from the platform orfrom the bottom of the truck,” said Weber.“There are three water lines in the bucket,where there is room for two firefighters.”

Other equipment on the truck, whichwas purchased new by the McHenryTownship in 1984 for $450,000, includes a1,250-gallons-per-minute (gpm) two-stagepump, a 12-kilowatt diesel-powered gener-ator, scene lights, 110-volt power outletsand additional ground ladders.

Additional rescue dutiesEagle River purchased more than

$68,000 in rescue equipment the past fiveyears. Most of the equipment is used onthe department’s rescue truck, which re-sponds to accidents, fires and other emer-gencies.

“We took over the rescue duties forEagle River Memorial Hospital Ambu-lance Service in August of 2006, so we con-tinue to add equipment and training to goalong with those responsibilities,” saidWeber.

While the hospital still supplies theambulances and paramedics for rescuecalls, the Eagle River department re-sponds with a rescue truck and trainedpersonnel.

The newest rescue equipment includesfront bumper-mounted hydraulic toolscosting $25,000, two car stabilization kitsat $8,100, a 10-ton air cushion lift kit at

Eagle River adds new utility vehiclefor trail rescues, wildfire suppression

___________BY GARY RIDDERBUSCH

NEWS-REVIEW EDITOR___________

Displaying a new utility vehicle designed for trail rescues are EagleRiver Area Fire Department firefighters, from left, Art Granat, Peter

Anderson III and Jim Kauzlaric. The three were members of thecommittee to purchase the rig. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

To EAGLE RIVER, Pg. 5

EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 40 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Eagle River Light & Water

Patrick, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, emergencymedical response, cold-water rescue,NIMS, self-contained breathing apparatus,pumps and pumping-ladders, company of-ficer, defib, LP gas fires, hazardous mate-rials tech level, arson detection, education-al methodology and fire instructor. He isalso certified in CPR.

Patrick WeberLength of service: 28 yearsRank: Deputy ChiefEmployer: None given

Jim, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, emergencymedical response, cold-water rescue,NIMS, vehicle extrication, hazardous ma-terials, LP gas fires, self-con tained breath-ing apparatus, defib, vehicle fires, pumpsand pumping and Learning thru Burning.He is chair man and treasurer of the JointMunicipal Fire Com mission. He is also cer-tified in CPR.

James BonsonLength of service: 55 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Retired

Jack, of Eagle River, has completed theFirefighter I course and has had training inall aspects of fire-fighting and command.

Jack Thomas

Length of service: 40 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Retired

Mac, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, emergencymedical response, vehicle extrication, haz-ardous materials, LP gas fires, self-con -tained breathing apparatus, vehicle fires,pumps and pump maintenance and vehi-cle maintenance. He is a member of theNorth Woods Fire Prevention Committeeand is the media liaison officer.

Robert “Mac” McDonald

Length of service: 36 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Ministry Spirit Medical

Transportation Services

Mike, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, breathingapparatus, pumper tech, ladder practices,LP gas fires, hazardous materials, ruralfire techniques, fire/arson detection andvehicle extrication. He is a nationally reg-istered EMT-P. He has been a volunteerEMT for the Ministry Eagle River Memori-al Hospital Ambulance Service for 33years. He is also the Vilas County chiefdeputy coroner.

Mike Gough

Length of service: 38 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Anderson Insurance Agency

Tripp, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, breathingapparatus, ladder practices, pumps andpumping, vehicle fires, Learning thruBurn ing, LP gas fires, hazardous materi-als, defib, emergency medical response,cold-water rescue, NIMS and vehicle ex-trication.

Peter “Tripp” Anderson IIILength of service: 23 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Retired

Karl, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, vehicle extri-cation, cold-water rescue, NIMS, defib andsearch and rescue. He is also the depart-ment’s public fire education director andfire inspector.

Karl Nikolai

Length of service: 25 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Vilas County Highway Dept.

Mike, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, emergencymedical response, cold-water rescue, ve-hicle extrication, NIMS, wildland fire sup-pression, ladder practices and breath ingapparatus. He is also certified in CPR andis an assistant public fire education direc-tor.

Mike DregerLength of service: 23 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Self-employed

Jim, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, cold-waterrescue, NIMS, vehicle extrication, self-con-tained breathing apparatus and defib. Heis also certified in CPR.

James Kauzlaric

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EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 35 yearsRank: Lieutenant/Chief EngineerEmployer: Retired

Ed, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, emergen-cy medical response, NIMS, vehicle ex-trication and officers training. He alsoserves the department as a fire inspec-tor.

Ed MittelLength of service: 34 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: None given

Brian, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, hazardousmaterials, roof ventilation, breathing ap-paratus, ladder practices, pumping andpump maintenance, vehicle fires, LP gasfires, Learning thru Burning and inspec-tion. He is a public instruc tion building in-spector team member and the incidentscene photographer. He received a publicrelations award for the department.

Brian CristLength of service: 21 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Anderson Insurance Agency

Peter, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, emergen-cy medical response and NIMS. He isalso certified in CPR.

Peter Anderson IV

GAFFNEY-BUSHAEagle River

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$6,642, a defibrillator at $2,000 and six search-and-rescuehelmets at $540.

“The hydraulic tools (cutter and spreader) each have100 feet of spooled air hose connected to a motor in therear of the truck,” said Bonson. “We can pull the rescuetruck up to an accident scene and be ready to go.”

The department also purchased 24 Scott voice ampli-fiers for $6,216 through a grant.

“The voice amplifiers are for the firefighters’ facepieces which promote where a self-contained breathingapparatus is required,” said Bonson. “They promotestronger person-to-person communications by projectingthe user’s voice clearer and farther than it would with noapplication at all.”

All the equipment was purchased through a FederalEmergency Management Agency grant, with the grantcovering $65,466 and the fire department paying for 5%,or $3,440.

Because many of the Eagle River firefighters are nowtrained as emergency medical responders and are certi-fied in vehicle extrication, having the proper equipmentwas essential, according to Bonson.

Some firefighters were certified in cold-water rescue in2007, when the department purchased a self-inflating icerescue boat, Mustang flotation suits, ropes and life jack-ets.

The department also has a fully equipped and trainedrapid intervention team (RIT) to locate and rescue an in-jured or trapped firefighter.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an averageof 100 firefighters die in the line of duty each year andthousands succumb to other types of injuries.

Bonson said the department received a federal grant of$48,279 in 2006 to purchase equipment that may be usedduring an RIT rescue, including a helmet-mounted ther-mal-imaging camera costing $10,500.

“Should RIT be called upon to perform an entry andrescue in the Eagle River area or surrounding communi-ties, a thermal-imaging camera is an invaluable tool tohelp locate and rescue injured or trapped firefighters,”said Bonson.

Other equipment includes a saw, hydraulic forcible-entry tool, mobile air cart, hydraulic spreader/cutter andan automatic external defibrillator.

Other equipmentThe department purchased a Chevrolet crew-cab pick-

up truck with seating for five people in 2008. It replaceda 1995 Chevrolet Suburban.

“The pickup truck is used to transport personnel for

training sessions and conferences,” said Bonson. “It also isused by our Fire Prevention Bureau. In addition, it pullsour fire safety house and our Gator rescue trailer.”

The truck cost about $28,000 and was funded throughthe fire commission.

In 2005, Eagle River bought a brush truck that is usedto battle wildland fires, according to Web er.

The four-wheel drive truck has a 2005 Ford F-550chassis and features a 750-gpm mid-ship pump, a 320-gallon water tank, a compressed-air foam system, a re-movable winch that can be attached to the front or rear ofthe rig, and several roll-up doors on each side, opening tostorage compartments.

The department also is fully trained in the use of its2003 pumper, an engine that provides firefighters withstate-of-the-art equipment. The Pierce Saber features a1,000-gallon tank and a 1,500-gpm pump, according toWeber.

The $350,000 truck has its own 8,000-watt generator,a compressed-air foam system and a hydraulic ladderrack which allows for more storage area in the engine.

Another unique feature of the truck is a revolving lighttower on the roof with 6,000 watts of lights, which helpsthe department light incident areas at night.

The truck can carry six personnel and features an en-closed pump compartment for the operator.

Much of the fire-fighting and rescue equipment, alongwith many other items, is carried in the department’sequipment/personnel carrier, according to Weber.

The carrier seats six in the cab, has room for addition-al people on a bench seat and features exterior-accessiblestorage bins for a variety of equipment, with specially de-

signed roll-up doors and roll-out trays.The vehicle carries electrical cord reels and air hose

reels, portable generators, a foam unit, lighting equip-ment, positive ventilation fans, miscellaneous hand toolsand ladders.

“The truck also has a built-in 25,000-watt generatorand four telescopic lights (two of them removable) to lightup an accident or fire scene,” said Weber. “It also has aCascade system for filling air bottles.”

In 2005, the department installed a Unicus Bauercompressor in the fire station, which is used to fill airtanks or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Weber said the department has installed integratedpass devices on the SCBAs. The device is an alarm systemin the event a firefighter gets hurt or becomes uncon-scious while fighting a fire inside a building.

Fire commissionThe Eagle River Fire Commission includes Carol Hen-

dricks of the city of Eagle River; Scott Maciosek of thetown of Cloverland; Dave Alleman of the town of Wash-ington; Bruce Richter of the town of Lincoln; and Bonson,commission chairman and fire department representa-tive. The fire station is located at 820 E. Pine St.

People who have questions about the fire departmentor need information about fire safety and prevention maycall (715) 479-8835.

Firefighter Jim Kauzlaric displays the medical unit on theutility vehicle. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

Length of service: 9 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Crystal Clear Windows Inc.

Steve, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, vehicle ex-trication and hazardous materials opera-tor’s level. He is certified in first aid, defib,emergency medical response, cold-water rescue, NIMS and CPR.

Steve Burr

Eagle RiverFROM PAGE 3

EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 10 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Mike’s Septic Service

Jason, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, flashover, CPR,NIMS, first aid, vehicle extrication andcold-water rescue. He is a member of theEastside Rapid Intervention Team.

Jason BurnsLength of service: 10 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: None given

Faron, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter II, emergency med-ical response, CPR, cold-water rescue,NIMS and vehicle extrication. He is amember of the Eastside Rapid Interven-tion Team. He was a volunteer with theThree Lakes Fire Department for 5 years.

Faron CrabtreeLength of service: 5 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Retired

Art, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire Officer 3, hazardous ma-terials, emergency medical response andfire investigator. He is a certified diver. Hewas an Illinois-certified Firefighter III andretired after 38 years.

Art Granat

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: Fire InspectorEmployer: Retired

William, of St. Germain, is a certifiedfire investigator instructor, works on pre-fire planning and is a certified fire in-spector. He is a retired firefighter, servingthe city of Racine’s fire department asassistant chief and fire prevention officerfor 22 years. He is a former member ofthe St. Germain Volunteer Fire Depart-ment.

William JonesLength of service: 29 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed,

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Mark, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, emergen-cy medical response, cold-water rescue,NIMS, LP gas fires, self-containedbreathing apparatus, vehicle fires,pumps and pumping, Learning thruBurn ing, defib and ladder practices. He isalso certified in CPR.

Mark Holperin

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Rhinelander Honda

Mike, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, defib, emer-gency medical response and NIMS. He isalso certified in CPR.

Mike Stevens

Length of service: 28 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Pitlik & Wick Inc.

Tom, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, LP gasfires, pumps and pumping, breathing ap -paratus, ladder practices, hazardous ma-terials, fire investigation and vehicle fires.He is also certified in CPR.

Thomas Pollack

Length of service: 10 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Martin, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, vehicle extrica-tion, cold-water rescue, NIMS, first aid,CPR and defib.

Martin SauerLength of service: 9 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Simac’s Plumbing & Heating

Greg, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, vehicle extrica-tion, cold-water rescue, defib and remotelogger rescue. He is a member of therapid intervention team and is certified inCPR.

Greg Simac

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EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 9 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Taher Inc.

Heidi, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and is certified incold-water rescue and First Aid/AED.

Heidi BackesLength of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Anderson Insurance Agency

Michael, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, emergencymedical response, vehicle extrication andcold-water rescue.

Michael AndersonLength of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Frasier’s Plumbing &

Heating

Pat, of Eagle River, has completed ve-hicle extrication training.

Pat Crum

Length of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Dish Network

James is a resident of Eagle River.

James KaminskiLength of service: 1 yearRank: FirefighterEmployer: Northland Pines School

District

Jeff, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Jeff JanssenLength of service: 1 yearRank: FirefighterEmployer: Custom Landscaping

Jon, of Eagle River, will be taking Fire-fighter I and II courses this year.

Jon Gosda

Length of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Ministry Spirit Medical


Jason, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter II, hazardous ma-terials operations, confined space res-cue, RIT, driver/operator, NREMT-P,ACLS, CPR, NRP, PALS, PHTLS andITCO. He previously was a firefighter forthe town of Salem Fire and Rescue. Hecurrently works for Ministry Spirit as afull-time paramedic, Med 4, 5 as a PRNand Eagle River 9-1 as a paramedic.

Jason HyrczykLength of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Wisconsin Dept. of Children

and Families

Kara, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II and emer-gency medical response.

Kara Vander BloomenLength of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Lakes Precision

Jacob, of Eagle River, has completedFirefighter I training.

Jacob Sobchak

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EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 5 yearsRank: Chief of PoliceEmployer: City of Eagle River

Mark, of Conover, began his career inlaw enforcement in 1986, in the U.S. Armyas a military police officer. In 1993, he washired by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Of-fice where he worked as a deputy, K9handler, Special Response Team mem-ber, and was then promoted to lieutenantwhere he oversaw the 911 Communica-tions Center and Patrol Division. In 2006,he left Lincoln County and became thechief of police at Fort Irwin, Calif., spend-ing 18 months there before arriving inEagle River. He has a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice.

Mark Vander BloomenLength of service: 23 yearsRank: Patrolman/InvestigatorEmployer: City of Eagle River

Tony, of Eagle River, is also a memberof the Eagle River Area Volunteer FireDepartment, serving as a lieutenant, andhas been a firefighter for 20 years. He hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and II,First Responder, NIMS and RIT.

Anthony “Tony” JusticeLength of service: 22 yearsRank: PatrolmanEmployer: City of Eagle River

Mike, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in police science and was aparatrooper in the U.S. Army for 4 years.

Mike Olkowski

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: PatrolwomanEmployer: City of Eagle River

Chris, of Conover, has an associate’sdegree in police science. She attendedrecruit school and continues her policetraining.

Chris DobbsLength of service: 19 yearsRank: PatrolmanEmployer: City of Eagle River

Todd, of Eagle River, received policetraining and has additional training in druginterdiction and officer survival. He attend-ed armor school. He retired from the firedepartment after serving as a firefighter.

Todd BuddeLength of service: 1 yearRank: PatrolmanEmployer: City of Eagle River

Adam, of Three Lakes, has a bachelor’sdegree majoring in criminal justice. He at-tended the Law Enforcement RecruitAcademy. He was a paratrooper in theU.S. Army for 3 years, spending a year inAfghan istan. He also worked for theMenasha Police Department as a com-munity service officer for 3 years.

Adam Ross

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Eagle River Eagle River, St. Germain, Phelps & Three Lakes

Dear Readers,The purpose of this special publication of the Vilas County News-Review and The

Three Lakes News is to recognize the hundreds of friends and neighbors who have an-swered the call to life-saving public service. The sacrifices and the courage of area fire-fighters, EMS personnel and law enforcement officers should not be taken for granted.

These farsighted individuals have trained long and hard to be ready when thephone rings and their expertise is needed to fight a fire, extract victims from mangledvehicles or to perform life-saving procedures on accident victims. Their dedication andcommitment to community is exemplary.

Oct. 7-13 is Fire Prevention Week. The week always includes Oct. 9, in commemo-ration of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which began on Oct. 8, but wreaked most ofits havoc the following day.

This is our 27th annual update of this publication, which keeps our readers in-formed on the progress and struggles that emergency personnel face as theywork tirelessly to prepare for whatever disasters North Woods residents may en-counter.

It is a big job collecting the information and photos in this special edition.Every department has an updated story to tell about their equipment, trainingand fundraising — vital tools for creating departments that are ready to respondon a moment’s notice. We make every effort to include everyone, however, we’resure someone has been unintentionally omitted.

We’re told about 5,500 people die in fires in this country every year — includ-ing about 100 firefighters — and another 30,000 civilians are injured. In addi-

tion, law enforcement officers and rescue personnel are injured and killed on duty.Fire is a tragedy no one wants to experience; it is a destroyer of lives and property.

The emergency personnel being saluted in this special section respond to hundreds ofcalls for help every year. We might not appreciate the work these people do for us untilan accident or fire happens to us, or a neighbor.

The tabloid includes tips on fire and accident prevention, because many of thesetragic events can be prevented through improved public awareness and more attentionto safety. We can’t avoid all accidents, but it is reassuring to know trained and quali-fied emergency and rescue personnel are ready to assist us.

The sponsors listed at the bottom of the individual blocks were selected at random,in most cases. It wasn’t always possible to keep the sponsors in their immediate areaof service.

For the well-being of your family and your property, observe good fire safety prac-tices this week and every week. Make sure every member of the family has an escaperoute. Make sure your smoke alarms are in working order at all times, and think seri-ously about installing carbon monoxide alarms. Most property owners who endure ahouse fire are underinsured, so make sure your insurance coverage is adequate for allpossible disasters.

We wish to thank everyone who helped compile the information in this publicationand who cooperated with us in preparing this year’s salute. And we especially want tothank the sponsors and advertisers for making it all possible.

A Message From The Publisher

Kurt Krueger

27TH

Edition

EAGLE RIVER


Using his military background for or-ganization and recognizing the need forpublic fire safety for all ages, Karl Nikolaiof the Eagle River Area Fire Departmentstarted a fire prevention and public edu-cation program 20 years ago.

“After retiring from the military, Ifound the fire department another worthyway to serve,” said Nikolai, now an assis-tant chief and the public education officerfor the department. “Like the military, itwas structured, trained for a purpose andalways executed the mission as a cohesivegroup. Additionally, my 10 years of mili-tary instructing lent itself well in devel-oping a public educational program.”

But when Nikolai started to developthe local Fire Prevention Bureau 20 yearsago, the Eagle River department had notools or programs to educate the commu-nity and school children.

“After two years of standing up andgiving lectures on fire prevention, I askedthe department for some modern-daytools that could ‘wow the children’ whilewe sent the fire prevention message,” hesaid. “Fire educators, like any educators,are innovators, looking for fresh ideasand approaches to deliver the same basicfire prevention message.”

So Nikolai asked the department for a$7,000 robot, called Freddie the FireTruck, and a dress-up Sparky the Dog,the National Fire Protection Associationmascot.

“To my surprise, the departmentreached into their own savings to pur-chase these tools for me,” he said. “Wow,only two years on the department andwhat faith and support they had in publiceducation.”

From that point forward, Nikolai’s pro-gram, with the assistance of other fire-fighters and area departments, neverlooked back.

“We sped ahead with a rescue of a realDalmatian dog from the pound. Wenamed her Saffire (safe fire) and used herto teach the children how to react to dogsthat they do not know,” said Nikolai. “Shewas a beautiful girl who worked for thedepartment for 10 years.”

Two years later, the program added itssecond major tool, a 32-foot mobile trailerset up with three fire prevention class-rooms. Nikolai and Deputy Chief JimBonson went to the Fire Department In-structors Conference in Indianapolis, Ind.,to learn and see what other tools theycould add to their public education toolbox.

“We were sold on this product, butwhere does one get $35,000 in northernWisconsin?” asked Nikolai. “Jim and Ispent the entire trip home plotting andplanning. Once home, we developed avideo, made numerous copies and beganour sales pitch.”

First, Nikolai and Bonson got each firedepartment in Vilas County, Sugar Camp

and Three Lakes to commit and then hadthem go out to their communities to raiseadditional funds to help pay for the FireSafety House.

“It took the Racine Fire Departmenttwo years to raise enough money to getits safety house. We did it in less thanfour months, taking delivery in time forour fall fire prevention programs,” saidNikolai. “Now, all the fire departments inour area have a means to teach their chil-dren the ‘learn not to burn’ lessons.”

Another two years later, the VilasCounty Chiefs Associations added threemore programs — yellow ball stickers,safety flashlights and the Vilas CountyJunior Fire Fighter News.

The yellow ball program was a meansto identify children’s bedrooms with a yel-low ball sticker on the window, identifyingthose who might need assistance evacuat-ing a house during a fire.

The flashlight program provided eachchild in Vilas County in kindergartenthrough fifth grade with their own flash-light. This tool is used to assist the childin finding his way out of a smoke-filledhouse.

“This program continues to this day,with kindergarten children receivingtheir flashlight each and every year,” saidNikolai.

The Junior Fire Fighter newspaperwas a way for the Vilas County fire chiefs

to get out their seasonal fire preventionmessages to all kindergarten throughfifth-grade children.

“Like the old Weekly Reader, it was agreat tool that worked well for the countyfor six years, until the company stoppedpublishing,” said Nikolai.

All three of these programs were paidfor by the Vilas County Chiefs Associa-tion, which received matching funds fromgrants and the Children’s Miracle Net-work.

So in less than five years, Nikolaifound a variety of tools and developed nu-merous programs to teach area children

Eagle River fire prevention programreaches 20-year milestone for Nikolai



Karl Nikolai, coordinator of the Eagle River Area Fire DepartmentFire Prevention, teaches students at Eagle River Elementary

School how to safely handle a fire extinguisher. Nikolai has beenwith the program for 20 years. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

To FIRE PREVENTION, Pg. 47


Length of service: 20 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Lakes Precision

Herb, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and EMT-DA-E.He is also a member of the Medic 10Ambulance Service. He is a former mem-ber of the Tess Corners Fire Department.

Herb StuckartLength of service: 28 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Three Lakes School District

Dave, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter II, self-containedbreathing apparatus, hose bed laying,Firefighter I refresher, hazardous ma teri alsawareness, pumps and pumpers, vehiclefires, vehicle rescue, strategy and tacticsfor the firefighter and Jaws of Life. He is aFirst Responder and hazardous materialstech.

Dave KirbyLength of service: 22 yearsRank: 1st Assistant ChiefEmployer: Self-employed

Ron, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, self-con-tained breathing apparatus, incidentcommand, pumper operator, wildlandfires, smoke divers, hazardous materials,Jaws of Life, cold-water rescue and fireinspections. He is a hazardous materialstech and First Responder.

Ron Orzech

Length of service: 10 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Sampson Cranberry Marsh

Robert, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter II, hazardous ma-terials tech, high-angle rescue, driver/op-erator and aerial operator.

Robert CanadaLength of service: 17 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Gasco

Tim, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I training.

Tim FrankLength of service: 15 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Ron Orzech Heating,

Cooling & Refrigeration

Kim, of Three Lakes, was 1999 Fire-fighter of the Year.

Kim Terlizzi

Length of service: 22 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: RSC Equipment Rental

Scot, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, instructionaltech niques, EMT-I, Learning thru Burning,identifying and recognizing hazardous ma-terials, basic life support, vehicle extrica-tion, incident command system, fire ser-vice supervision, ladder truck operations,wildland fire operations and high- and low-angle rope rescue. He conducts basic fireinspections, is a certified apparatus driver,master smoke diver, hazardous materialstech, public education coordinator for thefire department and has been a volunteer for the Medic 10 Ambulance Servicefor 15 years.

Scot GaffronLength of service: 15 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Three Lakes Police Dept.

Scott, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter II, hazardous mate-rials awareness, extrication, incidentcommand, technical emergency re-sponse, RIT, cold-water rescue, EVOC,driver/operator, defibrillation, EPI, com-bitube and advanced truck/engine officertactics. He is a hazardous materials techand was named Firefighter of the Year in2002. He is also an EMT.

Scott LeaLength of service: 13 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Borel Auto Body

Lee, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,hazardous materials tech, extrication 1,2, 3 and 4 and pump and driver. He isalso an EMT.

Lee Tauer

Eagle River, St. Germain, Phelps & Three Lakes Eagle River, St. Germain, Phelps & Three Lakes


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THREE LAKES


To THREE LAKES, Pg. 13

The Three Lakes Fire Department isgearing up for the completion of its newFire Station 2, located east of the airporton Highway 32. Meanwhile, the depart-ment purchased a new boat in 2012 to as-sist firefighters with water rescues.

The new fire station will help ThreeLakes respond to fires more efficiently, ac-cording to Fire Chief Herb Stuckart.

“It’s going to help us respond in a quick-er manner,” he said. “It’s going to reducetime and it’s going to save lives. If any-thing happens on the other end of High-way 32 and we can’t get by, we’ll haveemergency personnel coming from both di-rections.”

The chief added that faster respondingtimes would allow the department toquickly size up situations to determinewhether outside assistance is needed.

The station, which should be completedin early October, was bid for constructionat $185,000. So far, Three Lakes Fire De-partment has contributed funding towardthe well and septic and has agreed to pro-vide the town with additional money gen-erated through its annual fundraisers.

“There has been a lot of communitysupport for the station, including fundrais-ing from the annual Shoot-out and Fly-In,”said Stuckart. We had a tremendousamount of local support.”

Although faster responding times couldmean lower insurance costs for ThreeLakes residents, the chief said the bottomline is to save more lives.

The new rescue boat cost the depart-ment approximately $15,000 and was

funded through the town, the Three LakesFire Department Auxiliary and donationsfrom the community.

“This will help us tremendously withthe safety aspect, as far as getting our ownpeople there and getting patients out with-out injuring them further,” said Stuckart.“We will use it for on-water fire suppres-sion and for rescues anywhere on the

Chain.”The new boat replaces an early 1980s

converted fishing boat the department waspreviously using. It features additionalroom for passengers and the ability to con-nect with other boats. It also will be usedto combat blazes on islands, according toStuckart.

The Three Lakes Fire Department alsois in the midst of a recruitment drive to getmore active members, who fulfill many dif-ferent roles in the community.

“There is room for everyone in the fireservice,” said Stuckart. “Some memberswork at the firemen’s picnic and PumpkinFest, while some assist in necessary sta-tion maintenance.”

Applicants must be at least 18 yearsold, or 16 to become a cadet. They alsomust pass a criminal background check.No experience is necessary, but to becomean active firefighter, trainees will be re-quired to take a class in entry-level fire-fighting, paid for by the state.

Those interested may visit during oneof the department’s monthly meetings,held the last Monday of the month at 6:30p.m. at Three Lakes Fire Department, lo-cated at 1920 Epler Court.

“We have a fine group of men andwomen who perform many activities thatbenefit Three Lakes, and we share strongfeelings of camaraderie and pride in ourorganization,” said the chief.

The department purchased two newfire and rescue vehicles in 2011, includinga multipurpose brush truck and a utilityvehicle (UTV).

The Ford F-350 four-wheel drive truckis officially called Brush 2 when paged out,but it will be used more as a multipurposevehicle for the department, according toLt. Lee Tauer.

“It will be the first truck out for rescuesin the summer and fall; it will be a brushtruck in the spring; and in the winter itwill be used for hauling our trail rescueequipment,” said Tauer. “The truck isequipped with traction tires for wintertravel.”

The $45,000 truck was funded throughthe town of Three Lakes 2011 budget. Itdoubles as a travel truck for training and avehicle to transport items for fundraisers.

The department also took delivery of aPolaris Ranger HD 800 UTV in September2011. The Ranger features side-by-sideseating and electronic power steering, ac-cording to Tauer.

The UTV is outfitted with a Frontiertrack system for off-road rescues duringthe winter months. The back of the Rangeris equipped with a Stokes basket to trans-port an injured person as well as a seat foran emergency medical technician (EMT).

The $15,000 UTV was funded througha $4,500 Plum Creek challenge grant, a$3,000 grant from Trig’s (through employ-ee Linda Remington) and the remainderfrom Three Lakes Fire Departmentfundraisers.

The Three Lakes Fire Department alsopurchased several pieces of vehicle extrica-tion equipment in 2011, including a newJaws of Life and cutters. The state-of-the-

Three Lakes gets new fire station,acquires updated water-rescue boat

The Three Lakes Fire Department will soon have a new fire stationeast of the airport on Highway 32, which will help firefighters re-

spond to emergencies more efficiently. The building was bid forconstruction at $185,000. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

___________BY ANTHONY DREW

NEWS-REVIEW ASST. EDITOR___________

Three Lakes firefighters, from left, Kerstin Gensler and Kevin Shepherd displayed a newutility vehicle purchased by the department in 2011. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

THREE LAKES


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art equipment is used by rescue personnel at an accidentscene.

Rescue personnel said the old cutter had 80,000pounds per square inch (psi) of cutting force, while thenew cutter has 260,000 psi of cutting force, which will cutthrough the new alloys used in vehicles.

The new equipment was funded by the Three LakesFire Department Auxiliary. The fire department owesmuch of its success to the 10s of thousands of dollars inproceeds given by the local auxiliary group over the past19 years.

Since 1992, when the auxiliary was formed, it hashelped the fire department purchase many items impor-tant to the team of firefighters.

The auxiliary was developed, after two major fires indowntown Three Lakes, to take food and water to fire-fighters on scene as needed.

Stuckart said he couldn’t stress enough the importanceof the auxiliary for the department.

“It’s volunteers like the auxiliary who are the back-bone, letting departments like us grow,” said Stuckart.

In 2010, the auxiliary donated six hand-held radios, ahandful of Class A uniforms, a K-12 saw with a diamondblade and other items. The money for these items is raisedthrough events like Pumpkin Fest held in the fall.

Over the years, the auxiliary has also bought a largenumber of things, including a fully furnished kitchen anda washer-and-dryer set for the fire shed. It also pays formany of the firefighters’ training classes.

Stuckart said the Three Lakes Fire Department con-tinues to remain one of the most well-trained and well-equipped departments in the area.

It holds monthly training sessions in fire fighting,emergency rescue and medical assistance to updateknowledge and reinforce proper techniques for safelyfighting fires.

“Department personnel have shown an amazingamount of dedication to become fully trained,” saidStuckart. “Even longtime EMTs are taking all of the fire-fighter training, including state certification.”

To be certified as EMTs, department members had tocomplete a 180-hour class, which met two days a week forfour hours a night.

Other equipmentStuckart said a 105-foot ladder truck remains a valu-

able asset for the fire department. The 1988 Pierce-builttruck was purchased by Goldridge Group of Eau Claire,the owners and developers of the Northernaire condo-miniums on Deer Lake.

The donation was one of about two dozen conditions at-tached to the county zoning permit for the right to devel-op the multifamily project, which includes two massivelodges that are at least 35 feet high.

The ladder truck is a crucial piece of equipment be-cause structures, both residential and commercial, arebeing built taller. The ladder truck’s nozzle can be operat-ed by a firefighter positioned at the peak or it can be op-erated from the truck without putting anyone in danger,officials said.

Three Lakes also employs a 2004 Rosenbauer/CentralStates fire engine that was purchased by the town, withapproval of the electorate.

The state-of-the-art engine includes a 1,500-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pump with compressed-air foam capa-bilities. It also has a six-person cab.

“With the 1,500 gallons of water the engine holds anda foam cell, we get the equivalent of 5,000 gallons of fire-fighting capability,” said Stuckart. “That is great news forquick, initial attacks using just our main engine.”

The engine responds to all vehicle accidents and isequipped with extrication equipment that includes a hy-draulic Jaws of Life unit and air-powered vehicle lifters.

The department also has a 3,000-gallon tanker,equipped with a 750-gpm pump, a 1,500-gpm engine witha 1,000-gallon tank, and a 1,250-gpm engine with a 500-gallon tank.

The department has the capability of responding to thescene with more than 7,000 gallons of water and a com-bined pumping capability of 3,800 gpm.

“This much water and pumping capability, when com-bined with the tremendously improved water supply re-sulting from the new water tower and the department’shalf-mile of large-diameter supply hose, provides for somereally awesome fire suppression potential,” said Stuckart.

A rescue/support van carries a portable Cascade sys-tem for supplying a source of breathing air for the fire-fighters’ individual air bottles and an assortment of othernecessary items and supplies to enable it to respond insupport of Three Lakes Medic 10.

It also can function as a command post and communi-cations center for operations of a complex or extended na-ture.

The department has a light-duty vehicle that was do-nated by Wisconsin Public Service.

The department’s oldest vehicle is a 1937 engine,which serves as a parade vehicle and as a memorial to de-ceased Three Lakes firefighters.

Training vitalIn the last six years, the department made major ad-

vancements on Firefighter II certification, haz-mat train-ing and high-tech equipment.

Stuckart said nearly 20 of the department’s membershave completed the 42 hours of instruction and the stateexamination to achieve Firefighter II status.

“That training is on top of the 96 hours of classroomand hands-on instruction they received to become certi-fied in Firefighter I,” Stuckart said. “It’s an enormouscommitment, but our entire membership is dedicated tothe goal of getting that certification.”

The Three Lakes department is qualified to respond toaccidents involving hazardous materials as well.

“Development of an initial response team means wenow have our own haz-mat trailer, which was receivedfrom Oneida County Emergency Government with thehelp of a state grant,” said Stuckart.

Three Lakes also advanced the versatility of the de-partment by starting a cadet training program eightyears ago for youths between the ages of 16 and 18.

Length of service: 11 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Kim, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, swift-water res-cue and cold-water rescue. She is a cer-tified lifeguard and an EMT-IV tech.

Kimberly ManeyLength of service: 10 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Gensler Excavating

& Crushing

Randall, of Three Lakes, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter II, hazardousmaterials tech, EMT-B, extrication, ad-vanced pumps and pumping and breath-ing apparatus maintenance.

Randall Gensler

Three LakesFROM PAGE 11

Three Lakes firefighter Kerstin Gensler showed off the de-partment’s new rescue boat, which will help rescue per-

sonnel move injured patients more safely and be used foron-water fire suppression. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

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THREE LAKES



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RESCUERESCUEto the


Length of service: 9 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Northland Marine

Devan is a resident of Three Lakes.

Devan KirbyLength of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Schoeneck Home

Improvement

Paul, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I training. He is an NREMT-B,and is NIMS 700 certified. He is current-ly working to become PADI-certified indive rescue.

Paul SavageLength of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Diamondback

Tyler, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I andFirst Responder.

Tyler Kirby


Karl, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, EVOC andwildfires.

Karl Gaffron

Length of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Lakes Precision

Kerstin, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I training.

Kerstin GenslerLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Joseph, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I training. He is an EMT-I and ascuba diving instructor.

Joseph ManeyLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Kevin, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II and firefight-er officer training.

Kevin Shepherd

Length of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Northern Lake Service

Kristin, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Kristin AntoshLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Kelly, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,First Responder and wildfires. She isalso certified in CPR. She is an Armycombat veteran and was in the servicefor 9 years.

Kelly Keating

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THREE LAKES



Mikey, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Mikey SilberLength of service: 6 monthsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Bennett Electric

Steven, of Three Lakes, has completedwater supply specialist training.

Steven BennettLength of service: 34 yearsRank: EMS CoordinatorEmployer: Ministry Saint Mary’s

Hospital

Nanc, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I and II and EVOC. She is thesupervisor of Medic 10, a CPR instructorfor Saint Mary’s Hospital and Nicolet Col-lege, a hunter safety instructor and firstaid instructor. She is certified in BTLS,CPR, combi tube and defib. She is anEMT-I and received the EMT of the Yearaward for Vilas and Oneida counties. Sheis also certified in Emergency CrimeScene Response and Flight Care Air Am-bulance-state licensed. She has been a volunteer firefighter for 9 years.

Nanc Bollmann

Length of service: 26 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Three Lakes School District

Les, of Three Lakes, has completedFirefighter I training. He is an EMT-BTLS,-DA and -E and has taken a course in de-fensive driving. He is a volunteer for theMedic 10 Ambulance Service and also aCPR instructor.

Les Anderson

Length of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Oneida County EMS

Andy, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and driver/opera-tor for both pumper and aerial apparatus.He is a certified BLS instructor and a cer-tified instructor for International TraumaLife Support (ITLS). He is an NREMT-Pand is certified in ACLS, PHTLS, ITLS,PALS and NRP. He also volunteers forthe Medic 10 Ambulance Service.

Andy Beach

Length of service: 14 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Lakes Precision Inc.

Ted, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and fire groundcommand. He is a training officer for theFirst Responder program, an EMT-I tech,certified in CPR and trained for manualdefibrillation. He is also a volunteer forthe Medic 10 Ambulance Service.

Ted StuckartLength of service: 10 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Three Lakes Police Dept.

Michelle, of Three Lakes, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter II, wildland firesand hazardous materials. She is an EMT-IV tech, a hazardous materials tech, fireinvestigator and public education officer.She is certified in CPR and has been avolunteer EMT for 8 years.

Michelle Orzech

Length of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Ministry Health Care

St. Joseph’s Hospital

Dan, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and Firefighter I:Essentials of Firefighting, CPR and firstaid and is an NREMT-B. He is an EMT-Binstructor as well as a certified BLS/CPRinstructor. He is certified in CCRN, ACLS,PALS, NRP, PHTLS, TNCC, EVOC andCEVO. He is also a volunteer for the Onei-da County Medic 10 Ambulance.

Dan OgarekLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Diahn, of Three Lakes, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and IIand wildland fires. She is an EMT-B. She isalso a volunteer for the Medic 10 Ambu-lance Service.

Diahn Zimbeck

www.rogerscontrol.com 715-479-6919 Eagle River

Eagle River, St. Germain, Phelps & Three Lakes Eagle RiverNelson’s

ACE IS THE PLACE

Eagle River Center

In Lac du Flambeau on Hwy. 47

NICOLETCOLLEGE

Rhinelander

THREE LAKES


The Department of Natural Re-source’s (DNR) wildfire managementprogram’s mission is to protect life, prop-erty and natural resources from wild-fires.

The DNR accomplishes its mission byusing ground-based resources, partner-ships with fire departments and otheragencies, early detection and aggressiveinitial attack when fires strike.

Wildland fire numbers in Wisconsinvary annually depending on weather,fuel conditions and human activity. Peri-odic drought cycles drastically affect thenumber of fires and acres burned. Basedon a 35-year average, approximately1,700 fires burn 6,000 acres each yearwithin the areas protected by the DNR.

Wildfires are most common in thespring when the snow melts until foliagefully appears or “green up” occurs. Fallcan also be a time of heightened wildfireconcern when foliage begins to drop.However, fires can occur any time theground is not completely snow-covered.

Forests are at risk from wildfires, asare people, their homes and other struc-tures. Between 2000 and 2010, around 59structures were lost to wildland fire eachyear. During that same time, an averageof 429 additional structures were threat-ened, yet ultimately saved.

In Wisconsin, people cause 98% of allwildfires. Most ignitions are accidentaland caused by debris burning, equipmentuse, improper ash disposal and warmingfires.

Wildland-urban interfaceHousing development continues to

move deeper into rural areas, creating acondition called the wildland-urban in-terface (WUI) where people, homes andproperty are intermingled with wildlandvegetation and are at greater risk fromwildfire.

Fire officials are concerned whenhomes are built in areas of highlyflammable vegetation, especially whenthe structures themselves are made offlammable materials. The concern in-creases when people build homes in re-mote areas or when roads and drivewaysare narrow or sandy, creating situationsthat can make it impossible for emergen-cy vehicles to get to homes or turnaround to exit the property.

Although housing in the WUI is in-creasing, the number of available fire-fighters and equipment is not growing atthe same rate, if at all. Therefore, part-nerships are necessary.

The DNR uses an interagency ap-proach to prevent, detect and suppresswildfires in a coordinated, efficient andeffective manner. Agencies such as theU.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of IndianAffairs and local fire departments arecritical partners.

During a wildfire, the primary respon-sibility of DNR fire department partnersis to protect structures, while DNR fire

control personnel work to put out thewildfire. Local fire department capabili-ties are enhanced with periodic wildlandfire training and DNR forest fire protec-tion grants.

About 860 local fire departments pro-vide fire protection in Wisconsin andmore than 90% are staffed by volunteers.

Closer to homeThe Eagle River Ranger Station is

fully staffed with the addition of veteranforestry technician Ryan Brown. Brownhas been with the DNR for more than 15years and is a welcome addition to theteam. Brown is well versed in initial at-tack tractor plow operations and will hitthe ground running.

In 2012, Vilas County experienced 40fires that burned about 110 acres. The

Land O’ Lakes fire was the largest fire inVilas County, totaling 74 acres. It oc-curred in Land O’ Lakes May 19 whichproved to be a very active fire day in theWoodruff dispatch group.

Due to the fire weather that day, all ofDNR fire control was committed to a fire.DNR team leader Tim Friedrich was in-cident commander and oversaw the pow-erline-caused fire. Strong partnershipsare vital to quickly suppressing wildfiresand the value of the DNR’s partnershipwith the Land O’ Lakes Fire Departmentshined very bright.

Friedrich tasked Land O’ Lakes FireChief Sam Otterpohl with heading upthe structural end of the fire. Otterpohland his crew delivered like a well-oiledmachine by protecting multiple struc-tures threatened by the fire.

DNR fire control depends on partnersto protect life, property and resources

___________BY JAMIE REMME

DNR FOREST RANGER, EAGLE RIVER RANGER STATION

___________

This aerial photograph shows the extent of the 74-acre crown fire inLand O’ Lakes that occurred May 19, 2012. The entire stand of red

pine is currently being salvaged and utilized, according to the De-partment of Natural Resources. —Contributed Photos

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesSponsored by

Eagle RiverOfficials suspect this power line was theorigin of the 74-acre Land O’ Lakes wildfire.


Rick Brodhead, M.D.Length of service: 14 yearsRank: Medical DirectorEmployer: Howard Young Medical

Center/Ministry Eagle River MemorialHospital

Rick, of Lake Tomahawk, is the medi-cal director of emergency services atHoward Young Medical Center and Min-istry Eagle River Memorial Hospital. Heis board certified in emergency medicineand a Fellow of the American College ofEmergency Physicians.

Diane PriceLength of service: 27 yearsRank: Paramedic IIEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Diane, of Conover, is an NREMT-P, cer-tified in CPR, ACLS, PALS, NRP andPHTLS. She is a certified AHA instructorfor CPR, AED and first aid, teaches forNicolet College and Ministry Health Care,and is an instructor for ACLS and PALS.She is a member of the Conover Ambu-lance Squad and is licensed in Wisconsinand Michigan. She is the deputy VilasCounty coroner, an eye enucleator for Wis-consin Eye Bank and is trained in criticalstress debriefing. She is also a CNA.

Dan HalversonLength of service: 27 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Dan, of Eagle River, is an NREMT-Pand is certified in CPR, ACLS, PALS,NRP and PHTLS. He is also a CNA.

Ann DunphyLength of service: 32 yearsRank: EMTEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Ann, of Eagle River, is BTLS certifiedand has training in EMT-I tech. She is alead instructor for Nicolet College emer-gency medical services and WildernessMedical Associates in Portland, Maine.

Jim KnuppLength of service: 23 yearsRank: EMT-IV TechEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Jim, of Eagle River, is an NREMT-IVtech and is certified in CPR. He has com-pleted courses in Firefighter I and II, res-cue and hazardous materials tech. He isalso a volunteer firefighter.

Carol GarrisonLength of service: 24 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Carol, of Conover, is an NREMT-P andis certified in CPR, ACLS, PALS, NRPand PHTLS. She is also a CNA.

Robert ClineLength of service: 9 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Robert, of Conover, is an NREMT-P andis certified in CPR, ACLS, PALS, NRP andPHTLS. He is a also a CNA and a voun-teer EMT-IV tech for the town of Conover.

Joan DvorakLength of service: 19 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Joan, of Eagle River, is an NREMT-Pand an instructor for PALS, ACLS andCPR.

Carole BrewerLength of service: 18 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Carole, of Phelps, is an NREMT-P andis certified in CPR, ACLS, PALS, NRPand PHTLS. She is also a CNA.

Robert MaglishLength of service: 4 yearsRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Robert, of Pelican Lake, is an NREMT-Pand is certified in PHTLS, ACLS andPALS.

Mark DascalosLength of service: NewRank: ParamedicEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Mark, of Arbor Vitae, has been aparamedic for 28 years. He is the manag-er-team leader for the Ministry Eagle RiverMemorial Hospital EMS Team, responsi-ble for leading Eagle River and OneidaCounty operations.

Rick KrusLength of service: 28 yearsRank: EMTEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Rick, of Eagle River, is an NREMT-IVtech. He has completed courses in CPRand First Responder.

EAGLE RIVER


In a medical emergency, time is incalculably precious.Ministry Eagle River Memorial Hospital (MERMH) 911Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are available 24/7when an emergency arises.

The primary service area of MERMH EMS comprisesmuch of eastern Vilas County, including the city of EagleRiver, and the towns of Cloverland, Lincoln, Washington,Hiles and the surrounding communities.

MERMH EMS provides paramedic-level, pre-hospitalcare via ground ambulances. Its North Woods partner,Ministry Spirit Medical Transportation, provides critical-care medical transport with nurses and paramedicsthrough ground ambulances and regional-based heli-copter resources.

Since the service area is predominantly rural, Min-istry paramedics and emergency medical technicians(EMTs) are called upon to help patients in a variety ofsettings, including at health-care facilities, individualhomes, businesses and accident sites.

The goal is to provide excellent care while transport-ing individuals to the highest, most appropriate level ofemergency care as quickly as possible. For more than adecade, MERMH ambulances have been the area’s linkto emergency care, providing safe transport for patientswho had no time to spare.

Paramedics serving with MERMH average more than10 years of paramedic and emergency department expe-rience. The paramedics are well trained in providing ad-vanced life support care to patients that is supplementedby board-certified emergency medical doctors who pro-vide online medical control.

MERMH paramedics are certified by the WisconsinDepartment of Health, in addition to being nationallyregistered. Paramedics typically complete two-year col-lege programs and hundreds of hours of clinical workprior to being certified and eligible for employment.

Ministry provides additional training and clinical ex-perience to assure patients/customers of the highest,most-sophisticated level of care available. In addition toinitial training, paramedics are required to complete ad-ditional hours of classroom and practical in-field trainingevery two years to remain certified.

Ministry vehicles do much more than transport pa-tients; access to the best emergency care starts whenMERMH EMS arrives. The EMS teams include highlyskilled medical professionals who perform vital analysesand procedures as needed on-site and in transit.

Each ambulance is actually a mobile emergency de-partment, with all the life-saving equipment one wouldexpect to find in a hospital emergency department.

“We recognize the need to provide great access tocare, especially care provided by specially trainedparamedics,” said Ministry Eagle River Memorial Hospi-tal EMS services manager Mark Dascalos. “When sec-onds count, the people and communities we serve benefitfrom the enhanced team approach we embrace here atMinistry. This includes local emergency (fire and police)providers, our paramedics and MERMH emergencyroom staff and, when needed, specialty care services pro-vided at our other Ministry Health Care facilities.”

The addition of more paramedic staff and lifesavingequipment and medications significantly enhances thecare that can be provided pre-hospital by MERMH EMS.Paramedic level service has been shown to dramaticallyimprove patient outcomes in a medical emergency or ac-cident situation, as treatment can begin on scene andcontinue en route to the hospital.

Another aspect of care provided by MERMH EMS isan intercept service with local volunteer basic life sup-

port and First Responder services. “Many times, volunteer departments request assis-

tance from MERMH EMS based on the nature of theemergency,” said Dascalos. “Our expectation is thatparamedics intercept with the requesting service in min-utes to provide care on-site and/or during transport. To-gether with the volunteer services, we provide care inroute to the closest appropriate receiving facility, locally,MERMH’s emergency department.”

This service brings paramedics to the scene of a medi-cal emergency or accident when a situation requires an

advanced level of care, paramedics who can provide ad-vanced medical care and will enhance the emergencylifesaving capabilities of local volunteer EMS partners.

Ministry Health Care is proud to support and workhand in hand with local EMS, local volunteer fire de-partments and area law enforcement during, and after,emergency situations.

Matt Thompson is public relations and communica-tions manager for Ministry Health Care – Northern Re-gion.

When seconds count, Ministry paramedicstrained to provide care during transport

___________BY MATT THOMPSON

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-REVIEW___________

Jennifer WagnerLength of service: 9 yearsRank: EMT-I TechEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Jennifer, of Eagle River, is an NREMT,certified in ACLS and PHTLS. She is alsoa CNA. She is also a volunteer firefighterand has completed Firefighter I training.

Gene StanzilLength of service: 6 yearsRank: EMT-IV TechEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Gene, of Three Lakes, is an NREMT-IVtech and is certified in CPR, PHTLS andNRP. He is also a CNA.

Ministry Eagle River Memorial Hospital paramedics providepre-hospital care via ground ambulances. Last spring, the

paramedics participated in a mock crash exercise at North-land Pines High School. —Contributed Photo

EAGLE RIVER


Length of service: 29 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Self-employed, Trollan

Refrigeration, Heating & Electrical

Timothy, of St. Germain, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I, First Respon-der, rescue squad, ventila tion, basic inci-dent command, Incident Command Sys-tem 100 and 200, National Incident Man-agement System 700 and weapons ofmass destruction. He has extricationtraining and is a member of the rapid in-tervention team.

Timothy ClarkLength of service: 28 yearsRank: Deputy ChiefEmployer: Self-employed

James, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, First Responder,Incident Command System 100 and 200,National Incident Management System700, weapons of mass destruction, venti -lation and basic in ci dent command. Hehas had extrication training.

James SherrenLength of service: 20 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Self-employed

Tim, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, Nation-al Incident Management System 700,weapons of mass destruction and com-bat lifesaver. He is hazardous materialscertified and attended the National FireAcademy course in company training of-ficer, company tactics and cold-waterrescue. He has had extrication trainingand is a member of the rapid interventionteam. He was Firefighter of the Year in1994 and ’96.

Tim Gebhardt

Length of service: 7 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Vilas County Highway Dept.

Troy, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, NationalIncident Management System 700,weapons of mass destruction, extricationand National Fire Academy. He is a FirstResponder and a member of the rapid in-tervention team.

Troy Schalinske

Length of service: 10 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Plowman’s Marine Inc.

Adam, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, Incident CommandSystem 100 and 200, National IncidentManagement System 700, weapons ofmass destruction, First Responder andNational Fire Academy. He has extricationtraining and is a member of the West Cen-tral Rapid Intervention Team.

Adam Ruenger

Length of service: 34 yearsRank: Safety OfficerEmployer: Town of St. Germain

Tim, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, CPR, FirstResponder, Learning thru Burning,pumps, company officer, flammable liq-uids, hazardous materials, water relay,ventilation, basic incident command, Inci-dent Command System 100 and 200,National Incident Management System700, cold-water rescue, vehicle extrica-tion, IC system and weapons of mass de-struction. He is a member of the rapid in-tervention team and was Firefighter of theYear in 1982.

Timothy EbertLength of service: 10 yearsRank: EngineerEmployer: VISO

Thomas, of St. Germain, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, Nation-al Incident Management System 700 andweapons of mass destruction. He is amember of the rapid intervention team.

Thomas Stoltman

Length of service: 8 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Pitlik & Wick Inc.

Chad, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, First Re-sponder, cold-water rescue, extrication, In-cident Command System 100 and, 200,National Incident Management System700, weapons of mass destruction, wild-land fire and LP gas burn. He is a memberof the rapid intervention team.

Chad BaconLength of service: 8 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Knitt’s Hardware

John, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, First Responder,Incident Command System 100 and 200,National Incident Management System700 and weapons of mass destruction.He is a member of the rapid interventionteam and a St. Germain Town Board su-pervisor.

John Vojta

9969 Old Hwy. 70 Rd., Minocqua, WI 54548

HEALTH ANDREHABILITATION CENTER

BOULDER JUNCTION715-385-2300

ST. GERMAIN715-479-5930 www.wisconsinpublicservice.com

www.rogerscontrol.com 715-479-6919 Eagle River, St. Germain, Phelps & Three Lakes In Lac du Flambeau on Hwy. 47

ST. GERMAINPHARMACYHwy. 70715-479-7608

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Rhinelander Eagle River

ST. GERMAIN


Using a $5,000 Department of NaturalResources (DNR) match grant, the St. Ger-main Fire Department purchased a newpump and updated coveralls and helmetsfor its firefighters this year. The depart-ment also bought a pair of new Echo chainsaws using fundraiser money.

“The saws cost us about $1,200,” saidFire Chief Tim Clark. “They’re used to helpus with roof ventilation and can cutthrough just about anything.”

With the new pump, which cost $800and was funded with the DNR grant andmatching money from fundraisers, the de-partment will be able to supply watermore efficiently.

“That pump is going to be for brushfires and things and we can carry it out toa remote stream, for instance, and it willsupply us with water,” said Clark.

New coveralls and helmets also werepurchased with the DNR match grant.Clark said the department simply neededto replace some outdated equipment inorder to provide better protection to itsfirefighters.

St. Germain Fire Department alsoplans to order a new brush truck chassis,according to Clark.

“We hope to have that ordered by lateSeptember or October,” he said. “It’s goingto cost the department about $120,000, allof which is money from our fundraisers.

The department updated its 15-year-old imaging camera with a new model in2011, and added two new Husqvarna Part-ner K 970 rescue cutter saws to its list ofequipment.

The new thermal-imaging camera,which cost $11,000, was funded throughfundraisers like the summer flea marketsand the department’s annual fish fry, ac-cording to Capt. Adam Ruenger.

“It replaced an aging unit,” he said. “Itscans a lot better and a lot quicker. We caneven use it out in the snow for search andrescue if someone’s missing. It also per-forms a lot better in a fire.”

In the snow, the imager would showany body heat in the area with a red glowon the display. At a fire, the departmentalso can use the thermal camera to detectdangerous hot spots.

In addition to the new imager, St. Ger-main took delivery of two rescue saws. Thenew cutter saws cost about $1,300 apieceand also were paid for through fundraisingevents. Community organizations andbusinesses also make contributions to helpthe department obtain equipment.

The Partner K 970s allow the depart-ment to quickly cut through any obstaclesbetween firefighters and the people whoneed their help in emergency situations,according to Ruenger. Starting up the newsaws is easier too, as they feature anEasyStart system that reduces compres-sion in the cylinder during starts.

In late 2009, the department updatedits fire-fighting capabilities with the pur-chase of a new Pierce Ultimate Configura-tion (PUC) engine/pumper truck.

The $585,000 engine known as thePUC truck features a 1,500-gallons-per-minute pump and a compressed-air foamsystem. The 34-foot truck was purchasedfor the department by the town of St. Ger-main and can hold up to 1,000 gallons ofwater. It also features a 23-foot-tall lighttower.

The truck is used for a wide range ofemergency incidents, including car acci-dents, structure fires and rescues. It’s de-signed so fewer firefighters need to be pre-sent in order to fully operate the truck.

Three years ago, the department used$85,000 of its own fundraising money topurchase a 1990 refurbished ladder truckfrom a department in Mokena, Ill. Thefive-passenger truck features a 50-foot Te-lesquirt and a 650-gallon tank.

In 2008, the department upgradedequipment with the purchase of a JohnDeere Gator. The four-wheel all-terrain ve-hicle is used for off-road rescue, off-roadwildland fire suppression and for summer

flea market setup. A “med bed” was addedto the vehicle to assist in rescue efforts inforest areas.

The Gator includes a pump and tankthat holds approximately 50 gallons ofwater to assist in wildland fire-fighting.The pump can be removed to make roomfor the med bed.

The Gator also includes a defibrillatorand two first responder bags, which arealso located in the department’s rescueboat and snowmobile.

Five years ago, St. Germain added 19new self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA) units and turbo flares that areused to mark helicopter landing zones inthe event of emergencies that require aFlight For Life rescue. The updated SCBAsmake the firefighters’ gear lighter, givingthem extra maneuverability.

Other equipmentTo help ensure safety, the department

has an Incident Command System (ICS)board which, according to Clark, is an ac-countability system to make sure that no-body gets left behind when battling ablaze.

The department also has four defibril-lator units. Approximately 90% of the de-partment’s personnel are trained in theuse of the life-saving defibrillation equip-ment.

The St. Germain Fire Department alsohas a Jaws of Life unit, which greatly im-proves the department’s ability to assistduring automobile rescue operations.

Obtained exclusively with fundraisermoney, the JAWS unit was purchasedalong with a 2004 Ski-Doo wide-tracksnowmobile. The transport allows fire-fighters to gain accessibility to snowmobileand other related accidents on the trails.

Department of Natural Resourcesgrants have allowed the department topurchase wildland fire equipment, includ-ing a 13/4-inch hose, leather boots,goggles, hand tools and a portable pumpfor the brush truck, as well as pagers andradios.

In previous years, the fire departmentpurchased 30 sets of wildland fire-fightingjumpsuits, which are lightweight and keepthe wearer cooler in flaming environ-

St. Germain Fire Department buyspair of new chain saws, updates pump



Firefighters Nathan Gebhardt (left) and Jim Wendt showed the de-partment's new Echo chain saws and water pump. The saws will help

firefighters cut ventilation, while the pump will allow the departmentto draw water from nearby sources. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

To ST. GERMAIN, Pg. 23

ST. GERMAIN


Length of service: 32 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Reinhart Food Service

Thomas, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, basic life sup-port, crash injury management, ventilation,basic incident com mand, Incident Com-mand System 100 and 200, National Inci-dent Management System 700, extricationand weapons of mass destruction. He is aFirst Responder. He was Firefighter of theYear in 1981.

Thomas EbertLength of service: 31 yearsRank: SecretaryEmployer: White Birch Village and

Sno-Eagles Inc.

Randy, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, NationalIncident Management System 700,weapons of mass destruction, First Re-sponder, hazardous materi als, pesticides,Air Pack field maintenance, fire and arsonin vestigation, LP gas burn, Learning thruBurning, ven ti lation, extrication and basicincident command. He is an emergencyvehicle driving instructor. He was Firefight-er of the Year in 1987 and is chairman of the fire de partment’s flea marketfundraiser.

Randy GoodrumLength of service: 10 yearsRank: TreasurerEmployer: Retired

Judy, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Incident Command System100 and 200, National Incident Manage-ment System 700, weapons of mass de-struction and extrication. She is a FirstResponder and fire prevention officerand is certified in CPR and defibrillation.She was named Firefighter of the Year in2005.

Judy Kohout

Length of service: 32 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Camp’s SuperValu

Randy, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, First Re-sponder, arson investigation, hazardousmaterials, ventila tion, Incident CommandSystem 100 and 200, National IncidentManagement System 700 and weaponsof mass destruction.

Randy Thyssen

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Howard Young Medical

Center

Lynnette, of St. Germain, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I, mod 1 and 2,First Responder, CPR, BLS, hazardousmaterials, advanced pumps and pump-ing, critical incident stress debriefing, de-fensive driving, landing zone safety, cold-water rescue, LP gas burn, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, Nation-al Incident Management System 700,weapons of mass destruction and EMT-B. She is certified in defibrillation, assistswith the fire safety program in St. Germain and is a First Responder.

Lynette Widner

Length of service: 25 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Meyer & Associates

Insurance Agency

Walt, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, pumps and pump-ing, Incident Command System 100 and200, National Incident Management Sys-tem 700, extrication and weapons ofmass destruction. He is a First Respon-der.

Walter Camp

Length of service: 15 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Northland Pines School

District

Louise, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, ICS 100 and200, NIMS 700, extrication, weapons ofmass destruction, CPR, EMT-B, blood-borne pathogens, eye emergencies, pedi-atric emergencies, decision-making in thefield, basic incident command, farm res-cue operations, confined space rescue,high-level rescue, wildland fire and aircraftcrash and rescue. She is a member of therapid intervention team. She was a nation-ally registered EMT for 15 years with defib, EPI and combi-tube certification andserved with the Mosinee Fire District for 10 years.

Louise ClarkLength of service: 11 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Phil, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Incident Command System100 and 200, National Incident Manage-ment System 700 and weapons of massdestruction. He is certified in CPR and isa First Responder, a fire inspector and amember of the flea market staff. He wasFirefighter of the Year in 2011.

Phil Kohout

Length of service: 22 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed,

Lakeland Lawn & Equipment

Gary, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, First Responder,Incident Command System 100 and 200,National Incident Management System700 and weapons of mass destruction.

Gary Vendl

Walking Art Tattoos715-356-2721

301 Front St., Minocqua, Wis.



Eagle River Center

118 Spruce St., Eagle River, WI 54521(715) 480-4800


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ST. GERMAIN


ments.Some of the other main equipment ser-

vicing the department includes a 1995Pierce rescue/pumper with a 1,250-gal-lons-per-minute pump, a 1,000-gallonbooster tank and 7.5-kilowatt diesel-pow-ered generator, a 3,000-gallon Mariontanker capable of dumping its entire 3,000gallons of water out of either side or therear in just over a minute and a 2002 four-door, four-wheel-drive Chevrolet.

The Chevrolet is used as a personnelcarrier, for hauling hoses back from a fireor for driving to schools for drills and fireinspections. It also can be used as a tow ve-hicle for the department’s boat, snowmo-bile or Gator. The truck is fully equippedfor rescue calls.

The department also owns a 1985Ford/Saulsbury 18-foot heavy-rescue vehi-cle, which is used in transporting rescue

and extrication equipment and basic haz-mat supplies.

The heavy-rescue vehicle also is riggedwith a 4,500-pounds-per-square-inch Cas-cade system, with a two-bottle protectedfill station. It allows for the filling of airbottles at incident scenes.

A community departmentIn 1999, the department moved into its

current fire station location on Highway155, built at a cost of $625,000. The stationallows for at least 3 feet of space betweeneach truck, compared to only 1 foot in theold building.

The department’s Fire Prevention Bu-reau is a very active part of day-to-day op-erations. Fire inspections are conductedtwice a year by Phil Kohout for all com-mercial buildings within the department’sprotection area.

Also very active is the Public EducationDivision, headed by Glenn Svetnicka,which presents programs for children inday-care centers and elementary schoolclassrooms in addition to programs for allages. Inspections of private residences aredone by request. Residents who would likethese services can contact either Phil orJudy Kohout.

St. Germain residents save approxi-mately 20% to 35% on their homeowner’sinsurance policies because of steps takenby the department over a number of yearsto achieve a Class 8 rating.

To achieve the Class 8 rating, St. Ger-main had to put dry hydrants in the townand the fire department also had to beable to spray water from its pumper at arate of 250 gallons per minute.

The department also offers a JuniorFirefighter program. The junior firefight-ers do informal, on-site training with de-partment members and participate in fire-fighter training classes.

Messages on fire dangers and otherpublic safety concerns can be posted on asign at the front of the station.

In addition to maintaining the invento-ry of fire equipment to meet a variety ofemergency situations, department person-nel are trained in National Incident Man-agement Systems (NIMS). This mandato-ry statewide program qualifies the depart-

ment for Federal Emergency ManagementAgency grants.

In addition to NIMS, all members also

have received training in ICS 100 and 200and attended sessions on weapons of massdestruction.

St. GermainFROM PAGE 21

Length of service: 9 yearsRank: Fire Prevention OfficerEmployer: Moon Beach Camp

Glenn, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, Nation-al Incident Management System 700,weapons of mass destruction, extricationand First Responder.

Glenn SvetnickaLength of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Pitlik & Wick Inc.

James, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, IncidentCommand System 100 and 200, Nation-al Incident Management System 700, ex-trication and weapons of mass destruc-tion. He is a member of the rapid inter-vention team.

James Barnekow Jr.Length of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Town of St. Germain

Mike, of Arbor Vitae, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, First Re-sponder, extrication, RIT, pumps andpumping, Incident Command System100 and 200, National Incident Manage-ment System 700 and weapons of massdestruction. He is a member of the rapidintervention team.

Mike Van Meter

Firefighter Jacob Gebhardt displayed a pair of the St. Germain Fire Department’s new cov-eralls and a new helmet, which were purchased with the assistance of a DNR matchinggrant. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

St. GermainWho do you call?

Police Fire911 911Ambulance

911

(715) 479-8191 Eagle River


Eagle River

ST. GERMAIN


Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Howard Young Dialysis

Jessica, of St. Germain, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I and II, FirstResponder, EMT-B, CPR and hazardousmaterials.

Jessica Stoltman

Length of service: 5 yearsRank: EngineerEmployer: Self-employed

Jim, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, wildland fireand pump operations.

Jim Wendt


Jacob, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and IIand RIT. He is a First Responder.

Jacob Gebhardt

Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Drs. Foster & Smith

Cherie, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II and CPR.She is a First Responder.

Cherie RuengerLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Holophane Lighting

Jesse, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in wilderness First Responderand cold-water rescue.

Jesse Chuckel

Length of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: St. Germain Chamber

of Commerce

William, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, II and III.

William NeiderLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Futurewood Corp.

Brian, of Sayner, has completed wildfiretraining for forest fires. He is a First Re-sponder.

Brian Repenshek

Length of service: 5 yearsRank: Junior FirefighterEmployer: None given

Nathan, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Nathan GebhardtLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Kevin, of St. Germain, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II.

Kevin Harvey


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(715) 480-4800

InternetTelephoneTelevision Eagle River Center

ST. GERMAIN


Three Lakes Fire Department Auxiliaryprovides support, fundraising activities

The Three Lakes Fire DepartmentAuxiliary is a humble and hard-working group of 15 committee mem-bers who continue to make a positivedifference in the lives of others.

Because two of its original memberssaw a need to support the Three LakesFire Department, an organization wasstarted 20 years ago.

Today, the Auxiliary board consists ofPresident Cindy Starke, Vice PresidentNancy Carlsen, Treasurer Linda Rem-ington and Secretary Diane Wheeler, aswell as a board of directors to overseethe affairs of the Auxiliary.

Starke said that it all began when“Doc” Russ Nooyen and Remington wereat major fires at two former businesses,The Loonery and The Gasthaus, whichoccurred within a month of each other.Remington was an emergency medicaltechnician on the scene and witnessedthe needs, so she called her friend, MaryTurk.

“I knew she would be more than gladto make food, etc. From there, we just

called people we knew and they allcame through for us,” said Remington.“ Sandwiches and other food and bever-ages began showing up for the firefight-ers, who labored all night to put out thefires.”

Several days later, Nooyen, then firechief, and Remington met to talk aboutthe idea of having an organizationgroup that could be called on for similarincidents in the future — thus the startof the Auxiliary.

“We started out with just trying afundraiser to get money for purchasingthe food supplies. Our first one was adinner held at the American Legion. Wehad beef tips over noodles and desserts,”said Remington. “Since Mary (Turk) didceramics and I did crafts, we had a fewitems that could be purchased. Althoughattended well, it just wasn’t what wehad envisioned, so we planned an actualcrafts show and food sale for the nextyear. It was going to be held inside, asthen the weather conditions wouldn’t in-fluence attendance, and also contain abake sale. Additional group members in-cluded Nancy and Carol Carlsen, CindyStarke, Mary’s sisters, Connie Graczyk,and friends and relatives of this group.”

That fall, the first Pumpkin Fest washeld on an “awful day” of rain, wind andcold, according to Remington.

“There were eight crafters inside andthree very brave ones outside. The peo-ple just came in droves,” said Reming-ton. “We knew this was a good idea, butwe needed more space. We contacted theschool and got permission to use thegym for the next year. Not-so-carefulplanning put the event on the same dayas Homecoming. We had to wait until allthe Homecoming things were put up inthe gym by 9 p.m. that Friday night toset up for the following day. It was along day for us on Saturday, but we hadsurvived with a spectacular turnout andgrew from there.”

The group decided that its focuswould not only be helping at fires, butraising money to purchase equipmentfor the fire department that the townbudget did not provide.

“We expanded our fundraising to in-clude cookbooks and shirts with thePumpkin Fest logo,” said Remington.

Falling on the second Saturday in Oc-tober, Pumpkin Fest soon became ThreeLakes’ biggest fall event.

“No matter what the weather is, we

get a good crowd. There are lots of visi-tors who come from out of town just forit,” said Starke. “It’s amazing to me howit’s grown over the years. We wonderhow it’s all going to come together. Weorganize better and better each year.”

Remington said, “A lot of planninggoes on throughout the year to makePumpkin Fest successful. We take amonth off after it, but start right up inJanuary for the next one. We all havehad a need or know of someone who hasneeded the services of the fire depart-ment or ambulance and feel that this isour way of giving back. We also havesome behind-the-scenes communitymembers who help Auxiliary membersat Pumpkin Fest, as well as being oncall for other needs, such as haulingwater, throughout the year.”

For example, Sally Hagen and Jimand Nancy Bollman come in at 1 a.m.Saturday to help Remington make theinfamous Sally’s cinnamon rolls.

“I do the majority of baking for thebake sale, but welcome any donationsfrom the community,” said Remington.

Over the years, Remington said she

___________BY JOAN MEEDER

FEATURE WRITER___________

Three Lakes Fire Department Auxiliary members gathered around the antique engine in-clude, front row from left, Jim Retzlaff, Darlene Retzlaff, Del Gries, Diane Wheeler, CindyStarke, Nancy Carlsen, Alice Berndt, Jerry Gries and Ward Wheeler; back row, Ed Starke,

Linda Remington, Chief Herb Stuckart, Kristin Antosh and Diane Hapka. Missing were DeeAnderson, Mary Babich, Dennis Hoppa, Moira Hoppa, Pam Stuckart and Chris Welcenbach.

—Photo By Don Meeder

To AUXILIARY, Pg. 49


Steve WaierLength of service: 30 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Citizens Bank

Steve, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, officerstraining, incident command and RIT. Heis also the fire prevention officer.

Dale RayLength of service: 37 yearsRank: Fire Prevention OfficerEmployer: None given

Dale, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Fire fighter I and II, CPR, hazardousmaterials awareness and scuba.

Tony CampionLength of service: 40 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Vilas County Sheriff’s Dept.

Tony, of Phelps, has completed coursesin Fire fighter I and II, CPR, hazardous ma-terials, First Responder, master smokediver, continued rescue, cold-water res-cue, Learning thru Burning, incident com-mand and RIT. He is a training officer. Heis also a volunteer EMT-DA for the town ofPhelps and is licensed in combi-tube andepinephrine in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Andrew RegenfussLength of service: 19 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Champion Builders

Andrew, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, vehicle extrica-tion, cold-water rescue and incidentcommand.

Gerald NiemistoLength of service: 41 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Town of Phelps

Gerald, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, officers trainingand Learning thru Burning. He is a pumpoperator and master mechanic.

Roger CrassLength of service: 41 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Manitowish Post and Beam

Roger, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, Learningthru Burning, CPR, hazardous materialsawareness, incident command and cold-water rescue. He also helps withfundraising.

Jeff KinnerLength of service: 33 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Self-employed

Jeff, of Phelps, has completed coursesin Fire fighter I and II, company officerstraining, Learning thru Burning, CPR, in-cident command, cold-water rescue andRIT.

Arnie FrizzellLength of service: 37 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: None given

Arnie, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I, Learning thru Burning,officers training, incident command andRIT.

Todd BiermanLength of service: 17 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Town of Phelps

Todd, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I, wildland fire, CPR,Red Cross first aid, incident commandand RIT.

Norman MesunLength of service: 29 yearsRank: Secretary/TreasurerEmployer: Boone’s Building Supply

Norman, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, officers training,CPR, Learning thru Burning, incident com-mand and cold-water rescue. He is a cer-tified First Responder and has been in-volved in practice burns.

Dan KintzLength of service: 27 yearsRank: Training OfficerEmployer: None given

Dan, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Fire fighter I and II, Learning thruBurning, EMT-D, vehicle extrication, inci-dent command, cold-water rescue, offi-cers training and RIT.

Christy RiihimakiLength of service: 20 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: U.S. Postal Service

Christy, of Phelps, has com pletedcourses in Firefighter I and II, vehicle ex-trication, search and rescue, incidentcommand, RIT, cold-water rescue, CPR,fire investigation and First Responder.She is a master smoke diver.

PHELPS


The Phelps Volunteer Fire Depart-ment expects to take delivery of a newpump er/tanker some time this fall, ac-cording to Fire Chief Steve Waier. In thefuture, the department hopes to build anew fire station near the Sand Lake Pubin which they’d house the vehicle.

The 3,000-gallon pumper/tanker willre place a converted 1981 milk truck fire-fighters have been using.

“It’s fully automatic, for one,” saidWaier. “Our old vehicle was a 16-speed.We’ll use it for initial attacks and it willalso serve as an additional water sourceon scene.”

The new vehicle cost approximately$200,000 and was paid for through thetown of Phelps, according to the chief.

With plans on the horizon for an aux-iliary fire station east of town on High-way 17, the department aims to betterserve the Phelps area.

“We want to build a second fire stationin the vacinity of the Sand Lake Pub,”said Waier. “That will greatly enhanceour response time for the Big Sand Lake,Long Lake and Smoky Lake Phelps resi-dents. It also could lower peoples’ insur-ance costs.”

Other than the pumper/tanker andpossible plans for a new station, it’s beenbusiness as usual for the Phelps Fire De-partment. They continue to raise fundsfor purchases through annual fundrais-ers including the Firemen’s Picnic andVoorhees Memorial Golf Tournament inAugust.

The department also will hold its an-

nual prime rib dinner at Hillside ResortThursday, Oct. 13. For more informationabout the event, contact Waier at (715)545-3012.

The chief added that the departmentcould always use more help fighting fires,responding to emergencies and organiz-ing fundraiser events.

“We’re always looking for more volun-teers,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky andwe just got a bunch of younger volun-teers to join. But we could always usemore people.”

The Phelps Fire Department pur-chased five new radios for its trucks andrescue utility vehicle (UTV), along with20 new radios for firefighters and a baseradio and antenna for the departmentheadquarters in 2011.

“They’re all Motorola radios which wewere able to buy through a FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) grant for $26,000. We matched$4,600 of that,” said Waier.

FEMA, an agency of the U.S. Depart-ment of Homeland Security, providedgrant money to comply with a FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) re-quirement to switch radios compatiblewith digital technology.

The mandatory switch can be at-tributed to the growth of cell phone com-munications, which are beginning to in-terfere with the traditional emergencysignals, according to the FCC.

In addition to the radios, PhelpsEmergency Medical Services (EMS) pur-chased a Ruggedized Panasonic Tough-book from Telrepco Inc. at a cost of$3,560. The laptop will be used to per-form ambulance run sheets while in theambulance, said EMS coordinator CaroleSelin.

The laptop was purchased withmonies placed into an account for theambulance service from the NorthwoodsLiving Care Foundation (NLCF). EveryAugust the NLCF raises money for thePhelps ambulance service through theannual Picnic in the Park event.

Phelps EMS took delivery of a newLife Line ambulance from Jefferson Fireand Safety Inc. in 2010. The state-of-the-art ambulance cost $136,000, accordingto Selin.

The profits from several fundraiserswere placed into the same account tohelp Phelps EMS save for the ambu-lance. The funds also are used for updat-ed training sessions for the emergencymedical technicians (EMTs), as well asemergency supplies.

Emergency service in the greaterPhelps area is offered 24 hours a day,seven days a week. Phelps EMS is li-censed in Wisconsin and Michigan andcovers all of Phelps, Alvin, Nelma and theSmoky Lake area. The department alsoprovides mutual aid for Conover; Land O’Lakes; Eagle River; Watersmeet, Mich.;

Iron River, Mich.; and Stambaugh, Mich.Phelps EMS and the fire department

also received nine extrication suits witha grant, according to Waier. The depart-ment received a donation from Chip andLynne Shotwell to purchase a Tom-Tomglobal-positioning system and four extri-cation helmets for protection of firefight-ers while on an accident or fire scene.

“We also received other donations thatwe are going to use to help purchase aRescue Randy dummy to help us practiceextrication from a vehicle, tree standsand water rescues,” said Waier. “Trainingis very important to help us keep ourskills up. Training supplies and equip-ment are always a good investment forthe fire and EMS.”

The fire department updated itsequipment for firefighters in 2009, ac-cording to Waier.

Thanks to a FEMA grant, the depart-ment was able to purchase 12 sets of airpacks and 10 sets of turnout gear. Thegrant application was submitted in 2008.

The turnout gear worn by firefightersis lighter in weight and withstands heatbetter than the jackets and pants of thepast.

Waier said the abilities of the fire-fighters have improved as rescue person-nel have completed state-certified Fire-fighter II training. He said firefighters

The Phelps Lions Club recently donated four backpack waterpacks, used to fight brush fires, to the Phelps Fire Department. Dis-

playing the new equipment were firefighters, from left, Mike Gil,Rob Anderson, Tim Barron and Mike Myska. —Contributed Photo

Phelps Fire Department to receivenew pumper/tanker vehicle this fall



To PHELPS, Pg. 29

PhelpsWho do you call?


911

PHELPS


Brian GalekLength of service: 9 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Phelps EMS

Brian, of Phelps, has completed Fire-fighter I training, is RIT certified and is acertified EMT.

Tim BarronLength of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Tim, of Phelps, has completed Fire-fighter I training. He is a fire preventionofficer and a Firefighter I training officer.

Tim RickLength of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Tim, of Phelps, has completed coursesin Firefighter I and RIT.

Chris WhiteheadLength of service: 8 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Chris, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and RIT.

Patrick “Rick” BrownLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Town of Phelps

Rick, of Phelps, has completed Fire-fighter I training. He is a mechanic andworks on vehicle maintenance.

Robert MesunLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Verizon

Robert, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, CPR and AED.

Mike Gill Sr.Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Mike, of Phelps, has completed Fire-fighter I training.

Damian SealsLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Damian, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, vehicle ex-trication, EMT-B and CPR.

Eric SelinLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Track Side

Eric, of Phelps, has completed coursesin Firefighter I and II and cold-water res-cue.

Jeanne BrownLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Jeanne, of Phelps, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, CPR and defib.She is a certified First Responder for thePhelps Ambulance Service.

Jordan VolkmannLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: North Twin Builders

Jordan, of Phelps, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II.He is certified in CPR.

PHELPS


are required to go through 60 hours oftraining to reach the state-certified Fire-fighter II level.

In 2008, the department’s new equip-ment ranged from a Jaws of Life extrica-tion system to an air compressor and Cas-cade system for filling both air packs anddive tanks.

Thanks to $18,500 that was raisedthrough community fundraisers like theannual firemen’s picnic, the departmentpurchased a spreader, cutter and sawthat operates through hydraulics that arepowered by a small gasoline engine.

“The tool can be very valuable when itcomes to saving a life during a serious au-tomobile accident,” Waier said, addingthat the equipment is stored in apumper/tanker that rolls on all vehicularaccidents. He said firefighters have gonethrough training for using hand tools andthe JAWS unit.

In 2007, Phelps took delivery of a 2006Pierce pumper that features a 1,000-gal-lon tank and 1,250-gallons-per-minutepump. The truck replaced a 1986 Grumanpumper.

In addition, the department’s Polarissix-wheel all-terrain vehicle wasequipped in 2007 with tracks for snow orice rescue, according to Waier.

“Although we still have a snowmobile,the six-wheeler is better during remotesituations,” Waier said. “Plus, we can putit to use during regular rescues to haulequipment.”

Other rigsThe department purchased an equip-

ment van in 2003, a rig that goes out onevery call, said Waier. The unit, built byPierce Manufacturing of Appleton, car-ries equipment for extrication from vehi-cles, ice- and cold-water rescue, a Cascadesystem for filling air bottles, extra bottles,portable fans and portable pumps.

The department also completed a

$65,000 addition to the fire station in2003. Two double-length, extra-high bayswere added to the east side of the stationto accommodate the larger fire-fightingequipment used today.

“It was our first addition in 21 years.

We built the original station in 1982,”Waier said. “It basically gives us doublethe space.”

The EMTs also have a craft fair andbake sale annually to help supplementthe Phelps Emergency Medical Fund.

In 2001, the department equipped anew pumper/tanker with funding assis-tance from the town and a specialfundraiser. The pumper/tanker made byPierce features a 3,000-gallon watertank.

Volunteer members of the Phelps Fire Department served food attheir annual Firemen’s Picnic fundraiser at Wavering Park. The de-

partment uses funds from the event to purchase new equipmentand train its firefighters. —Photo By Sharon Gifford

PhelpsFROM PAGE 27

PhelpsSupporting

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PHELPS


Rob Andersen IIILength of service: 2 yearsRank: NoneEmployer: Phelps Sanitary District

Rob is a resident of Phelps.

Joel ChmielLength of service: NewRank: NoneEmployer: Great Escape

Joel, of Phelps, is a new recruit. He iscertified in CPR.

Mike DuquaineLength of service: 1 monthRank: NoneEmployer: Cellcom

Mike, of Phelps, is a new recruit.

Thomas CrawfordLength of service: NewRank: NoneEmployer: Sunrise Lodge

Thomas, of Phelps, is a new recruit.

Carole SelinLength of service: 14 yearsRank: Firefighter/Ambulance SupervisorEmployer: Town of Phelps

Carole, of Phelps, has completed cold-water rescue training. She is licensed inWisconsin and Michigan as an EMT-IVtech. She is a former First Responder forthe town of Alvin.

Geraldine ArltLength of service: 25 yearsRank: Ambulance Training OfficerEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Geraldine, of Phelps, is an RN-EMT, li-censed in Wisconsin and Mich igan. She isa diabetic educator, trained in ACLS, andis a member of the Nurse Practice Coun-cil.

Laurinda BooneLength of service: 27 yearsRank: EMT-IV TechEmployer: None given

Laurinda, of Phelps, has completed acourse in cold-water rescue. She is certi-fied in CPR.

Dawn GrmickLength of service: 20 yearsRank: EMT-IV TechEmployer: Vilas County Sheriff’s Dept.

Dawn, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, hazardous mate-rials, First Responder, Learning thruBurning, vehicle extrication and emergen-cy dispatch. She is licensed in Wisconsinand Michigan as an EMT-IV tech. She isalso a volunteer firefighter.

Kathy RegenfussLength of service: 16 yearsRank: EMTEmployer: Howard Young Medical

Center/Phelps Ambulance Service

Kathy, of Phelps, has completed cours-es in EMT-B and -I, hazardous materials,RN, ACLS, TNCC, CPR and PALS.

Laura MyszkaLength of service: 4 yearsRank: First ResponderEmployer: Conservatorships Plus Inc.

Laura, of Phelps, is a certified First Re-sponder, LPN and medical assistant.

Mike MyszkaLength of service: 4 yearsRank: First ResponderEmployer: Phelps Wood Products

Mike, of Phelps, has completed coursesin Firefighter I, First Responder and wild-land fire.

FIRE PREVENTION WEEKOCT. 7-13, 2012

PHELPS


To NICOLET, Pg. 37

Two new protective services instruc-tors have joined the Nicolet College staff,bringing with them nearly four decades ofexperience in the fields of emergencymedical services (EMS), workplace safetytraining and compliance, fire-fighting,hazardous materials, emergency re-sponse and incident command.

Both Dana Vreeland, the new EMSoutreach specialist, and Mark England,the new safety and health outreach spe-cialist, are well known in the NorthWoods for their high level of professional-ism and dedication to furthering educa-tion in the area, according to JasonGoeldner, Nicolet director of protectiveservices.

“Dana and Mark are among the bestin their fields,” Goeldner said. “The skillsthey bring to the classroom will translatedirectly to a high level of instruction forpeople in area volunteer fire depart-ments, medical facilities and many areabusinesses and industries.”

Vreeland attracted to teachingRaised in Eagle River, Vreeland has

worked in the EMS field for 14 years,both as a practicing paramedic and an ad-junct instructor at both Nicolet andNorthcentral Technical College inWausau.

She was drawn to the field after anemergency experience in 1995, when herterminally ill mother was being trans-ported by ambulance to the hospital.While en route, the ambulance crewpulled to the side of the road so Vreelandcould get in and ride in back with hermother.

“Looking back on it, that experiencechanged my life,” she said. “Just watchingthem do their job, and the compassionthey had for me and mother, really hithome. I knew then that what I wanted todo was help people.”

Over the years, Vreeland completed in-creasingly advanced levels of certification— a dozen in all — culminating in be-coming a critical-care emergency medicaltechnician-paramedic through the Uni-versity of Baltimore, Maryland. She com-pleted this training while serving in theOneida County EMS-Ministry HowardYoung Medical Center/Eagle RiverMemorial Hospital ambulance depart-ment.

“I’ve always been drawn to the reallycomplex medical cases,” she said. “That’swhen you really have to use your brain,your critical thinking skills, to do themost good.”

She also discovered that she was at-tracted to teaching, becoming a state-li-censed EMS adjunct instructor at Nicoletin 2000.

“It’s my life’s dream to see peoplelearn,” Vreeland said. “It’s very rewardingto teach people skills that they’ll use totake care of so many other people, peoplewho are our family, friends and col-

leagues.”At Nicolet, Vreeland teaches and coor-

dinates a wide variety of classes. Theseinclude cardiopulmonary resuscitation,Heartsaver, first aid, emergency medicalRresponder, emergency medical techni-cian, advanced emergency medical tech-nician, and EMS refresher training for alllevels.

Vreeland noted that many classes nowinclude an online component.

“A lot of our EMS students are volun-teers with local departments. They havejobs and families and it’s difficult formany to complete the training entirely ina face-to-face classroom setting,” she ex-plained. “Now, parts of many classes canbe completed online at home. It’s more

convenient for students and also cutsdown on their travel time.”

Vreeland filled the position previouslyheld by Lynn Reischel, who retired lastsummer after serving for 34 years asEMS instructor at Nicolet.

England is safety specialistA Rhinelander native, England has ex-

tensive experience in a wide variety ofprotective services areas. Prior to joiningNicolet in June as the new safety andhealth outreach specialist, Englandworked for 23 years at the Harley-David-son Motor Co., five of those years as Tom-ahawk plant’s safety technician/emergen-cy response team coordinator.

He’s also served as the assistant

chief/training officer for the Newbold Vol-unteer Fire Department and was a volun-teer with the Pine Lake Fire Department.

“My passion has always been to helpother people,” England said.

Much of his work at Nicolet will focuson providing workplace safety trainingfor employees and helping area business-es and industries comply with Occupa-tional Health and Safety Administration(OSHA) regulations.

“Some occupations are more danger-ous than others and our main goal is togive people the skills to perform their jobsafely,” England said. “We want people tobe able to go to work and then go home

Dana Vreeland, the new emergency medical services outreachspecialist for Nicolet College, prepares medical training equipment

for her next class. Vreeland has worked in the EMS field for 14years. —Contributed Photo

Vreeland, England bring experienceto protective services training at Nicolet

___________BY TERRY RUTLIN

COMMUNITY RELATIONS, NICOLET COLLEGE___________


Length of service: 33 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Cisco Chain Marina

Sam, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, terrorismawareness, hazardous materials tech, fireground control, fire service instructor LevelI, hose evolution, fire inspector, basicbuilding con struction, advanced driving,firefighter health and safe ty, driver/opera-tor, wildland fire, cold-water rescue, EVOC,vehicle extrication, aviation emergencyand hazardous materials awareness. He isa member of the North Woods FirePreven tion & Education Committee and amember of the Vilas Coun ty Fire Chiefs Association. He has been an EMT for20 years and is certified in CPR.

Samuel OtterpohlLength of service: 19 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Self-employed,

Butch’s Pizza

Bradley, of Land O’ Lakes, has com-pleted courses in Firefighter I and refresh-er, terrorism awareness, medical First Re-sponder, LP burns, SOLO wilderness res-cue, hazardous materials tech, strategiesand tactics I and II, wildland fire, RIT, avia-tion emergency, vehicle extrication, vehiclefires, incident command, cold-water res-cue, building construction and driver/operator. He also drives the ambulance.He is a certified First Responder and iscertified in CPR. He is a member of the East Central Rapid Intervention Team.

Bradley KnaackLength of service: 19 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Stop’s Refrigeration

Michael, of Land O’ Lakes, has com-pleted courses in Firefighter I, terrorismawareness, hazardous materials tech,pumps and pumping, hazardous materi-als, cold-water rescue, tactics and strate-gies I and II, LP burns, RIT, confinedspace rescue, vehicle extrication, driv-er/operator and aviation emergency. Heis certified in extrication and CPR.

Michael Justice

Length of service: 12 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Northwoods Tire

Andrew, of Land O’ Lakes, has complet-ed courses in Fire fighter I, EMT-B, FirstResponder, terrorism awareness, haz-ardous materials tech, PEPP, EVOC,water rescue and cold-water rescue. He iscertified in CPR and vehicle extrication.He is also a volunteer for the Land O’Lakes Ambulance Service.

Andrew DornLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Bear Trap Inn

Andrew, of Land O’ Lakes, has com-pleted courses in Firefighter I and II, RIT,confined space rescue, basic fire safety,small engines, vehicle extrication, avia-tion emergency and wildland fire.

Andrew AdamsLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Forslund Building Supply

Wes, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, RIT, EVOC,wildland fire, confined space rescue, vehi-cle extrication and aviation emergency. Heis certified in hazardous materials opera-tions and CPR.

Wes Setzer

Length of service: 3 yearsRank: Maintenance DirectorEmployer: Retired

Mac, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, vehicle extrication,CPR and maintenance.

Dennis “Mac” McCarthyLength of service: 21 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Rennes Group

Carol, of Land O’ Lakes, has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I and II, terror-ism awareness, strategies and tactics Iand II, hazardous materials, hazardousmaterials tech, CPR, NIMS, FEMA anddriver/operator.

Carol JusticeLength of service: 21 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Bruce, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, First Responder,vehicle extrication, aviation emergency,wildland fires, RIT, confined space rescueand driver/operator. He is also an EMT.

Bruce Garrison


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The Land O’ Lakes Fire Departmentput the finishing touches on its Ford F-350truck in 2012, installing a topper and stor-age boxes on the light rescue rig.

The extended cab pickup truck waspurchased in January of 2010 and re-sponds to rescue calls in those hard-to-reach locations, according to Signe Baake,emergency medical technician (EMT) su-pervisor.

The four-wheel drive truck can be usedto get down mud- or snow-covered trails oron ice-covered lakes for rescues. The LandO’ Lakes area has many miles of snowmo-bile and bicycle trail segments that can behard to reach by ambulance.

“If we can’t get the ambulance in, wetake the light rescue unit,” said Baake.

Rescue items in the truck include ascoop stretcher and Stokes basket, alongwith four Mustang suits for ice or cold-water rescue.

The new fiberglass topper protects therescue equipment and, in the event thetruck is used to transport a victim down atrail, protects the injured person from theoutside elements.

Other features of the truck includeemergency light bars on top of the cab andblue and yellow reflective tape on all sidesof the vehicle.

“Plans are to install a ladder rack ontop of the truck as well as additional lightsfor search and rescue,” said Baake. “Thestorage compartments carry medical sup-plies such as bandage and splints — any-thing for trail rescue.”

The heavy-duty truck also is used topull the department’s rescue boat, six-wheeler or snowmobile to emergency situ-ations, according to Land O’ Lakes FireChief Sam Otterpohl.

“The rescue truck replaced a 1986Chevrolet Blazer that we originally gotfrom K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base,” said Ot-terpohl. “The new truck was purchasedthrough the town budget for about$26,000.”

New pumper/tankerThe Land O’ Lakes Fire Department

also took delivery of a newpumper/tanker in September of 2011 — avehicle designed to handle a variety ofemergencies.

The 2005 pumper was purchased fromthe town of Manhattan in Nye County,Nev., for $185,000, according to Otter-pohl.

“The Pierce pumper was actually builtin Appleton, so it is coming home, ofsorts,” said Otterpohl. “The truck onlyhad 3,600 miles on it when we purchasedit, so it is like new.”

Otterpohl said the department tradedin a 1996 rescue truck and received$40,000 for the trade-in. He said tax dol-

lars and department fundraising paid forthe truck.

Assistant Fire Chief Bradley Knaacksaid the Kenworth diesel four-wheel drivetruck features a 1,700-gallon tank and a1,000-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pump. Italso carries 30 gallons of foam.

“Because the truck is four-wheel driveand smaller than most pumpers, we willbe able to get it in tighter locations,” saidKnaack. “We also can use it to respond tovehicle accidents in the winter.”

The truck has plenty of storage roomfor vehicle extrication equipment, includ-ing JAWS, jacks and hydraulic tools need-ed in a vehicle accident. It also carries a3,800-watt Honda generator.

Knaack said the truck is used for fight-ing both structure and wildland fires.Lighting on the truck can illuminate anaccident scene.

“It has 600 feet of LDH hose, 100-foothose reel and 300 feet of 13⁄4-inch precon-nected hose,” said Knaack.

Knaack said if the department buildsa second station in the future to the weston Highway B, the truck could be themain pumper at that location. He said thepumper/tanker replaced a 30-year-old1981 pumper.

Station generatorIn 2010, the department installed a 30-

kilowatt generator at the fire station thatkicks in automatically when the powergoes out.

“In the event that the power goes out inLand O’ Lakes, we have power at the firestation with this generator,” said Otter-pohl. “We also have a radio base stationhere in the event something would happenat the dispatch center in Eagle River. Withthe generator and a base station, we canstill communicate with rescue personnelin an emergency.”

The generator cost the department$15,000, plus installation, but the equip-ment was funded through the capital out-lay fund for the fire station.

The department also purchased anArgus HR 320 thermal-imaging camera in2010. The $11,000 purchase was madethanks to a private donation.

“The camera helps firefighters find hotspots in the walls of a burning building,”said Otterpohl.

Other trucksThe department purchased a Ford F-

350 brush truck for $31,000 in 2008. In2009, firefighters added a wildfire skidunit to the vehicle and, in 2010, the Amer-ican Legion in Land O’ Lakes donatedmoney for a custom tool rack for the brushtruck.

“We use the truck for wildland fires and

fires in other hard-to-get-to places,” hesaid. “The rack allows us to haul extratools for wildland fires.”

The four-wheel drive vehicle was origi-nally delivered with a heavy-duty frontbumper and winch, heavy-duty trailerhitch on the rear, emergency lights and re-flective striping.

“We added the wildfire skid unit thatincludes a 250-gallon water tank, 10-gal-lon foam tank, 500-gpm pump and a 100-foot hose reel, to the rear box,” said Otter-pohl. “The pump also can be used for fillingtankers.”

Otterpohl said the skid unit cost$11,500. He said Conserve School donatedone-half of the funds and the other one-half came out of the department’s budget.

The rig also carries wildland fire-fight-ing equipment, including chain saws,portable water packs, shovels, picks andaxes.

“We didn’t have a brush truck, so thiswas needed due to our heavily woodedarea,” said Otterpohl.

The Land O’ Lakes Fire Departmentpurchased a $280,000 Pierce pump -er/engine in 2007, financed with the helpof a state grant and a loan from the townof Land O’ Lakes.

The engine features a 1,250-gpm pump,

Displaying some of the new emergency equipment, including waterrescue gear, carried in the Land O’ Lakes Fire Department rescue

truck are, from left, Signe Baake, Jeanette Shifra, Jean Haack, MaryEllen Otterpohl and James Baake. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

Land O’ Lakes department equipslight rescue truck with topper, gear



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a 1,000-gallon water tank, and a com-pressed air and foam system.

In 2005, the Land O’ Lakes depart-ment improved its hazardous materialsresponse capabilities with a new responsetrailer. The truck carries haz-mat cleanupmaterials, gear, level A and level B suitsand other equipment.

Other trucks in the department’s fleetinclude a tanker and Rapid InterventionTeam (RIT) truck, which is used to trans-port the Land O’ Lakes RIT to fires acrossthe area.

Training continuesTraining is always a priority for the

Land O’ Lakes Fire Department. In 2010,fire department personnel were trainedin vehicle extrication and handling air-port emergencies. The training was heldthrough Nicolet Area Technical College.

“Firefighters from Land O’ Lakes,Phelps, Conover and Eagle River learnedabout handling airport emergencies, in-cluding dealing with airplane fuels,” saidOtterpohl.

Several department personnel tookRIT training in 2009 and are now mem-bers of the Eastside RIT. They are trainedto locate and rescue injured or trappedfirefighters.

Otterpohl said Land O’ Lakes alsoteamed up with Conover to prepare aCommunity Wildfire Protection Plan.

“The plan will help us prepare for wild-fires as well as help us get Department ofNatural Resources grants,” he said.

The plan includes maps for high-riskareas for wildfires, highly flammableareas, land uses and evacuation routes.

“We are always looking for new fire-fighters and EMTs,” said Otterpohl.

Special equipmentLand O’ Lakes is the home of the only

fire boat in Vilas County. The 25-foot pon-toon is docked at Cisco Chain Marina andserves the Cisco Chain area, which en-compasses Land O’ Lakes and Wa-tersmeet, Mich.

The fire boat is a necessary commodi-ty in the area due to the number of sum-mer residences located on numerous is-lands throughout the Cisco Chain.

Response time to an island fire isthree times quicker by boat to certainlakeside locations. It may take 30 min-utes by road to go around a lake, but thefire boat could reach the same locationwithin five minutes, according to Otter-pohl.

The Land O’ Lakes Fire Departmentalso has an inflatable boat and a RescueAlive flotation device. The inflatable boatwas purchased as a budget item from thetown of Land O’ Lakes. It is used for get-ting onto private lakes, as well as lakesthat have no boat landing.

“It helps the response time because wecan throw the boat in at any location,”said Otterpohl. “Wherever the 911 comesfrom, we can slide the boat in the waterwithout going to a boat landing.”

The Rescue Alive was purchased withmoney from the residents of Land O’Lakes. It is used for ice and cold-waterrescues. Many of the department mem-

bers have taken the ice-rescue course.Land O’ Lakes also has a Polaris six-

wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV), used pri-marily for trail rescues.

The ATV was purchased by the Emer-gency Medical Services department withthe assistance of donations and fundrais-ers. It features a rear box, which wasmodified to haul a stretcher.

The Land O’ Lakes Volunteer Fire De-partment and Rescue Squad moved to itspresent location along Highway B in1991. The fire station features four dou-ble bays with rear doors and was fundedby the town.

The 100- by 60-foot building includesroom for eight vehicles, two offices, anEMT training room, a meeting room anda kitchen.

Land O’ LakesFROM PAGE 33

Emergency personnel added a protective topper to the Land O’Lakes Fire Department rescue truck this year. The EMTs include,

from left, Signe Baake, Mary Ellen Otterpohl, Jeanette Shifra, JeanHaack and James Baake. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

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Length of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Lakeshore Home & Yard

Care

Brian, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, wildland fire,self-contained breathing apparatus, con-fined space rescue, vehicle extrication,aviation emergency and search and res-cue. He is a member of the rapid inter-vention team and is certified in hazardousmaterials operations and CPR.

Brian AchuffLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Town of Land O’ Lakes

Dan, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, hazardousmaterials, engine, engine and transmis-sion repair, vehicle extrication and avia-tion emergency. He retired from the firedepartment of Calumet City, Ill., after 25years.

Dan BalogLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Land O’ Lakes Cheese Corp.

Chris, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in basic life support and haz-ardous materials awareness, vehicle extri-cation and aviation emergency. He is acertified EMT-IV tech in Wisconsin andMichigan.

Chris Brownell

Length of service: 26 yearsRank: EMT Training OfficerEmployer: Headwaters State Bank

Mary Ellen, of Land O’ Lakes, has com-pleted courses in EMT-I, CPR, advanceddriving, CPR refresher, EVOC, driver/oper-ator, wildland fire, Firefighter I, terrorismawareness, hazardous materials tech, ve-hicle extrication and aviation emergency.She is on the National Registry of EMTs,is a Michigan-certified EMT-B and a Wis-consin EMT-IV tech. She is certified inPHTLS, cold-water rescue, SOLO wilder-ness rescue and PEPP.

Mary Ellen OtterpohlLength of service: 3 yearsRank: EMT-BEmployer: Conserve School

Jean, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in EMT-B, water rescue and ve-hicle extrication. She is certified in CPR.

Jean HaackLength of service: 1 yearRank: EMT-B, -IV TechEmployer: Jay’s Resort

Jeanette, of Land O’ Lakes, is anNREMT-B and a Wisconsin EMT-IV tech.

Jeanette Shifra

Length of service: 1 yearRank: FirefighterEmployer: Butch’s Pizza North

Joshua, of Land O’ Lakes, has complet-ed wildland fire training.

Joshua KarlovichLength of service: 37 yearsRank: EMT SupervisorEmployer: Ministry Spirit Medical


Signe, of Land O’ Lakes, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, terrorismawareness, hazardous materials tech, LPburns, advanced driving, PEPP, weatherspotting, cold-water drowning, BTLS,PALS, wildland fire, driver/operator, vehicleextrication, aviation emergency, officerstrategies and tactics, pump operator,OSHA instructor, cold-water rescue, NRP,CC EMT-P and I/C Level 2. She is an am-bulance supervisor, CPR in structor,NREMT-P, Wisconsin paramedic, Michigan-certified EMT-B, EMT-B instructorand PHTLS and ACLS certified. She is the deputy coroner for Vilas County.

Signe BaakeLength of service: 26 yearsRank: EMT-BEmployer: Retired

James, of Land O’ Lakes, has complet-ed courses in EMT-B, Firefighter I, terror-ism awareness, hazardous materials tech,weather spotting, advanced driving, BTLS,vehicle extrication tech, PALS, wildlandfire, aviation emergency and driver/opera-tor. He is on the National Registry of EMTsand is a Michigan-certified EMT-B. He hascompleted classes in Medicare billing andDOT accident prevention.

James Baake

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safe and sound at the end of the day.”He admitted some people have mixed

opinions about OSHA.“(But) just about every OSHA stan-

dard is written in blood,” he went on toexplain. “Many are lessons learned frompast situations and we want to makesure that these things don’t repeat them-selves and happen to other people.”

England has an extensive list of certi-fications that he uses to provide trainingin numerous areas. These include sever-al OSHA classes, confined spaces train-ing, fire extinguisher training, hazardouswaste management, emergency responseand coordination, forklift operator train-ing, incident command, bloodbornepathogens, hospital and nursing homefire safety, and electrical safety, amongothers.

Recently Nicolet started offering freesafety audits and hazard analysis forarea businesses and industries.

“Many hazards are not easily recog-nizable and are very easy to miss unlessyou know what to look for,” said England,who filled an open position at Nicolet.“What we’ll do, for free, is go through afacility to identify any potential haz-ards.”

For more information about protectiveservices training opportunities at Nico-let, contact the department at (715) 365-4600, 1-(800) 544-3039, ext. 4600; TDD(715) 365-4448.

NicoletFROM PAGE 31

Mark England, the new safety and health outreach specialist atNicolet College, provides workplace safety training for businesses

and their employees. England also is on the Newbold VolunteerFire Department. —Contributed Photo

Ministry Health Care announced thissummer that its Spirit helicopter servicein the North Woods has expanded to 24-hour coverage.

It was only a year ago that MinistrySpirit Medical Transportation Servicesintroduced a second air ambulance tobetter serve the needs of patients innorthern Wisconsin. Ministry Spirit’sfleet includes Spirit Air 2 based inRhinelander and Spirit Air 1 based inMarshfield at Ministry Saint Joseph’sHospital.

The implementation of the second he-licopter has greatly decreased responsetime to the region’s trauma and specialtyreferral centers in Marshfield and West-on/Wau sau, according to Charlie Kotke,northern region manager of MinistrySpirit Medical Transportation Services.

“Moving to 24-hour coverage allows usto provide an even greater level of serviceto area residents and fulfill our promiseof keeping patients first in everything wedo,” said Kotke. “Our goal is to have thepatient to the trauma center in under anhour so decreased response times willdefinitely benefit the patient and savelives.”

According to Stewart Watson, M.D.,president and CEO of Ministry MedicalGroup, the expanded hours will benefitcritically ill and injured patients.

“Time is a critical factor in the treat-ment outcome for trauma, heart attackand stroke victims and this will dramat-ically reduce the time it takes to trans-port patients to the closest appropriate

tertiary hospital,” said Watson.Ministry Spirit performs a wide vari-

ety of missions, including inter-hospitaltransport, emergency scene calls, provid-ing air medical resources to trauma pa-

tients at the scene of an accident, and ed-ucation outreach to the emergency medi-cal services community and area schools.

To accommodate the increased air am-bulance service, additional staff includ-

ing paramedics, flight nurses and pilotswere added.

Ministry Spirit Medical Transporta-tion Services has provided medical trans-port for more than 18 years.

Ministry expands helicopter service in North

Ministry Health Care now offers Spirit helicopter service 24 hours aday with Air 2 based in Rhinelander and Air 1 based in Marshfield.

The Ministry Spirit team also provides outreach education servicesto community groups and schools. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO


Length of service: 27 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Self-employed,

Northern Carpets

Gary, of Conover, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, officers training,wildland fire suppression, tactics andstrategies, foam types and uses, extrica-tion, fire investigations and helicopterlanding zone. He is trained in CPR-D.

Gary VoldLength of service: 24 yearsRank: 1st Assistant ChiefEmployer: Self-employed

Randy, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, tankers, in-structional techniques for com pany offi-cers, firefighter safety, health and sur-vival, positive pressure ventilation, pumpsand pumping, fire investigation, fire inves-tigation-arson, advanced fire investiga-tion, water rescue, cold-water rescue, fireprevention inspections, CPR, wildlandfires, med ical transport, landing zone andweapons of mass destruction. He is a fireinspector, a certified tank inspectorILHR10, and contract inspector for ILHR10.

Randy BarnesLength of service: 16 yearsRank: 2nd Assistant ChiefEmployer: J&J Excavating &

Landscaping

Jeff, of Conover, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, water rescue, ve-hicle extrication, CPR-D, fire investigation,LP burns, weapons of mass destruction,wildfire and incident command of wildlandfires, foam I and II, defibrillator, officerstraining and landing zone.

Jeff Barnekow

Length of service: 11 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Town of Conover

John, of Conover, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, water rescue,CPR-D, wildland fire, LP burns, foam typesand uses, fire investigation, weapons ofmass destruction, landing zone and vehi-cle extrication. He is a member of the inte-rior attack team.

John BarnekowLength of service: 11 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Boone’s Building Supply

Todd, of Eagle River, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, water res-cue, cold-water rescue, CPR-D, wildlandfire, LP burns, foam types and uses, fireinvestigation and landing zone. He is amember of the interior attack team andthe Eastside Rapid Intervention Team.

Todd VreelandLength of service: 17 yearsRank: SecretaryEmployer: Hartman Well Drilling

and Pump Inc.

Chad, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, wildland fire,foams and operation, pumper operation,CPR-D, LP burns, weapons of mass de-struction and landing zone. He is a mem-ber of the interior attack team and a mem-ber of the Eastside rapid interventionteam.

Chad Lederer

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: 1st CaptainEmployer: Schattner Construction

Robert, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, water res-cue, wildland fire, fire investigation, foamtypes and uses, LP burns, weapons ofmass destruction, incident command,landing zone and CPR-D. He is a mem-ber of the interior attack team.

Robert Martinson Jr.Length of service: 16 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Town of Conover

Rich ard, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,weapons of mass destruction, wildlandfire, basic fire investigation, wildfire, vehi-cle extrication, CPR-D, LP burns, landingzone and basic concepts of emergencyresponse to terrorism. He is certified inCPR and is a training officer.

Richard MartinsonLength of service: 16 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Northern Carpets

Steve, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, mod 1 and 2,wildland fire, foam types and uses,pumper operations, extrication, fire in-vestigation and landing zone. He istrained in CPR-D and is a member of theEastside Rapid Intervention Team.

Steve Vold

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The Conover Fire Department pur-chased a new ambulance for its emergen-cy medical technicians (EMT) along witha used multiuse truck in 2012.

The new 2011 Lifeline ambulance,which has a Ford E-450 chassis, will be asignificant upgrade for the EMTs withmore space and updated features. Thetown of Conover, along with Watersmeet,Mich., have budgeted for the $98,000purchase for several years, according toEMT Supervisor Nancy Vold.

“It has more room and has more com-partments in the back,” she said. “It’salso lower to the ground and people canget up into it. We had problems withsome of the older people getting into theback of the old one.”

Conover will continue to use anotherLifeline ambulance purchased in 2001 inconjunction with the new vehicle.

“This has got more lights on it and itseems like you can see us coming formiles,” said Nancy Vold. “Plus it’s brightyellow, which also helps.”

The fire department’s new truck is adiesel 2003 Chevy Duramax 2500HD andwill be used primarily as a first-out vehi-cle, said Fire Chief Gary Vold. The de-partment funded the $13,500 price tagusing only money from fundraisers.

“There were no taxpayer dollars usedin the purchase of this vehicle,” said GaryVold. “It’s going to be a multipurpose ve-hicle. We’ll use it when we have to do fireinspections, to combat brush fires and asa personnel carrier for meetings andseminars. We can also use it to pull trail-ers for snowmobile rescues.”

The vehicle will replace a 1994 ChevySuburban, which wasn’t very practical,according to the chief.

The department also replaced a fail-ing pump on the rear of one of its fire-fighting vehicles. The new pump worksat 100 gallons per minute and the $5,200cost was 80% funded through theForestry Department.

“It will replace our old pump, whichwould die just when we needed it to workfor us,” said Capt. Richard Martinson.“The cost was shared through theForestry Department because, when wefight wildfires, we’re either reimbursedfor our time or they give us grants. So far,it’s been a great pump.”

Firefighters can use the pump to draftwater from area lakes using hard suctionhoses housed on the vehicle and can filltheir 150-gallon polyethylene tank to useas a water source.

The Conover Fire Department pur-chased a new imaging camera in 2011,along with four rapid intervention team(RIT) packs.

The imaging camera, which helps thedepartment detect hot spots, is an up-

grade from a previous model, accordingto Gary Vold.

“It’s a much better unit, which scans amuch bigger area,” he said. “When we gointo a building, if we have to go into ascene that’s full of smoke, we aren’t look-ing at such a small area.”

The larger unit cost a little more than$17,000, he said, which the departmentwas able to save through its annualfundraising events.

In addition to the camera, theConover Fire Department bought fournew packs for its RIT. The packs includeair tanks and self-contained breathingapparatus.

“There are new backpacks, and theyall have the individual face masks now,”said Gary Vold. “They’re in specialtytrucks just for the rapid interventionteam, the new teams set up in VilasCounty.”

In 2010, the department concentratedon recruiting new firefighters, accordingto Gary Vold. Conover signed on sevennew members that year, bringing the de-partment to its maximum of 30 firefight-ers, a limit established by the townboard.

The firefighters train in a new 30- by

80-foot addition to the fire station con-structed in 2009, thanks to a memorialdonation from a local resident.

The construction of the $150,000building began Oct. 1, 2008, and thebuilding was dedicated Sept. 20, 2009,with a community open house.

The department received a $140,000gift to fund the project from Anita So-quist, a Conover area resident who diedJune 15, 2005. The department fundedthe additional $10,000 for the project.

Soquist taught first and second gradesat Land O’ Lakes Elementary School for42 years. The building, located behindthe current fire station along Highway KEast, is called the Anita Soquist Ambu-lance Facility.

“The new building includes a class-room, offices for emergency medical ser-vices (EMS) and the fire department, tworest rooms, a small kitchen area and twodrive-through bays for the EMS vehi-cles,” said Gary Vold. “The new garage iscurrently housing the ambulance.”

The addition frees up much-neededspace in the fire station, built in 1998.

Gary Vold said the department is look-ing at replacing its 1978 brush truck inthe future. The truck, used for hard-to-

reach locations, is the department’s old-est truck.

“We carry shovels, rakes, a pump anda 250-gallon water tank on the truck,”said Gary Vold. “We have one of the heav-iest forested areas in the county and arein the red zone for brush and forest fires.The brush truck is vital for attackingthese areas.”

Other rescue trucksOne of the Conover Fire Department’s

newest rigs is a $302,000 engine/pumper,put into use in 2008.

The department raised about$100,000 to purchase the 2006 Sterlingchassis and the town took over the pay-ments on the remainder of the state-of-the-art apparatus.

The engine/pumper replaced a 1991model, though that truck is a backup atthe fire station on Highway K East.

The new engine is equipped with afully enclosed top control pump opera-tor’s panel with crew seating for four fire-fighters at the forward portion.

“The crew cab is equipped with a heat-ing and air-conditioning unit for a cli-

Conover EMTs, from left, Supervisor Nancy Vold, Justin Hoffmanand Kevin Hartman displayed a new 2011 Lifeline ambulance,

which has more space and some updated features compared withthe EMTs’ 2001 model. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

Conover Fire Department obtains2011 ambulance, multiuse truck



To CONOVER, Pg. 41

CONOVER


Length of service: 13 yearsRank: SecretaryEmployer: Ministry Eagle River

Memorial Hospital

Shirley, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, water res-cue, hazardous materials, snowmobileand cold-water rescue, weapons of massdestruction, wildland fire, vehicle extrica-tion, foam types and uses, landing zoneand fire investigation. She is trained in ad-vanced airway management, ACLS, PALSand PHTLS. She is a CPR instructor forMinistry Health Care and the fire depart-ment through Nicolet College, is a Michi-gan-certified EMT and a Wisconsin and Michigan EMT-IV Tech/DE. She is alsoa volunteer for the Conover Ambulance.

Shirley Jesse

Length of service: 15 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Gordon, of Conover, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, water res-cue, wildland fire, CPR-D and RIT.

Gordon Hogenmiller

Length of service: 13 yearsRank: Maintenance OfficerEmployer: Days Inn of Eagle River

Ron, of Conover, has completed coursesin Firefighter I and II, wildland fire, CPR-D,foam types and uses, weapons of massdestruction, water rescue and cold-waterrescue, fire investigation, vehicle extrica-tion, landing zone, hybrid electrical vehicleand RIT. He is a certified driver/operator forthe pumper truck.

Ron Jesse Jr.Length of service: 13 yearsRank: Safety OfficerEmployer: Retired

Jim, of Conover, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I, CPR, weapons ofmass destruction, wildland fire and land-ing zone. He is also the fire code inspec-tor and grants coordinator.

Jim Bert

Length of service: 11 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: FedEx

John, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,CPR-D, LP burns, wildland fire, fire in-vestigation, vehicle extrication, weaponsof mass destruction and landing zone.

John UhrineLength of service: 11 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Lagueux Builders

Gary, of Conover, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, water rescue, LPburns, foam types and uses, fire investiga-tion, CPR-D, wildland fire, weapons ofmass destruction, terrorism and haz-ardous materials. He is a member of theinterior attack team and a demolition com-bat engineer in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Gary Lagueux Jr.

Length of service: 28 yearsRank: Honorary FirefighterEmployer: U.S. Postal Service

John, of Conover, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, special fire offi-cers, wildland fire and CPR First Re-sponder. He served as the fire chief from1984-’98.

John BurczykLength of service: 28 yearsRank: Honorary FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed,

Jensen Hardware and Appliance

Roger, of Conover, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I and II, LP burns,wildland fire and CPR.

Roger JensenLength of service: 28 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Larson Concrete Products

David, of Conover, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I special and Fire-fighter II, water rescue and cold-waterrescue, CPR, LP burns, landing zone,wildland fire, vehicle extrication, haz-ardous materials, pump er driving, ladderpractices and Learning thru Burning.

David Larson

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mate-controlled atmosphere,” said GaryVold.

The truck is equipped with a 1,250gallons-per-minute mounted pump andan injection-style foam system. Thewater tank is a 1,500-gallon tank with a20-gallon foam concentrate cell.

“At the top of the apparatus, directlybehind the crew cab, is an electronicallycontrolled deck gun,” said Gary Vold.“There are compartments on both sidesto maximize storage space.”

A ladder rack stores the ladders abovethe apparatus when not in use and elec-tronically lowers to an accessible heightat the side of the body. The truck also isequipped with a 6-kilowatt hydraulicgenerator which supplies power to four740-watt removable lights.

Several Conover firefighters complet-ed RIT training in 2008. They includeChad Lederer, Todd Vreeland and SteveVold. They are members of the EastsideRIT with Eagle River, Phelps and LandO’ Lakes. The team is trained to assistother firefighters if they’re injured ortrapped in a fire.

The Conover department also gets alot of use out of its mini pumper-rescuetruck purchased in 2004.

Gary Vold said the mini pumper is thefirst vehicle out of the garage on fire callsand it travels to all auto accidents andfires in the town of Conover. The pumpercarries Jaws of Life, foam, tools and airpacks for four firefighters.

The truck also houses a defibrillator,which all firefighters are trained to usealong with cardiopulmonary resuscita-tion. Gary Vold said the rescue truck car-ries four passengers, plus the driver.

The department purchased a Lifelineambulance in 2001. He said the Forddiesel-powered ambulance is twice aslarge as the department’s previous van-type ambulance. The vehicle stores hardboards, defibrillator units and equipmentfor splinting and immobilizing patients.

The ambulance is operated by

Conover EMTs, who respond to approxi-mately 200 calls each year.

The department also has a Polaris 6x6all-terrain vehicle, which is a rescue-re-covery vehicle for all incidents. The six-wheeler is rigged with a long board onthe rear bed for trail rescues, and is usedfor brush fires and to transport victims,personnel and equipment.

Gary Vold said the six-wheeler is largeenough to carry a victim and an EMT inthe back and two or three personnel onthe front seat.

Community mindedBesides responding to about 50 fire

calls each year, the fire department hascontributed to the community in other

ways.“Through our fundraisers, we were

able to donate new playground equip-ment for the town park in 2005,” saidGary Vold.

In 2003, many of the firefighters vol-unteered to build a concession stand atthe soccer fields in the town park.

“The material was purchased by thetown and the labor was 100% donated bythe firefighters,” said Gary Vold.

Firefighter Robert Martinson Jr., aself-employed carpenter, led the con-struction proj ect.

The building serves two soccer fieldsand a ball field.

“In addition, community events, such

as the car show, are held on the groundsand make use of the facility,” said GaryVold. “It’s just something the firefighterswanted to do for the community.”

He said the department gets strongsupport from area taxpayers, as well asdonations from individuals and civic or-ganizations. The department’s majorfundraiser is a pancake breakfast andcar show held each July.

The department holds an annual IceFishing Jamboree on Pioneer Lake. Topreregister for the tournament, peoplecan call Vreeland at (715) 891-2251.

For more information about theConover Fire Department or ambulanceservice, contact Gary Vold at (715) 479-4881.

ConoverFROM PAGE 39

Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Log Cabin Outfitters

Justin, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, water res-cue, wildland fire, landing zone, pumperoperator, vehicle extrication and weaponsof mass destruction. He is also an EMT-Ifor the Conover Ambulance.

Justin HoffmanLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Log Cabin Outfitters

Jerod, of Conover, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, water res-cue, wildland fire, landing zone andpumper operator.

Jerod HoffmanLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: The Toy Shop of Eagle River

Jeremy, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,cold-water rescue, CPR and wildlandfire.

Jeremy Schlitt

Showing the new multiuse truck purchased this year are ConoverFire Department members, front row from left, Jerod Hoffman, JohnLakso, Chad Lederer, Mike Bedish and Dave Larson; and back row,

Randy Barnes, Fire Chief Gary Vold, Justin Hoffman, Kevin Hart-man, Robert Martinson and Richard Martinson.

—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

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CONOVER


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Chad, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,cold-water rescue and CPR. He is amember of the Eastside Rapid Interven-tion Team and a former member of thePhelps Fire Department.

Chad LucasLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Eagle River Tire

John, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,cold-water rescue and CPR. He is also anational forest firefighter.

John LaksoLength of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Pusich Logging

James, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,cold-water rescue and CPR.

James Pusich

Length of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: The Toy Shop of Eagle River

Eric, of Conover, has completed cours-es in entry-level Firefighter I and II, wild-land fire and CPR.

Eric Walloch

Length of service: 24 yearsRank: EMT SupervisorEmployer: Self-employed,

Northern Carpets

Nancy, of Conover, is a certified EMT-Bin Michigan and Wisconsin and has com-pleted landing zone training. She is anhonorary member of the Con over FireDepartment and holds the rank of trea-surer. She was Wisconsin’s EMT of theYear in 2003.

Nancy Vold

Length of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Cozy Cabin Outfitters

Mike, of Conover, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and II,cold-water rescue, driver/operator I andII, weapons of mass destruction andCPR. He is also an EMT and a nationalforest firefighter.

Mike BedishLength of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Hartman Well Drilling

and Pump Inc.

Kevin, of Conover, has completed cours-es in entry-level Firefighter I and II, entry-level driver/operator pumper truck I and II,wildland fire, weapons of mass destructionand pumper/driver. He is also an EMT-I forthe Conover Ambulance.

Kevin Hartman

Length of service: 15 yearsRank: EMT-BEmployer: Self-employed,

M&K Service Custom Meats

Kim, of Conover, is a Wisconsin andMichigan-certified EMT-IV Tech and is onthe National Registry of EMTs. She isalso certified in CPR.

Kim JovanovicLength of service: 2 yearsRank: EMT-BEmployer: Lampert Lumber

Joe, of Conover, has completed EMT-Btraining.

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Length of service: 30 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Camp Highland

Kevin, of Sayner, has completed cours-es in Fire fighter I, mod 1 and 2, pumpsand pumping 1 and 2, LP gas fires,Learning thru Burning, CPR, Scott AirPack, defensive driving and vehicle fire.He is a member of the rapid interventionteam and has been an EMT-B for 3years.

Kevin RasmussenLength of service: 14 yearsRank: Assistant Chief/TreasurerEmployer: Retired

Jerry, of Sayner, has training as an EMT,CPR instructor and is a former paramedic.He has completed NIMS ICS 100 & 200,has trained for Jaws of Life and is a heavy-equipment operator. He is the Plum Laketown chairman and the head of emergencygovernment for the town of Plum Lake. Heis a former member of the rapid interven-tion team. He retired from the city of Mil-waukee Fire Department after 31 years ofservice.

Jerry KellerLength of service: 28 yearsRank: 2nd Assistant ChiefEmployer: Milton Propane

Jim, of Sayner, has completed coursesin Firefighter I and II, LP gas fires, Learn-ing thru Burning, CPR, Scott Air Pack,defensive driving, vehicle fires and is atraining officer for the West Central RapidIntervention Team.

Jim Daniel Jr.

Length of service: 20 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Ahlborn Equipment Inc.

Ed, of Sayner, has had on-the-jobtraining and classes in mod 1.

Ed JohnstonLength of service: 18 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Andy, of Sayner, has completed cours-es in en try-level Firefighter I and II.

Andy McKayLength of service: 17 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed

Graham, of Sayner, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Graham McKay

Length of service: 17 yearsRank: Sub-Chief at Star LakeEmployer: Gateway Lodge

Bob, of Star Lake, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Bob KlagerLength of service: 7 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Self-employed

Jeremy, of Sayner, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, NIMS, ICS 100and 200, landing zone and emergencyvehicle operation. He is an EMT-B andhas served on the Plum Lake AmbulanceService for 2 years. He is a member ofthe West Central Rapid InterventionTeam.

Jeremy ArnoldLength of service: 16 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: Retired

Steven is a resident of Sayner.

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PLUM LAKE


The Plum Lake Fire Department wasrecently awarded a Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) grant inthe amount of $11,000, which it will useto fund the purchases of new equipment.Meanwhile, the Emergency Medical Ser-vices (EMS) team’s Lifepak 12 machinenow has transmit capabilities.

The defibrillator and electrocardio-graphic monitor, which essentiallyrecords information about a patient’sheart for paramedical personnel, will beable to relay information to the hospitalahead of time, according to Plum LakeAmbulance Service Secretary/TreasurerPeggy Nimz.

“When we go live with the device thisfall, we’ll be able to push one button totransmit information from anywhere, in-cluding from a house with a patient,”said Nimz. “If a patient is having a mas-sive heart-attack, the hospital can have a

critical-care transport team and a heli-copter waiting. It’s much faster for thepatient.”

When it’s all said and done, the up-grade will cost the department approxi-mately $3,000 and will be 100% fundedthrough fundraisers and private dona-tions, according to Nimz.

The fire department’s FEMA grantwill fund an advanced cardiopulmonaryresuscitation unit called Annie for justless than $5,000, along with four newbackboards fully set up with headblocksand all the straps, a pulse oximeter and afive-gas detection monitor for com-bustible gases, according to Fire/EMSChief Kevin Rasmussen.

“The Annie unit can create sounds, ithas pulse points, you can defibrillate onit and it has a built-in load so you can ac-tually shock it,” he said. “That will be agreat educational tool for our firefight-ers. Anything in a small department likethis is pretty huge,” he said, adding thatthe department is always in the processof trying to recruit new members.

“It’s an uphill battle. Recruitment andretention is difficult, especially in a vol-unteer service,” said Rasmussen, who ex-pressed optimism that two new studentswere signed up for fall EMS classes.

Aside from the new equipment andLifepak capabilities, Plum Lake is stillworking to pay off the brush truck thedepartment received in 2011.

The 2011 Ford F-350 has a dual pur-pose, according to the chief.

“It serves as a wildland fire unit plusa water supply,” he said. “There are two500-gallon permitted pumps in the back.We’re trying to condense and use one ve-hicle for two applications.”

Rasmussen said the F-350 is a vastimprovement over the old brush truck,which was wearing down with use andcouldn’t carry the hefty loads the depart-ment needed.

“We’re replacing something from theearly 1980s with a 2011,” said Ras-mussen. “And it’s rated to carry theweight that we’ve been overloading whenwe use the other vehicle.”

The original price tag on the vehiclewas around $40,000, but municipal dis-counts brought that number down. Thedepartment was able to fund the truckthrough donations and annual fundrais-ers like the Fourth of July chicken barbe-cue and spaghetti dinner in August.

The department also added a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle to its rescuefleet in 2010. The John Deere Gator XUV620i is used for attacking wildfires inhard-to-reach locations and assistingEMS with trail rescues.

The $12,000 vehicle features side-by-side seating for a driver and passenger, arear dump box, lights, roll bar, and frontand rear hitches.

The department added snow tracks tothe Gator for winter rescues in 2011. Theutility vehicle was paid for with depart-ment money raised through its annualfundraisers.

The department purchased aMedtronic Lifepak 12 automated exter-

The Plum Lake Fire Department is seeking new members to join its volunteer squad of fire-fighters. Some of the current members, in front of the Ford F-350 brush truck purchased in2011 include, front row from left, Ed Johnston, Steven Clemens, Fire Chief Kevin Ras-

mussen, John Wichner and Jeremy Arnold; and back row, Jerry Keller, Jim Daniel, GregLarsen and Richard Lemke.


Plum Lake Fire/EMS to acquirenew equipment and capabilities



To PLUM LAKE, Pg. 47

PLUM LAKE


Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: U.S. Armed Forces

Jared, of Sayner, has completed cours-es in entry-level Firefighter I and II.

Jared Mann

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Length of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Student

John, of Sayner, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I, hazardous materialsoperations, First Responder and landingzone. He is a member of the rapid inter-vention team.

John WichnerLength of service: 4 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Richard, of Sayner, has completedcourses in vehicle extrication and basic lifesupport.

Richard Lemke

Length of service: 21 yearsRank: EMT-I, Secretary/TreasurerEmployer: Ministry Health Care

Peggy, of St. Germain, is certified inemergency vehicle operations, pediatriceducation for prehospital professionals,prehospital trauma life support, NIMSand cold-water rescue. She is a certifiedmedical assistant at Ministry MedicalGroup and has been an EMT-I for MinistryHealth Care since 1999.

Peggy NimzLength of service: 6 yearsRank: EMT-BEmployer: Howard Young Medical

Center/Spirit Transportation

Liz, of St. Germain, has completedparamedic class and is certified in ACLS,PALS, CPR, CEVO, PHTLS, NALS and ison the National Registry of EMTs.

Liz KaufenbergLength of service: 1 yearRank: EMT-BEmployer: None given

Barb, of Sayner, is a nationally regis-tered EMT-B.

Barb Demler

Length of service: 3 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Clearview Supper Club

David, of Sayner, has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II.

David RomanskiLength of service: 1 yearRank: PhotographerEmployer: Student

BriAnna is a resident of Sayner.

BriAnna HoffmannLength of service: 1 yearRank: FirefighterEmployer: Sherry’s Plumbing

Greg, of Sayner, has completed Fire-fighter I training. He is a former member ofthe Tomahawk Fire Department.

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nal defibrillator in 2010 for about$14,000. The portable electronic deviceautomatically diagnoses potentially life-threatening cardiac problems in a patient.

In 2009, Plum Lake EMS purchased a$140,000 ambulance to replace a 2000unit that was sold to Howard Young Med-ical Center, with proceeds going towardthe down payment on the new vehicle.

“We try to put as little on the tax rollsas possible. The town helps with trainingand equipment. We financed the purchasethrough a loan, call revenues andfundraisers,” said Rasmussen.

As an all-volunteer organization, thePlum Lake Fire Department relies on peo-ple from the community for service andcontinued support.

“It takes a lot of effort, and I applaudanyone who does this,” he said. “There are144 hours worth of classes, plus a lot morethat goes into the service, and we appreci-ate those who are interested in joiningus.”

Plum Lake EMS averages nearly 300calls a year, and the fire departmentmakes nearly 40 runs. The departmentcovers Star Lake, Sayner and St. Ger-main, and works cooperatively with eachtown on mutual aid.

“We work hand in hand with St. Ger-main,” said Rasmussen.

Plum Lake EMS volunteers meet thefirst Wednesday of every month.

In recent years, the department re-

ceived an Assistance to Firefighters grantthat helped provide training for the newRapid Intervention Team (RIT), whichhas since joined the West Central RITconsisting of five fire departments in thearea — Arbor Vitae, St. Germain, PlumLake, Boulder Junction and Minocqua.

Other recent additions included jump-suits and boots. Previously, the depart-ment received a $32,000 U.S. Homeland

Security Department grant that was usedto buy a filling station for air tanks, aswell as a thermal-imaging camera. Fiveyears ago, the department took delivery ofa four-wheel-drive personnel carrier.

The Plum Lake department built anew fire station nine years ago at the in-tersection of Froelich Lane and GlenbrookLane in Sayner, one block west of High-way 155, behind the Vilas County Histor-

ical Museum. The department previouslyoccupied two bays in the crowded towngarage, but moved into the new 70- by 70-foot fire station in 2002. The separateEMS/ambulance building is located southon Highway 155.

The station features two drive-throughbays and a total capacity for five rigs, anoffice, a meeting room, a utility room witha washing machine, and rest rooms com-plete with showers. The combinationsteel-and-block building also has hydronicin-floor heat. There is a large-capacitywell on the property for refilling watertanks on the engines and tankers. An on-site generator can be used to power thewell and the building lights. The structurehouses engine No. 1 and tanker No. 1 inaddition to the Gator and the new Ford F-350 brush truck.

“We’re always trying to update ourequipment for safety,” said Rasmussen.

The fire department puts on severalannual fundraisers, including the Fourthof July chicken barbecue and spaghettidinner at the end of summer to help sup-plement funds from tax appropriationsand donations.

The department holds its annual fire-men’s picnic at Sayner Recreation Parkand sponsors the Sayner Old-timers Soft-ball Tournament.

“The fire department really appreci-ates the support from residents and non-residents at these fundraisers,” said Ras-mussen, who added that the departmentwill continue to work toward its goals ofrecruitment, training and retainment andproviding safe, quality equipment.

Plum LakeFROM PAGE 45

Peggy Nimz, who’s been with the Plum Lake Ambulance Service for 21 years, displayed theelectrocardiograph monitor which now has the capability to transmit patients’ heart data tothe hospital before the ambulance arrives. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

PLUM LAKE

fire safety. But he didn’t stop at just thechildren.

“We added several programs for ourbusiness community and special groupslike our senior citizens and boat safety,”said Nikolai.

Business programs included teachingthe staff on what fire safety items theyhad in their building and how to safelyevacuate their building during an emer-gency. Individuals also received hands-on fire extinguisher training.

In 1996, bureau instructors went tosix senior centers in Vilas County,teaching seniors how to keep them-selves fire safe.

“Again, we provided hands-on fire ex-tinguisher training to all those whowanted to participate,” said Nikolai. “Wealso have been the host and taught thefire extinguisher portion of the boatsafety course for the last 15 years.”

Some of the other programs theEagle River Area Fire Department FirePrevention Bureau has instituted in-clude:

• Developed a fire safety Jeopardy!game for fourth- and fifth-grade chil-dren.

• Insured the tents and buildingswere safe and monitored the safety atmajor events like the SnowmobileDerby, Cranberry Fest, Artarama andKlondike Days.

• For four years, developed and gotfunding from Parsons Chevrolet and

CornerStone Custom Builders to pro-duce 3,000 Northland Pines School Dis-trict calendars which included all schoolevents and fire safety messages.

• Once enhanced 911 was put in thesystem, set up programs to teach inkindergarten through eighth grade, in-cluding purchasing 911 play telephonesfor the preschools so they could workwith their children.

• Working with the National FireProtection Association, the bureau par-ticipated in the Great Escape Programfor the five years it ran (on a designateddate and time, each home in the com-munity was to conduct a home fire drilland then as a reward come down to thefire station for an ice cream social).

• The Eagle River Area Fire Depart-ment has a $4,000 video library, whichis available to all fire departments.

Nikolai said it takes the help of otherfirefighters and departments to makethe program work.

“All these programs can only be suc-cessful if you have the dedicated fire-fighters who truly support it,” saidNikolai. “Firefighters who take vacationtime from their work or lunch hours tohelp me deliver our fire safe messagesto our community. I want to thank mychiefs for their support and specialthanks to the firefighters for believingin our fire prevention programs.”

Nikolai said the program has come along way in 20 years.

“When I retired form the militarysome 22 years ago, I never would havedreamt I would be a part of another spe-cial and dedicated organization,” said

Fire preventionFROM PAGE 9

As part of the Eagle River Area Fire Department Fire Prevention Program, a firefighter in-teracts with students in turnout gear. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO


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had one major baking disaster. “That happened the year that I made

mini loaves of bread. I was doing it lateat night and put frozen dough in thesmall pans. Not having done this before,I did not realize that the dough wouldrise as quickly as it did. I decided to geta few hours of sleep. Surely it wouldtake at least that long,” said Remington.“Well, I woke up after about three hoursto the smell of bread dough and to myamazement, when I walked into thekitchen I was greeted by one very largeloaf that covered the entire counter!”

The unsung heroesThree Lakes Fire Department Chief

Herb Stuckart said the Auxiliary’s suc-cess is because of the dedicated volun-teers of the small community.

“These unsung heroes support uswith no questions asked. Their supportis important in the event of an emergen-cy, such as last year’s shelter that wasset up for those affected by wind dam-age. They make meals as needed. TheAuxiliary is always there. All I have todo is call them. What a great group ofpeople,” said Stuckart.

Without Auxiliary support, Stuckartsaid the department wouldn’t have allthe needed equipment.

“Our budget doesn’t afford us theextra things we have. Items purchasedby the Auxiliary include 12 portable ra-dios (with special earpiece microphonesthat don’t require mouthpieces), Jaws ofLife, hydraulic tools, an ice rescue shed,help with the purchase of a 6x6 Polarisall-terrain vehicle, a rescue boat, gener-ator, laptop, Rescue Randy trainingdummy, three defibrillators, kitchenequipment, a washer and dryer, meetingroom with table and chairs, shots forfirefighters and many other items.”

The Auxiliary also has begun a fundfor the second fire station east of down-town Three Lakes on Highway 32. TheAuxiliary also helps families affected bya fire, the Three Lakes Christian FoodPantry, Warm The Children, Stuff aTruck, soccer and basketball team uni-forms, the eighth-grade class trip toWashington, D.C., scholarships, and newbuoys for area lakes.

20th annual festivalThe Three Lakes Fire Department

Auxiliary will host its 20th annualPumpkin Fest Saturday, Oct. 13, at theThree Lakes High School from 9:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. The fest will include arts andcrafts, bakery and other foods. Lunchand homemade specialty soups will beavailable after 10 a.m. Pumpkin Festlogo shirts and cookbooks also can bepurchased. A farmers market with pro-

duce such as pumpkins and cranberrieswill be available outside the school.

Returning this year to Pumpkin Festwill be children’s activities, such as abean bag toss and face painting. Also,the Three Lakes Winery will run a busfor cranberry marsh tours. Money fromthe tour will be donated back to theAuxiliary to help fund projects.

A new event at Pumpkin Fest will bea safety booth for parents and their chil-dren, sponsored by the Three Lakes Po-lice Department. An officer, with a par-ent present, will take a photo of thechild, as well as record informationabout the child in the event the child isever missing.

Pumpkin Fest continues as a freeevent, with visitors asked to take a do-nation for the local food pantry.

AuxiliaryFROM PAGE 25

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Jason GoeldnerLength of service: 7 yearsRank: ChiefEmployer: Nicolet College,

Director of Protective Services

Jason, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, II and III, driveroperator/pumper, fire instructor, fire offi-cer and hazardous materials tech. He isa member of the Oneida County Haz-Mat Team and Task Force 6-Heavy Res-cue. He is a former member of the Rhine -lander Fire Department.

Mike KortenhofLength of service: 30 yearsRank: Assistant ChiefEmployer: Town of Sugar Camp

Mike, of Sugar Camp, has completedFirefighter I training. He is a licensed fireinspector and an EMT.

Glenn KortenhofLength of service: 11 yearsRank: CaptainEmployer: Oneida County Ambulance

Glenn is a resident of Sugar Camp.

Scott HolewinskiLength of service: 31 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Birch Builders

Scott, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, multimediafirst aid, basic life support in CPR, haz-ardous waste and pumps and pumping.

NOPHOTO

AVAILABLE

Gib ZmekLength of service: 30 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Retired

Gib, of Sugar Camp, has completedFirefighter I training.

Kevin OlsonLength of service: 26 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed,

Olson Electric

Kevin, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, CPR, first aid,arson investigation, defensive driving,hazardous materials, wildland fires, andincident and command.

Jeff McDonaldLength of service: 17 yearsRank: LieutenantEmployer: None given

Jeff, of Sugar Camp, has completedFirefighter II training.

Ron MillardLength of Service: 23 yearsRank: Fire InspectorEmployer: Retired

Ron, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in advanced first aid and CPR.He is an arson investigator and a formermember of the Oneida County Sheriff’sDepartment.

Ken KortenhofLength of service: 24 yearsRank: Secretary/TreasurerEmployer: Oneida County Emergency

Management

Ken is a resident of Sugar Camp.

Randy IngramLength of service: 15 yearsRank: Safety OfficerEmployer: Wisconsin Professional

Police Association

Randy is a resident of Sugar Camp.

Mike HolewinskiLength of service: 38 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Pitlik & Wick Inc.

Mike, of Rhinelander, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, multimediastandard first aid, basic life support inCPR, pumps and pumping, LP gas burn,extrication, advanced first aid and EMT-B.

Pat HolewinskiLength of service: 38 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Pitlik & Wick Inc.

Pat, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Fire fighter I, mod 1, CPR andfirst aid.

SUGAR CAMP


The Sugar Camp Fire Department re-ceived a new skid unit for its brush vehi-cle since last year, along with 17 newself-contained breathing apparatuses(SCBAs).

The skid unit was purchased througha Department of Natural Resources(DNR) 50/50 match grant. The SugarCamp department put $8,115 toward themore than $17,000 purchase.

“This replaced our old pump, whichhad an old stainless steel, homemadewater tank,” said Fire Chief Jason Goeld-ner, who added that the unit wouldstreamline the fire-fighting process andimprove wildland firefighting capabili-ties.

“In theory, it’s a little more efficientwith newer technology,” he said. “It’s gota pre-connect hose reel, and once we firethe pump up, we don’t have to hook any-thing to it. We’re going to have a mounton the side where we’ll have access to 200feet of hose.”

Goeldner said firefighters also cantake conventional hoses and hook themto a discharge to combat fires.

The Sugar Camp Fire Departmentalso updated its air cylinders, fundingthe $10,798 cost using its annual budgetthrough the town. The department hasbeen unsuccessful in applying for a Fed-eral Emergency Management Assistanceto Firefighters grant, which the chief hadhoped would fund the purchase.

“Our old cylinders were at half theirend-of-service life,” said Goeldner.“They’re only good for 15 years and weget them tested every five.”

The department also added a naturalgas-powered generator to assist firefight-ers in providing fast service during apower outage, which it hasn’t had to useyet.

The chief said most of the depart-ment’s extra funds have been going to-ward keeping its ladder and pump test-ing up to date and completing annual re-quired training.

In 2010, Sugar Camp was named FireDepartment of the Year by the OneidaCounty Firefighters Association.

The award recognizes the departmentfor its commitment and dedication to thecitizens of Oneida County.

Aside from gaining new equipmentand providing exemplary firefighting ser-vice to the area, it’s been business asusual for Sugar Camp firefighters, whoare still in partnership with the OneidaCounty Sheriff ’s Department in using its20-foot air boat obtained in 2009. Theboat is used year-round for water and icerescues.

“We go out once or twice a year doingtraining in the air boat,” said Goeldner.“We also set up the navigational buoysfor the Chain. The sheriff ’s departmentborrows it sometimes to go out on dives.”

In 2010, the department expanded itsunderground water tank, more than dou-bling its total capacity to 24,000 gallonsof water, giving firefighters the ability to

return to the station for water instead ofrelying on lakes.

“It’s still in place, it’s still operatingfor us and it’s working well for us,” saidGoeldner. “Having this undergroundwater supply is a quick way for us to ob-tain water without having to go to a lakeor drill a hole in the ice. It helps speed upour response time.”

In 2009, the department acquired anew pumper-tanker truck. The 2008Pierce Contender replaced a 1980 Fordengine. The new engine meets the Na-tional Fire Protection Agency 1901 stan-dard.

“A new feature of the Pierce Con-tender is onboard Class A foam, which

will help with grass and structure fires,”said Goeldner.

“The engine cost of $207,000 was bud-geted through the town of Sugar Camp,”he said.

That same year, several firefightersfrom the Sugar Camp department re-ceived specialized training from the De-partment of the Interior in the HoriconMarsh area, bringing information back totrain other department members. Train-ing also is held with the Oneida Countydive team.

Also in 2009, the department receivedan $8,700 grant which it used to pur-chase 35 sets of wildland fire gear. Thisincluded a number of suits and helmets

as well as 50 gallons of Class A foam.In 2007, the department received a

$5,800 grant from the Forest Fire Protec-tion and Volunteer Fire Assistance grantprograms administered by the Depart-ment of Natural Resources.

The monies were used for personalprotective equipment, forest-fire trainingand forest-fire suppression tools andequipment.

Sugar Camp also added a cadet pro-gram that year for young recruits to gainexperience with the department. Underthe program, cadets get the same experi-ence as other firefighters under special

Firefighters, from left, Dennis Strong, Alex Kaphingst and Jeff Mc-Donald display the new skid unit being used on the fire depart-

ment’s brush vehicle. Fire Chief Jason Goeldner said the new unitwill enhance the department’s wildland fire-fighting capabilities.


Sugar Camp gets new skid unit, air tanks___________

BY ANTHONY DREW


To SUGAR CAMP, Pg. 53

SUGAR CAMP


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Deana BigleyLength of service: 24 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Deana, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, CPR and standardfirst aid.

Dennis StrongLength of service: 23 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Oneida County Sheriff’s

Department

Dennis, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, ladder practicesand self-contained breathing apparatus.

Glenn WoodsLength of service: 12 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Energy Wise Builders

Glenn, of Rhinelander, has completedcourses in Firefighter I, mod 1 and 2.

Jeremy MillardLength of service: 12 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Jeremy is a resident of Sugar Camp.

Larry BauknechtLength of service: 11 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Town of Sugar Camp

Larry is a resident of Rhinelander.

Josh JoslinLength of service: 9 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Self-employed,

Superior Plumbing

Josh, of Sugar Camp, has completedFirefighter I training.

SUGAR CAMP


safety restrictions.The department used a grant to purchase six new

sets of turnout gear, 24 helmets and 24 pairs of gloves,personal safety devices, safety vests, hoods and an in-frared camera in 2006.

More than a dozen Sugar Camp firefighters havecompleted Firefighter I certification, and some are cer-tified Firefighter II and III. Many of the firefighterscompleted extrication, car fire and water-rescue train-ing five years ago. The classes enable the department toreact to a variety of situations.

Department members also have gained trainingthrough courses offered through Nicolet College, andhave attended several Learning Thru Burning sessionscoordinated by the college’s fire training program.

During Fire Prevention Week, the firefighters visitthe Sugar Camp school, giving the students instructionson fire prevention and getting out of a burning building.

Other equipmentThe Sugar Camp Fire Department added a Jaws of

Life unit as a part of its rescue equipment in 2004.Sugar Camp also purchased a 1982 pumper from the

town of Justice, Ill., in 2003 and took delivery of a newtanker in 2002, increasing its water capacity at fires.

The town of Sugar Camp purchased the chassis, com-plete with a 2,000-gallon tank. The truck also featuresa 1,000-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pump. The truck canbe used as a pumper and replaced a 1968 Internationalpumper.

The department also has a brush truck/rescue vehi-cle equipped with emergency medical supplies and fire-fighting equipment, which responds to brush fires.

The 2000 F-350 Ford pickup features a 150-gallonwater tank, a 500-gpm pump and four full-size doors foreasy access by emergency personnel.

Also installed on the truck is 1,000 feet of 1-inchwildfire hose and all the fittings, portable water packs,air packs, extrication tools and communications equip -ment.

The department’s other pumper was purchased inthe mid-1990s. The $90,000 piece of equipment is capa-ble of pumping 1,000 gpm.

The department also has two tankers, an all-terrainvehicle for hunting, logging and snowmobiling accidentrescues and a rescue sled that can be equipped withboth skis and tires for year-round rescues.

The Sugar Camp Fire Department vehicles arehoused in a 40- by 96-foot garage with six stalls. Thegarage also houses the Medic 11 Oneida County ambu-lance.

In addition to grants, a number of organizations suchas the Lions Club, other community clubs and the snow-mobile club also donate money to the department forequipment.

Sugar CampFROM PAGE 51

Rob ZwettlerLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Drs. Foster & Smith

Rob, of Rhinelander, has received certi-fication in open-water diving.

Tim DobbinsLength of service: 5 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Student

Tim, of Sugar Camp, has completedentry-level Firefighter I training.

Jake NitzelLength of service: 2 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: Student

Jake, of Rhinelander, has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and IIand wildland fire.

Alex KaphingstLength of service: 6 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: None given

Alex, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, and EMT-B.He was named Firefighter of the Year in2007.

Susan WoodsLength of service: 7 yearsRank: FirefighterEmployer: U.S. Postal Service

Susan, of Sugar Camp, has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Firefighter Jeff McDonald of Sugar Camp displayed one ofthe fire department’s new self-contained breathing appara-

tuses, which deliver oxygen to volunteers as they combatblazes in smoke-filled areas. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

SUGAR CAMP


To PRESQUE ISLE, Pg. 56

PRESQUE ISLE

The Presque Isle Fire Department hasacquired new equipment and continuesto focus on training.

All emergency medical technicians(EMT) are now certified in continuouspositive airway pressure procedure, amethod of supporting patients in respira-tory distress.

Members of the department also com-pleted training in techniques for effec-tively moving patients and performingcardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) invarious scenarios.

Technology training will be given tomembers on the new laptop, purchasedby Emergency Medical Services (EMS)Director Donna Jukich. The laptop willbe used by EMTs in the ambulance torun reports.

A significant addition will be made inJanuary 2013, when the department willtake delivery of a heavy-duty rescuetruck.

Last year, the fire department pur-chased a 2011 Alumacraft rescue boat.The 18-foot boat has a 40-horsepowerMercury outboard engine, and is widerand more durable than the previous 15-foot Crestliner. The boat is used for waterrescue and fire calls on islands.

The department also purchased a newsign for the firehouse, improving theoverall appearance of the modern build-ing.

Also in 2011, Presque Isle improvedits insurance rating from nine to sevenwithin five miles of the fire station,which generates lower insurance premi-ums for those property owners.

Fire Chief Jim Nelson said one-half ofthe rating was based on equipment,training and the number of firefighters,while the rest of the criteria was basedon water capacity and the ability of fire-fighters to maintain the water supply foran extended period of time.

The public protection classification re-mains at nine in areas of the town thatare more than five miles from the sta-tion, according to Nelson.

Other equipmentPresque Isle firefighters are better

equipped today than at any point in thedepartment’s history. Front-line tools in-clude a 2007 Pierce Contender fire en-gine, a 2002 Peterbilt engine and atanker that carries 3,200 gallons ofwater.

The Pierce engine, the first new firetruck the department purchased, in-cludes a 1,000-gallon tank and can pump1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) —enough to support five hoses. It replaceda 1980 Ford engine.

The Peterbilt has a 1,500-gallon tankand also a 1,500-gpm pump. It includes a

deluge gun on top, 1,000 feet of hose, lad-ders and pipe poles.

“Both engines carry both Type A andType B foam,” said Nelson, “which makesour water supplies go even further.”

The department purchased two hy -draulic cutters for its JAWS extricationunit in 2010. The new cutters are moredurable and can cut through the strongermaterials found in modern cars.

After the purchase of a second set ofextrication equipment five years ago, thedepartment now carries a set on both therescue truck and the ambulance.

Three years ago, Presque Isle becameone of the first organizations in theNorth Woods to purchase the most pow-erful handheld fire-knockdown toolavailable, called FIT-5.

Nelson said they purchased two of theunits at $1,300 each because they can beeffectively deployed in a wide variety ofstructure fire scenarios, from incipient tofully involved, and in defensive, offensiveand transitional modes.

Additionally, Nelson said the high-tech device interrupts flame and lowerstemperature rapidly, making any interiorattack safer. He said the nontoxic devices

work in contained areas in seconds, re-moving from the equation the molecularelements that fuel a fire’s chemical reac-tion — fuel, oxygen and heat.

Marketers of the product say first re-sponders who don’t have water or properpersonnel available for an interior attack“can buy crews 15 minutes or more” bydeploying the FIT-5 unit.

Also in 2009, firefighters purchasedtwo water-rescue suits and a set of res-cue jacks for vehicle stabilization. Theambulance acquired a stair chair — achair that allows EMTs to strap an in-jured person tightly in a chair for ma-neuvering in staircases and tight spaces.

“It can be used with or without a shorthard board,” said Jukich. “The unit fea-tures a track system on the back side sothat patients can be scooted down tightstairwells without much lifting.”

Five years ago, grants from the De-partment of Natural Resources (DNR)and the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency allowed the department topurchase a thermal-imaging camera,new turnout gear and a new system tofill air tanks.

In 2007, Presque Isle used an $11,655federal grant to help purchase 16 two-

way radios, six pagers and a new truckradio for about $16,000.

A Polaris six-wheel-drive all-terrainvehicle, which can pull a sled or trailer,and a special-purpose rescue sled helpthe department with off-road and snow-mobile rescue operations.

Also serving the department is agrass-fire truck with a 250-gallon tankand foam capabilities, purchased with a50% matching grant from the DNR.

The departmentThe fire department is staffed by a

tightly knit group of volunteers. Likemany other departments, Presque Isle isable to offer minimal stipends andlength-of-service awards to firefighters.

Jim Nelson, a retired police officerfrom Racine, was named the new chief inearly 2010 after serving four years on thedepartment, including one year as assis-tant chief. He is also EMT-B certified.

Douglas Wolter, a six-year firefight-er, holds the rank of assistant chief. He isemployed by Carl Wolter, who owns anexcavation company.

Kenneth Tworek, the former chief,

Presque Isle Fire Department updates equipment and training

___________BY DALLAS PULVER

NEWS-REVIEW INTERN___________

Members of the Presque Isle Fire Department include, back rowfrom left, Marshall Reckard, Mark Riegelman, Bill Logan, Jay Gas-coigne, Linda Novak, Kenneth Tworek and Fire Chief Jim Nelson;

second row, Kathy Nelson, Linda Chantry, Donna Jukich and CathyGascoigne; and front, Al Eschenbauch.



Presque IsleWho do you call?

Police Fire Ambulance911 911 911

is certified in Firefighter I and II, as wellas NIMS 700, 100 and 200. He retiredfrom the Cook County Sheriff ’s Depart-ment in Illinois and now lives inMarenisco, Mich. Tworek, who servedthree years as chief, served the CookCounty Sheriff ’s Department from 1974to 2002.

Ray Straubel, a former chief and as-sistant chief, is a self-employed solid-waste hauler who has completed Fire-fighter I training and other courses in his28 years with the department. He is astate-certified firefighter.

John Sitkiewitz is state-certifiedand has completed courses in FirefighterI and II, and has been an EMT in the Na-tional EMT Registry for 30 years. Heworks for the town.

Al Eschenbauch, a former fire chief,is a 34-year department volunteer who isself-employed. Eschenbauch has complet-ed numerous training courses and bothFirefighter I and II. He is a certifiedEMT.

Cathy Gascoigne, a 20-year mem-ber, is the secretary/treasurer. She is aself-employed medical transcriptionist.

Donna Jukich has 18 years of expe-rience with Presque Isle fire and rescueand is in her 12th year as the EMS di-rector. Jukich is a registered nurse andco-owner of Cedar Bay Resort.

Carl F. Wolter is the member withthe longest standing on the squad — 51years. He has completed many trainingcourses. He is self-employed in excavat-ing.

Jay R. Gascoigne, a 40-year veteranof the department, works for the town.

Bill Logan, a self-employed log homebuilder, has been with the department for12 years. He is trained in Firefighter I.

Joe Thoma, a firefighter for 16 years,has completed Firefighter I and II train-ing.

Forrest Jukich, a firefighter for 19years, co-owns Cedar Bay Resort. He hasFirefighter I training and has completedother courses.

Adam Johnson has been an EMTand firefighter for 12 years. He ownsSkyview Lodge & Supper Club.

Linda Novak, now in her sixth yearwith the department, is the assistantEMS director. She has completed Fire-fighter I and II as well as becoming certi-fied in CPR and EMT-Intermediate. Shealso has completed the introduction towildland fire-fighting course.

Mark Riegelman, with the depart-

ment for seven years, is a retired air-plane mechanic from Racine.

Marshall Reckard, a firefighter whohas served for seven years with thePresque Isle Fire Department, is retiredfrom Ameritech.

Jesse Moore, a six-year firefighter,works at Pukall Lumber Co. in ArborVitae.

Cal Johnson, with the departmentfor six years, is self-employed.

Linda Chantry, a retired United Air-lines customer service agent, is in hersixth year with the department. She iscertified in CPR and EMT-Basic.

Beth Marohn is in her sixth year asa first responder. She is self-employed inconstruction.

Kathy Nelson, a retired registerednurse, is in her sixth year as an EMT.

Sara Moore, an EMT and firefighterwith three years’ experience, is certifiedin EMT-Intermediate, hazardous materi-als and human tracking.

Richard Wallden is EMT-Basic certi-fied.

Presque IsleFROM PAGE 55

This sign marks the Presque Isle Volunteer Fire Department fire sta-tion in the town of Presque Isle. It’s home to 25 volunteer firefight-

ers and emergency medical services personnel, who serve north-western Vilas County. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

PRESQUE ISLE

Thank you to all our area emergency personnel.

Take a second for safety.



Woodruff Fire Department personnel posing with their new engine include, front row fromleft, Robert Blohm, Fire Chief Mike Timmons, Steve Timmons, Nick Krueger and Mike Pock-

at; and back row, Ryan Krueger, Victor Gee, Kraig Timmons, Kyle Timmons, Matt Godard,Katie Pockat and Dustin Schowalter. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

The Woodruff Fire Department took de-livery of a new engine from Marion BodyWorks in 2012 and is equipping it for a va-riety of emergency needs, according to FireChief Mike Timmons.

“The $315,000 engine features a 2,500-gallon tank, a 1,250-gallon-per-minutepump and foam unit on a 2011 Kenworthchassis,” said Timmons.

Timmons said tax dollars paid for a ma-jority of the truck, but money has been setaside over a number of years. He said thedepartment funded equipment for thetruck through fundraisers.

Engine 2, as it is called, replaced a 1984engine, which was sold to a fire engine col-lector. Other features of the new truck in-clude a generator system, power lifts forladders and the portable water pond, scenelighting and 2,500 feet of large-diameterhose.

“There also is storage for air packs andextra air bottles, lights, hose fittings, aradio and speaker system for the pump op-erator, axes and an AED (automated ex-ternal defibrillator) purchased by the de-partment,” said Timmons.

The department also purchased threeAEDs in 2011 at a cost of $1,400. Theportable electronic devices automatically

diagnose potentially life-threatening car-diac problems in a patient.

“We located one in the town hall, one inthe first engine out and one in the fire sta-tion,” said Timmons.

The department also purchased extri-cation equipment in 2011, including aJAWS unit, stabilizers, jacks and hy-draulic tools.

“The equipment is located in a storagecompartment in our rescue truck that re-sponds to car accidents,” said Timmons.“Many of the firefighters also completedextrication training and hybrid car train-ing during the past year.”

The Woodruff department also under-took a special project in 2011, refurbishinga 1958 fire truck that was an original unitwith the department more than fivedecades ago.

Timmons said the bright red fire truckis used in parades and for other activitiesto promote the fire department.

“It was in private ownership, but wasjust sitting in a yard and getting rusty,”said Timmons. “We were able to buy itback, repair some of the metal on it and re-paint. It looks just like it did back in 1958when it was a vital truck for the depart-ment.”

The truck has special meaning for long-time Woodruff firefighters and brothersLyle and Ferd Gerhke, as Lyle has beenwith the department for 63 years and Ferd

for 56 years.Firefighter Nick Krueger was instru-

mental in leading the project and paintingthe truck.

Fire-fighting fleetIn addition to the new engine this year,

the department took delivery of a 3,000-gallon stainless-steel tanker in October2009, replacing a 1976 tanker.

Timmons said the tanker features aKenworth chassis and a tank installed byStainless & Repair of Marshfield Inc., a500-gallon portable pump, large-diameterhose and a Fol-Da-Tank portable waterreservor.

The pool can hold 3,000 gallons of waterat the scene of a fire, allowing tankers tobe refilled at another location. The pool ismechanically loaded and unloaded on thepassenger side of the tanker.

Timmons said the tanker was pur-chased with taxpayer dollars through thefire department’s annual budget.

In addition to the new engine andtanker, the emergency fleet includes a1991 Pierce engine, a 1997 Chevrolet res -cue/equipment truck and a 1993 F-350Ford brush truck/water supply unit.

The equipment truck carries the Cas-cade system, hand tools and a generator.The brush truck, previously used by thetown crew for plowing, was restored tolike-new condition and carries 250 gallons

of water with a foam-induction system forbattling woodland fires.

Ongoing trainingSeveral members of the Woodruff de-

partment learned about the statewidemutual aid box alarm system last year.

“The statewide program gave us train-ing on being prepared for a major emer-gency in which we have to ‘go outside thebox’ to get mutual aid,” said Timmons. “Forexample, if a major disaster hit our area,and we couldn’t get mutual aid from ArborVitae or St. Germain, we were trained ingetting help from other areas such asWausau or even beyond.”

Eight members of the department alsocompleted Rapid Intervention Team (RIT)training in 2009. During RIT training, de-partment personnel were given techniquesto locate and rescue an injured or trappedfirefighter. In addition to the RIT training,members of the department underwenthaz-mat training through Nicolet AreaTechnical College.

Furthermore, the department receivedNational Incident Management System(NIMS) training in 2007.

“Everyone in our department is nowcertified with NIMS,” said Timmons. “Thisis a nationwide class that is mandatory if

Woodruff Fire Department acquires$315,000 engine to replace ’84 truck

To WOODRUFF, Pg. 59



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you want to apply for FEMA grants.” The department also attended courses

through the Department of Natural Re-sources (DNR) Forest Fire School, includ-ing how to fight wildland fires.

Woodruff firefighters are trained to usethe department’s thermal-imaging cam-era. It enables firefighters to locate thehottest fire spot in a smoke-filled building.The camera cost approximately $7,500.

New fire hall in ’08The Woodruff Fire Department moved

into its new fire hall on Highway 47 in2008, part of a $2.5 million project that in-volved construction of a town hall/policestation and a separate town shop/fire sta-tion.

The complex is located at 1418 High-way 47, about six blocks east of the inter-section with Highway 51 in downtownWoodruff.

Timmons said the department wentfrom a building that offered four bays forfive trucks to a 4,480-square-foot facilitythat has eight larger bays for its growingfleet of rescue equipment.

“Now we’ve got six doors and a lot moreroom for moving around equipment. Webuilt this to handle the department’sneeds way into the future,” he said.

Timmons said the station features anautomatic exhaust-handling ventilationsystem that kicks in “at the slightest hintof fumes.” The station also has a meetingroom and full shower facilities. A Cascadesystem used to fill air bottles for the self-contained breathing apparatus is housedin a separate room at the new station.

The department is comprised of about20 state-certified firefighters. They are asfollows:

Mike Timmons has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Woodruff Fire Depart-ment for 38 years. He is the department’schief and the Woodruff town chairman.

As a firefighter, he has completedcourses in Firefighter I, officers training,educational methodology I, hazardous ma-terials operations, DNR wildland fires andinspector. He was Firefighter of the Yearin 1983 and is treasurer of the North-woods Fire Prevention Committee. He hascompleted mod 2 for Firefighter I statecertification and also has completed athree-part incident command systemclass.

Victor Gee has been a volunteer fire-fighter for the Woodruff Fire Departmentfor 10 years and is the assistant fire chief.He is a resident of Woodruff and is self-em-ployed with North Star Emergency VehicleService. Gee is a state-certified firefighter,RIT trained, a DNR firefighter, training of-ficer and is a certified emergency vehicletechnician.

Rodney Knapstein has been a volun-teer firefighter for the Woodruff Fire De-partment for 35 years. He is a resident ofWoodruff and is employed by Woodruff Ap-pliance. He has completed mod 2 for theFirefighter I state-certification programand has also completed a three-part inci-dent command system class, DNR wild-land fire and haz-mat decontamination.

Lyle Gehrke has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Woodruff Fire Depart-

ment for 63 years. He is a former chief. Heis a resident of Woodruff and is retired. Hehas completed mod 2 of the Firefighter Istate-certification program, DNR wildlandfire and has also completed a three-partincident command system class.

Ferd Gehrke has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Woodruff Fire Depart-ment for 56 years. He is a resident ofWoodruff and is retired. As a firefighter, hehas completed mod 2 of the Firefighter Istate-certification program and has alsocompleted a three-part incident commandsystem class.

Steve Timmons has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Woodruff Fire Depart-ment for 16 years and currently holds therank of captain. He is a resident of ArborVitae. Timmons is a certified firefighterand has completed the DNR wildland firecourse, haz-mat decontamination, haz-matawareness, NIMS training and cardiopul-monary resuscitation (CPR) courses. Healso is a fire inspector.

Kyle Timmons has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Woodruff Fire Depart-ment for 12 years. He holds the rank ofcaptain. He is a resident of Woodruff and isemployed by Trapp Bros. He is a certifiedfirefighter and has completed courses inDNR wildland fire and haz-mat decon-tamination.

Michael Pockat Sr. has been a volun-teer firefighter for the Woodruff Fire De-partment for 11 years. He is a resident ofWoodruff and is employed by the town ofWoodruff. He completed Firefighter I andis a certified firefighter.

Ed Mejerle has completed FirefighterI and II training and is an nine-year mem-ber of the department. He has completedNIMS training and is employed at AceHardware.

Brian Iverson is in his sixth year withthe Woodruff department. He is employedby Howard Young Medical Center and is astate-certified firefighter. He has trainingin haz-mat awareness, RIT and CPR.

Matt Godard has been a firefighter for

the Woodruff Fire Department for fiveyears. He has completed Firefighter I andII, RIT, pump training and wildland firetraining. He is employed by Badger TruckRepair.

Bobby Blohm has been a member ofthe Woodruff department for five years. He

has Firefighter I and RIT training and is acertified driver/operator. He is a residentof Woodruff and is employed by LakewoodConstruction.

Patrick Trapp has been with the de-partment for three years and has takenFirefighter I, pump and RIT training. Heis a resident of Woodruff and employed byYamaha Motor Corp.

Nick Krueger has been with the firedepartment for three years. He is a resi-dent of Woodruff and is employed at IslandCollision Center.

Katy Pockat is a firefighter and hasbeen with the department for three years.She lives in Woodruff and is employed atSave More Marketplace. She has Fire-fighter I training.

Ryan Krueger has been with the firedepartment for two years. He is a residentof Arbor Vitae and is employed by DennisEvenson. He has taken entry-level Fire-fighter I and II training and is a state-cer-tified Firefighter I.

Dustin Schowalter is a firefighterand a first-year member of the WoodruffFire Department. He has an associate’sdegree in criminal justice from NicoletCollege and was a May 2012 graduate ofthe 520-hour police academy from North-central Technical College.

Josh Iverson and Kraig Timmonsare junior members of the Woodruff FireDepartment. Josh is the son of firefighterBrian Iverson and Kraig is the son of FireChief Mike Timmons. Both recruits havehad training in fire-fighting techniquesand volunteer at department events andfundraisers.

WoodruffFROM PAGE 57

Woodruff Fire Chief Mike Timmons displays one of the storage compartments in the newengine. This compartment holds air packs for firefighters. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

WOODRUFF

Nicolet College offers a broadrange of training opportunities.

www.nicoletcollege.edu715-365-4493 or 1-800-544-3039


Vilas County Sheriff’s Department

Frank Tomlanovich, Vilas County Sheriff

The department is headed by Sheriff Frank Tomlanovich with ChiefDeputy Joseph Fath. Operations Captain is Russell Kennedy and WilliamWeiss is the Jail Administrator. Dale Soltow is the Communications Su-pervisor and James Galloway is the Emergency Management Director. Inaddition, there are five lieutenants, five detective sergeants, 20 deputies,three part-time deputies, four jail sergeants, 15 correctional officers, twopart-time correctional officers, one telecommunications sergeant, 11telecommunications officers and four law enforcement clerks.

In 2011, the total number of complaints received was 18,632. Of thecalls received, 2,089 were 911 calls. The department received 1,220 reportsof traffic accidents. Of the 1,220 calls, 682 were reportable accidents result-ing in property damage in excess of $1,000, personal injury or death. Deerwere responsible for 423 accidents. There were eight reported bear acci-dents and three bobcat accidents. The county reported four traffic fatalitiesin 2011, which was up from the two reported in 2010.

The sheriff’s department dispatches law enforcement and emergencyservices to 14 towns and the city of Eagle River. The countywide E911system went online in 1997.

VILAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENTMISSION STATEMENT

“The Vilas County Sheriff’s Department will enhance the quality oflife in the community through our service to the public, protection of per-sons and property, and impartial enforcement of the law.”

VILAS COUNTY STATISTICAL FACTS*Yearly Full-Time Population (based on 2000 census) ....................19,741Seasonal (peak) Population .........................................................96,000Seasonal Dwellings (based on 2000 census) ..............................13,375Permanent Dwellings (based on 1990 census)..............................7,000Named Lakes.....................................................................................563Unnamed Lakes.................................................................................757’95 Equalized Value ..........................................................1,690,179,600’05 Equalized Value ..........................................................6,170,900,800Total Lake Acreage .............................................................93,889 acresNet Land Acreage .................................................................8,593 acresCold Water Streams ............................................................................35Warm Water Streams.........................................................................116Intermittent Streams ............................................................................16

MILES OF ROADSState .............................................................................................136.13County ..........................................................................................205.84Town...........................................................................................1,112.04

*From Wis. Blue Book, Extension Office

SHERIFFFrank Tomlanovich

CHIEF DEPUTYJoseph Fath

OPERATIONS CAPTAINRussell Kennedy

JAIL ADMINISTRATORWilliam Weiss

COMMUNICATIONS LIEUTENANTDale Soltow

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORJames Galloway

LIEUTENANTSMark Collins David GardnerJeffrey Schaub Gerard RitterTroy Kane

DETECTIVE SERGEANTSDavid Dobbs Carl GaugerCharisse Rozga-Anderson Louise HornChristopher Petreikis

DEPUTIESRandy Schneider Peter Heller Eric NeffMatthew McMahon Ty Peterson Jason MolleGlenn Huelskamp Gregory Fulton Shyla BelzerPatrick Schmidt George Crabtree Thomas BillTheodore Indermuehle Eric Santefort Emily MillerJoy Kohegyi Michael Aderman Dustin PaceRobert Minx Chad Christensen Joshua Ciatti

PART-TIME DEPUTIESKevin Schramke Michael Murray Katy Saffia

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERGEANTErica Buckton

TELECOMMUNICATIONS OFFICERSTracy Schilling Anthony Campion Patti SierenThomas Belzer Joseph Casey Patricia RineKimberlie Eggleston Amanda Mattke Dawn GrmickLori Scarcelli Dennis Sengstock

JAIL SERGEANTSLyle Spurgeon Rodger HaugenNancy Sippl Sue Bedish

CORRECTIONAL OFFICERSJames Rozga Sherylyn Block Mika SauvolaChad Rosinski Amanda Kuiper Michael DuweDavid Buckton Kristine Lovas Tammy DuweRebecca Gleason Thomas Stoltman Jamie MeierPeter Lovas Kelly Schoepke Joshua Collette

PART-TIME CORRECTIONAL OFFICERJames Wiza

LAW ENFORCEMENT CLERKSMarge Favorite Abby TrappJoy Spies Beth Komar

COUNTY BOARDStephen Favorite, ChairpersonChristopher Mayer, Vice ChairpersonAlden Bauman, Second Vice Chairperson

LAW ENFORCEMENT &EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEMark Rogacki, ChairpersonAlden Bauman, Vice ChairpersonSig HjemvickChris MayerJim Behling

Information from the department’s 2010 annual report.

VILAS COUNTY SHERIFFcall (715) 479-4441 call (800) 472-7290

EMERGENCY DIAL 911

Vilas County Sheriff’s Department Employees


Arbor Vitae Fire Department members pose with their new utility vehicle. They include, frontrow from left, Karl Fink, Mike Van Meter, Todd Wiesendanger, Rod Organ, Ethan Sennett,Randy Trapp, Frank Kulpa, Rescue Chief Stan Lewis, Devin Roach, Jeff Biertzer; and back

row, Todd Rucinski, Steve Congdon, James Romano, Rick Budish, Ruben Wohlfiel, WilliamSaal, Wilbert “Doc” Herrmann, Jon Haling and Fire Chief Frank Bauers.


The Arbor Vitae Fire Department pur-chased and equipped a new utility vehi-cle for trail and ice rescues in 2012, ac-cording to Fire Chief Frank Bauers.

The $30,000 John Deere Gator 825i isequipped with lights, compartments onboth sides of the rear aluminum box formedical supplies and a vinyl cover.

“The Gator can be equipped withwheels for trail rescue in the spring,summer and fall, or tracks for rescues onthe trail or lake in the winter,” saidBauers.

The fire chief said there are trail seg-ments three miles from asphalt roadsthat can’t be reached by ambulance.

“This four-wheel drive rig will allowus to reach those tough-to-get-to loca-tions,” said Bauers. “The totally enclosedcab is heated for the driver and passen-ger, and back is covered with a vinyl topto protect the victim and EMS (emergen-cy medical services) personnel.”

Bauers said the Gator features a pow-erful 50-horsepower engine, steeringwheel and side-by-side seating, comparedto the department’s 15-year-old six-wheelall-terrain vehicle with handlebar steer-ing.

“The department paid for the Gatorwith no taxpayers’ dollars,” said Bauers.“The fire department budget, fundraisersand donations covered the cost.”

Rescue Chief Stan Lewis led the

Gator project for the department. The rigwas purchased at Lakeland Lawn andEquipment in Arbor Vitae. Other localbusinesses helped build the rescue unit.

“Steel Design of Arbor Vitae built thebox and Custom Covers and Awnings ofArbor Vitae made the cover,” said Lewis.“The lettering was donated by Ace Hard-ware, and the lettering and lighting wereinstalled by fire department members.”

Bauers said the next major purchasefor the department will be a new Class Apumper to replace the current pumperthat is 19 years old. He estimated thenew truck will cost approximately$350,000.

“Our firefighters also continue totrain, taking a propane course and emer-gency vehicle driving classes at NicoletCollege the past year,” said Bauers. “Wealso have monthly training sessions.”

The department developed a new web-site in 2011, designed to assist firefight-ers and inform the public about activitieswithin the department and the commu-nity.

“The website was upgraded to servethe Arbor Vitae community and our fire-fighters,” said Bauers. “We feel it’s a niceaddition to the department and the com-munity.”

Web administrator Mark Ross saidthe new website address is arborvitae-firedept.org.

“The website features fire departmentnews and events, firefighter profiles, pho-tographs, educational opportunities formembers, and an online store to pur-

chase department hats and shirts,” saidRoss.

Another feature may help the depart-ment in its fundraising efforts. Ross saidcommunity members can make dona-tions to the fire department through thewebsite.

“It’s an easy way to donate or make amemorial donation,” said Ross. “Therealso is a firefighter honor roll on the site,as well as links to other fire and rescueorganizations and memorials.”

Community members can get infor-mation about fire department events, in-cluding the annual fireman’s picnic, aswell as a weather link complete with 24-hour local forecasts and radar.

Bauers said the department also up -graded pagers and radios in 2011.

“We updated the pagers from wideband to narrow band,” said Bauers.“Thirty-five members got updated pagersat an average cost of $450. The new ra-dios cost $650 for handheld and $800 fortwo-ways.”

In 2009, a $56,000 federal granthelped fund the training for the RapidIntervention Team (RIT) training. Elevenfirefighters from the Arbor Vitae depart-ment completed the training.

“If a firefighter is trapped in a build-ing, the RIT has the training to go into afire to save the trapped fighter,” saidBauers.

Arbor Vitae joined four other depart-ments to form the West Central RIT.They include St. Germain, Plum Lake,Boulder Junction and Minocqua.

“All five departments send four per-sonnel and RIT rescue equipment to astructure fire just for the safety of otherfirefighters,” said Bauers.

In 2008, a grant helped the depart-ment pay for 10 new self-containedbreathing apparatus (SCBA) tanks, 11new sets of turnout gear and other piecesof equipment.

SCBA tanks are the air tanks fire-fighters wear while fighting fires. Theyalso acquired an enclosed fill chamber forthe SCBA tanks.

The department also purchased a newwashing machine specially designed forcleaning turnout gear, along with 13 newface pieces with built-in microphonesand voice amplifiers.

The department also outfitted itsheavy rescue truck with a mobile Cas-cade system to fill SCBA tanks in thefield, according to Bauers.

Six years ago, the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment purchased a four-door, 2006Chevy 1-ton truck as a rescue/fire truck.

“Rescue 2 cost approximately $40,000and was funded by money raised at thefiremen’s picnic,” said Bauers. “Therewas no cost to the taxpayers and thetruck was put together by the depart-ment.”

A new pumper/tanker was put intouse in March 2005. It features an 1,800-gallon water tank and a 1,250-gallons-per-minute pump.

The $207,000 Pierce rig was paid for

Arbor Vitae department purchasesutility vehicle for trail, ice rescues



To ARBOR VITAE, Pg. 62

ARBOR VITAE

in halves with town of Arbor Vitae tax dol-lars and the department’s fundraisers.

The truck features a Class A foam sys-tem, a front hose line and a deck gun. Thedepartment spent an additional $10,000to equip the new truck. The equipment in-cludes eight carbon-fiber breathing-appa-ratus cylinders and four Mustang IceCommander suits.

These suits are fitted for ice- and cold-water surface rescue. Lined with quiltedmaterial, the suits keep rescuers warm infrigid waters.

The Arbor Vitae Fire Department putson several fundraisers yearly, including itsannual firemen’s picnic held the firstweekend in August. Proceeds from the pic-nic pay for fire trucks, turnout gear andother rescue equipment.

“We get excellent support from thecommunity,” said Bauers. “We want to ex-press our thanks for the support.”

Due to the department’s state-of-the-art equipment and training, Arbor Vitaeholds a Class 8 fire rating. The fire de-partment members are as follows:

Frank Bauers has been a volunteerfirefighter and First Responder for theArbor Vitae Fire Department for 36 yearsand holds the rank of chief. He is a resi-dent of Arbor Vitae and is employed byPukall Lumber Co. Bauers has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, officers’training, hazardous materials, vehicle ex-trication, ventilation and Wisconsin FireInstructor I. He has attended variousother Nicolet College courses.

Rick Budish has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 36 years and holds the rankof assistant chief. He is a resident of ArborVitae and is employed at Budish Electric.Budish has completed courses in vehicleextrication, hazardous materials and ven-tilation and is a fire investigator.

Michael Van Meter has been a volun-teer firefighter for the Arbor Vitae FireDepartment for 14 years and holds therank of second assistant chief. He is a res-ident of Arbor Vitae and is employed bythe town of St. Germain. Van Meter hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and IIand is a hazardous materials tech. He is acertified training officer, and has RIT, ve-hicle extrication and driver/operatortraining. He has taken many additionalclasses from Nicolet and Lake SuperiorTechnical colleges.

Todd Wiesendanger has been a vol-unteer firefighter and First Responder forthe Arbor Vitae Fire Department for 25years and holds the rank of captain. He isa resident of Arbor Vitae and is employedby Quality Heating. Wiesendanger hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and II,First Responder, vehicle extrication, haz-ardous materials and ventilation. He isalso a training officer.

Todd Hunter has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 36 years and holds the rankof lieutenant. He is a resident of ArborVitae and is employed as an electrician.Hunter has completed courses in Fire-fighter I and II, Firefighter I and II re-fresher, officers’ training, Learning thruBurning, hazardous materials and venti-

lation.Todd Morgan has been a volunteer

firefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 23 years. He is a resident ofArbor Vitae and is self-employed at Mor-gan Heating. Morgan has completedcourses in Firefighter I, vehicle extrica-tion, ventilation and hazardous materials.

William Saal has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 36 years. He currently holdsthe rank of secretary and fire inspector.He is a resident of Arbor Vitae. Saal hascompleted courses in Firefighter I, firstaid, hazardous materials and ventilation.

Julie Howard has been a volunteerfor the Arbor Vitae Rescue Squad for 15years. She is a resident of Minocqua and isemployed by Dale Burbie. She has com-pleted the First Responder course and isthe record keeper for training.

Ryan Gehrig has been a volunteerfirefighter and First Responder for theArbor Vitae Fire Department for 13 yearsand holds the rank of treasurer. He is aresident of Arbor Vitae and is employed bySedlak Chevrolet. Gehrig has completedcourses in Firefighter I, hazardous materi-als awareness and emergency vehicle op-erations.

Ruben Wohlfiel has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 36 years. He is a resident ofArbor Vitae and is retired. Wohlfiel hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and II,hazardous materials, ventilation, plus var-ious other Nicolet courses. He was Fire-man of the Year.

Jeff Hunter has been a volunteer fire-fighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire Depart-ment for 36 years. He is a resident ofArbor Vitae and is employed by PukallLumber Co. Hunter has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, Firefighter I andII refresher, first aid, hazardous materials,ventilation and Learning thru Burning.

Wilbert “Doc” Herrmann has been avolunteer firefighter for the Arbor VitaeFire Department for 36 years. He is a res-ident of Arbor Vitae and is retired. Her-rmann has completed courses in Firefight-er I and II, vehicle extrication and haz-

ardous materials and ventilation. He hashad eight years with the ambulance res-cue service, is a professional photographer,attended fire investigation-arson semi-nars in Eagle River and has taken numer-ous Learning thru Burning coursesthrough Nicolet.

Todd Rucinski has been a volunteerfirefighter and First Responder for theArbor Vitae Fire Department for 25 years.He is the assistant rescue chief. He is aresident of Arbor Vitae and is employed byBudish Electric. Rucinski has completedcourses in Firefighter I, First Responder,vehicle extrication, hazardous materialsand ventilation.

Jeff Biertzer has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 25 years and is employed bythe Vilas County Highway Department.He has completed courses in Firefighter Iand II, wildland fire, extrication and arsoninvestigation. He was Firefighter of theYear in 1992.

James Romano Jr. has been a volun-teer firefighter for the Arbor Vitae FireDepartment for 19 years and a First Re-sponder for 15 years. He is a First Re-sponder training officer. He is a resident ofArbor Vitae and is employed at RomanoTile Co. Romano has completed courses inFirefighter I and II, hazardous materialsoperations and vehicle extrication. He alsohas National Incident Management Sys-tem (NIMS) training, is certified in ice res-cue and has training officer certification.

Karl Fink has been a volunteer fire-fighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire Depart-ment for 15 years. He is a resident ofMinocqua and is employed by Fink Bros.Inc. Fink has completed courses in Fire-fighter I and II, hazardous materialsawareness, incident command I, II and III,hazardous materials operations and tac-tics and operations. He also is a First Re-sponder.

Steve Congdon has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for 15 years. He is a resident ofWoodruff and is employed by Laser Inno-vations Inc. He is the rescue squad cap-tain. Congdon has completed courses in

Firefighter I and II, First Responder, car-diopulmonary resuscitation, vehicle extri-cation, hazardous materials tech and op-erations, ice rescue, fire investigation,wildland fire, strategies and tactics, andseveral Learning thru Burning and otherrelated classes. He is a master smokediver, driver and operator and is NIMScertified.

A.J. Burgoyne has been an engineerfor the Arbor Vitae Fire Department fornine years. He is employed by SchneiderConstruction Corp. He has RIT, pump-op-erations and driver-operator training.

Stanley Lewis of Arbor Vitae hasbeen a volunteer firefighter for the ArborVitae Fire Department for six years. Hehas completed courses in Firefighter I andII and is a First Responder. He is a collegestudent.

Devin Roach has been a member ofthe Arbor Vitae Fire Department and Res-cue Squad for five years. He is a certifiedfirefighter and has RIT certification. He isemployed at Eagle Electric.

Michelle Van Meter has been a vol-unteer firefighter for the Arbor Vitae FireDepartment for five years. She lives inArbor Vitae and is employed at S.A. Loons.She is a student working toward an asso-ciate degree in registered nursing. She is aFirst Responder and has completed entry-level Firefighter I and II training.

William Shober has been a firefighterwith two departments, including ArborVitae, for five years. He is a resident ofWoodruff and works at Coontail Cornerand The Granary. He has completed cours-es in Firefighter I and II, extrication,EVOC and cold-water rescue.

Frank Kulpa has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for three years. He is self-em-ployed. He has completed courses in Fire-fighter I and II and extrication.

Brian Dierzen has been a volunteerfirefighter and First Responder for theArbor Vitae Fire Department for threeyears. He is employed at Danco Heatingand Plumbing. He has completed coursesin entry-level Firefighter I and II andFirst Responder.

Mike Bernard has been a volunteerfirefighter for the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for three years. He is finishingfire-fighting and First Responder training.He has extensive dive rescue and recoveryexperience.

Brady Butler has been a volunteerfirefighter with the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for three years. He has complet-ed courses in Firefighter I, hazardous ma-terials and RIT.

Todd Albano has been a volunteerfirefighter with the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for two years. He is employed atDanco Heating and Plumbing. He has hisEMT license and is on the national reg-istry of EMTs. He also has fire-fightingtraining.

Chris Woynich has been a volunteerfirefighter with the Arbor Vitae Fire De-partment for two years. He is employed atLindgren Enclosures. He has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II.

Jonathan Haling has been a volun-teer firefighter for the Arbor Vitae FireDepartment for one year. He is employedby the Vilas County Highway Depart-ment. He has completed courses in Fire-fighter I and II.

Arbor VitaeFROM PAGE 61

Arbor Vitae Fire Department Rescue Chief Stan Lewis stands next to the department’snew utility vehicle that will be used for trail and ice rescues. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO


ARBOR VITAE


To LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Pg. 64

LAC DU FLAMBEAU

As the busiest department in VilasCounty, the Lac du Flambeau Fire De-partment and ambulance crew respondto about 150 fire calls and more than 700ambulance calls in the community everyyear.

Although the department has seenfewer grass fires this year, ambulancecalls have been more frequent.

“Statistically, our fire numbers arebelow average, but the ambulance hasbeen busier,” said Assistant Chief ChrisMayer.

This year, the department will pushfor an addition to the station building.

“We, like many departments in thearea, are just out of room inside,” saidFire Chief Tom Wegner.

Last year, using a $104,000 Assistanceto Firefighters grant from the U.S. De-partment of Homeland Security, the Lacdu Flambeau Fire Department was ableto update its entire self-containedbreathing apparatus (SCBA) system.

The department purchased 16 newapparatus to be worn by firefightersworking in or around fires. To fill the new4,500-pounds-per-square-inch (psi)tanks, the department upgraded to afour-bottle, 6,000-psi Cascade air-refill-ing station.

“This replaced a little three-bottle cas-cade filler system that only went to 3,500pounds which wouldn’t fill our new bot-tles,” said Wegner. “We were running3,000-pound bottles before and youcouldn’t fill them up quick enough.”

With the cascade system, the depart-ment purchased a two-bottle explosion-proof fill station with remote valves andgauges, according to Wegner.

In addition, Lac du Flambeau re-placed its old breathing air compressorwith a new 6,000-psi model using somegrant money and funds from the annualraffle and pancake breakfast fundraiser.

“We threw another $18,000 into thecompressor to update it,” said Wegner.“Everything’s been updated.”

Wegner added that the Cascade fillingstation will provide easier, more fluentfilling of air tanks while the SCBAs willsupply firefighters with the proper gearto go in and fight fires.

In 2009, the department took deliveryof a 2009 triple combination pumper, anengine that includes a compressed-airfoam system and other modern fire-fight-ing features.

The Pierce/Freightliner unit ishoused in the second station off HighwayF, south of the downtown business dis-trict in Lac du Flambeau.

Wegner, a 40-year fire service veteran,said the engine is outfitted with newhose, adapters, chain saw, generator, pos-itive pressure fan, cord reels, portablelights and special fire-fighting nozzles forapplying foam to fires.

“All of this equipment was purchasedwith funds raised from the year’s raffleand pancake breakfast,” said Wegner.

He said the cost of the new engine was$297,000 and it was delivered in Febru-ary 2009.

Also in 2009, the department receivedan Assistance to Firefighters Grant forthe purchase of new turnout equipmentfor every firefighter. This consists ofcoats, pants, boots, helmets, gloves, flash-lights, hoods and accountability tags. Thetotal amount of the grant was $68,970.

That same year, Lac du Flambeaubought two new semiautomatic defibril-lators, one for each ambulance, paid forwith fundraiser money.

The fire department also received anAssistance to Firefighters Grant in Octo-ber 2006 in the amount of $154,000 tohelp with the purchase of a 3,000-gallon

water tanker. This vehicle is a 2008Freightliner M112 tandem-axle truckwith a 3,000-gallon stainless-steel-wrapped poly tank. The vehicle was built

by U.S. Tanker in Burlington for a totalprice of $187,000.

The department also added a 3,000-gallon portable tank and a 500-gallons-per-minute (gpm) portable pump, pur-chased with funds from the yearly raffleand other fundraisers.

Wegner also added that he would liketo thank the Lac du Flambeau Police De-

partment for all the help it has provided. “They respond to almost every fire

and ambulance call and offer all the helpthey can,” said Wegner. “And if theyaren’t there, it only takes us asking onetime and they will show up right away.”

Members of the fire department andthe emergency medical technicians(EMTs) expressed their gratitude for thehelp of the Lac du Flambeau police de-partment.

Other equipmentWith a high number of emergency

runs, the department needs reliable, up-to-date equipment.

In 2005, the Lac du Flambeau FireDepartment purchased and installed avehicle exhaust system for both stations.

Wegner said the system hooks to allthe exhaust pipes and starts when thevehicle is started and disconnects itselfas the vehicle leaves the building. Thecontaminated exhaust is collected andfiltered out the roof of the station.

In addition to financial assistancefrom grants, the department also raisesmoney through fundraisers. The depart-ment has a yearly raffle, as well as a pan-cake breakfast and open house in Octo-ber. With the money generated fromfundraisers, the department was able topurchase a thermal-imaging camera forabout $7,000.

“The camera helps us find hot spots inthe building. Hot spots concealed in walls

also can be detected with it,” said Wegn-er.

The department recently acquired afour-door brush truck outfitted with allthe equipment necessary to fight wood-land fires. It also provides transportationfor members to and from training.

The brush truck and two ambulanceswere funded by revenues from ambu-lance calls. The department also has aPierce/Freightliner FL80 pumper, whichcarries 1,000 gallons of water.

The department also has a rescue ve-hicle which is fully equipped with medi-cal supplies, rescue/extrication tools, aCascade air system, rescue tools and a10,000-watt generator.

Additionally, the department ownsand operates a rescue snowmobile with acustom-made sled that makes rides saferand more comfortable on the trails for in-jured patients.

Because of the equipment and train-ing, the department carries a Class 7 rat-ing. An agreement for automatic aid withWoodruff and the department’s tankercapacities enabled the department tomove toward a better rating.

Wegner said the better rating has re-sulted in lower insurance costs for home-owners and business owners.

The departmentThe Lac du Flambeau Fire Depart-

Lac du Flambeau eyes station addition___________

BY DALLAS PULVER


Members of the Lac du Flambeau Fire Department and EmergencyMedical Services include, front row from left, Mike Zimmerman,Gerald Ackley, Fred Writesman, Chris Mayer and Fire Chief TomWegner; second row, Lisa Schuman, Laura Ackley, Judy Wegner,

Patty Zimmerman and Julia Dionne; and back row, Josh Brown, BillMaki, Lance Chapman, Robert Schuman, Jenny Sharlow andSarah Thompson.



ment and Ambulance Service continuesto focus on training.

Fire department personnel took nu-merous courses on terrorism and haz-ardous materials through Nicolet Collegein Rhinelander during 2007.

The department will start an EMTtraining class in January 2013.

In addition, most members of the de-partment are trained in water and icerescue and motor vehicle extrication.

Besides training, the department fo-cuses on recruiting new members.

Station One in Lac du Flambeauhouses engine No. 1, two tankers, twobrush trucks, one ambulance, one rescuevan and one support vehicle. The build-ing has eight bays for parking vehicles aswell as a training classroom and four of-fices.

Station Two on Highway F houses en-gine No. 2, a 2,900-gallon tanker, one am-bulance and the rescue boat in the win-ter.

The department uses the second sta-tion as first out for the south and eastside of Lac du Flambeau and second outfor any other fire.

The fire department members are asfollows:

Thomas Wegner is the fire chief andhas been with the department for 17years. He also served the Sussex Fire De-partment for 26 years and is certified inFirefighter III. He has completed train-ing in electrical hazard response, haz-ardous materials response, incident com-mand, ladder truck operations, methodol-ogy, fire instructor, LP gas, fire investiga-tion, cold-water rescue, certified Wiscon-sin fire inspector and advanced vehicleextrication and he is EMT certified.

Christopher Mayer has been withthe fire department for 10 years. He has12 years of experience as a firefighter forBo di Lac. He is the owner of Crickets inLac du Flambeau and currently holds therank of assistant chief.

Gerald Ackley of Lac du Flambeaucurrently holds the rank of departmentcaptain. He was Firefighter of the Year inVilas County in 1991, and has been afirefighter for 41 years and an ambulancedriver for 39 years. He is certified as aFirst Responder and in surface ice res-cue. He has taken courses in CPR, Fire-fighter I and II, hazardous materials andLP gas fires equipment. He is also themaintenance officer. He is self-employed.

Fred Writesman of Lac du Flambeauhas been with the department for 22

years and is a state-certified firefighter.He is a department captain. He has com-pleted courses in incident command, sur-face ice rescue, basic life support, vehicleextrication and rescue, fire investigation,water rescue and is a First Responder. Healso does vehicle and station mainte-nance for the department and is em-ployed by Pukall Lumber Co.

Mike Zimmerman of Lac du Flam-beau has been with the department for13 years. He is a certified Firefighter Iand EMT and currently holds the rank oflieutenant.

George Thompson has been withthe fire department for 12 years. He hasexperience and training in Firefighter Iand II, advanced auto extrication, terror-ism/biohazard, cold-water rescue and isRapid Intervention Team (RIT) trained.He is employed by the Lac du Flambeautribe and currently holds the rank of lieu-tenant.

Paul Harris, who has been with thedepartment for 35 years, retired as firechief in 2008 after 15 years of service. Heis a nationally registered EMT-D-E and astate-certified firefighter. He has takenemergency driving, surface ice rescue, in-cident command and fire investigation.He is retired.

Laura Ackley has been a member ofthe department for 15 years and hascompleted courses in Firefighter I andFirefighter II. She is trained as an EMT-D-A Airway Epinephrine.

Judy Wegner of Lac du Flambeauhas been with the department for 13years, and also has 23 years of experienceon the Sussex Fire Department as anEMT and firefighter. Her training in-cludes Firefighter I and EMT-D-E. Sheowns Wegner’s Lazy Days Resort anddrives a school bus for Lakeland AreaBus Service.

Patricia Zimmerman of Lac duFlambeau has been an EMT for 11 years.She is employed by the Lac du Flambeautribe.

Jeremy Wegner of Minocqua hasbeen a firefighter for 11 years. He is acertified Firefighter I, with ice rescue andwildland fire training. He is employed byThe Beacons.

David Kasprzyk Jr. of Lac du Flam-beau has been with the fire departmentfor 10 years. He is trained in FirefighterI, vehicle extrication, ice rescue, pumperoperations, advanced pumping and as aFirst Responder. He is employed by Dol-son.

Julia Dionne has been with the de-partment for 11 years as an EMT and afirefighter. She is an NREMT-B and hascompleted courses in entry-level Fire-

fighter I and II. She is a resident of Lacdu Flambeau.

Richard Tabobondung has beenwith the fire department for nine years.He has taken the advanced drivingcourse, advanced auto extrication, Fire-fighter I and II and is RIT trained. Hehas completed EMT training.

Lisa Schuman has been an EMT foreight years. She works at Lac du Flam-beau Indian Child Welfare.

Alicia Thompson has completedcourses in entry-level Firefighter I and IIand cold-water rescue. She is employedby the Vilas County Department of SocialSer vices. She is a resident of Lac duFlambeau.

John Melzer has been a member ofthe department for eight years and hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and II,advanced extraction, cold-water rescue,thermal-imaging, fire inspector and wild-land fire.

Art Koser has been with the depart-ment for nine years. He has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II and RIT.He is also an EMT. He is employed atLake of the Torches Casino and is a resi-dent of Lac du Flambeau. He has been awildland firefighter for the Bureau of In-dian Affairs for four years and is study-ing to become a paramedic.

Robert Schuman Jr. has been withthe department for five years and hascompleted courses in Firefighter I and IIand EMT-B. He is employed by Lake ofthe Torches Casino.

Sarah Thompson is in her fifth yearas a firefighter. She has completed EMT-

B training and is employed by the Lac duFlambeau Tribal Historic PreservationOffice.

Amy Poupart is a member of the de-partment and has completed courses inFirefighter I and II. She is em ployed bythe Lac du Flambeau tribal accountingdepartment.

Pamela Waterman has been an EMTfor Lac du Flambeau for four years andhas completed basic training courses.

Jeanette Sharlow is in her fourthyear as an EMT with Lac du Flambeau.She is currently employed by the Lac duFlambeau Tribe as well as Lake of theTorches Casino.

Melissa Thompson has been withthe department for three years. She hascompleted EMT-B training and is em-ployed at Peter Christensen Health Cen-ter.

Anita Koser, in her third year as aLac du Flambeau EMT, has completedbasic training.

Bill Maki is in his third year with thedepartment and has completed coursesin Firefighter I and II, LP gas fires andNIMS.

Josh Brown has completed entry-level firefighter training and is in histhird year with the department.

Lance Chapman is in his first yearas a fightfighter for the department. Heis employed by Lake of the Torches Casi-no.

Firefighters Steve Gukich, Pete Ko-zlow, Sue Ackland and EMTs JohnMattioli Jr. and Symone Perro arealso members of the department.

Lac du FlambeauFROM PAGE 63

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The Winchester Fire Department re -cently installed a new sign in front of itsstation and acquired a new water pump forone of its firefighting trucks.

The department ordered the sign fromWoodworks Signs in Winchester and fund-ed the $3,000 cost of the project throughprivate donations, according to Fire ChiefWilliam “Bill” Sell.

“We installed it about a month ago,” hesaid. “We’re going to have a roof built overit sometime this fall and we’re going to dosome landscaping around it as well.”

Winchester also took delivery of a newpump for a cost of $9,500 from MelrosePark, Ill. The pump, which attaches to thefront end of a 1998 forestry truck, pumpswater at 500 gallons per minute. Firefight-ers use the truck and pump to fill aportable tanker when near a lake. Al-though the truck has no firefighting capa-bilities of its own currently, Sell said theirgoal is to attach a tank to it.

Future plans for the Winchester FireDepartment include updating its No. 2 fireengine with new lighting, updating abrush truck and replacing its 1983 tanker,which was pieced together nearly 30 yearsago.

“This is one of our oldest pieces ofequipment,” said Sell. “It only has about a1,200-gallon tank and we would like to geta 3,000-gallon tank like many of the otherdepartments have. We’ll get rid of this ve-hicle and replace it totally.”

Other future plans include a small re-model of part of the fire station facility toaccommodate a training and exercise area,according to Sell.

The Winchester Fire Departmentbeefed up its remote rescue capabilities byequipping its Polaris Ranger XP with mul-tiple slide-in units and traction options in2011.

The Ranger now features both all-ter-rain tires and snow tracks, allowing fortrail rescues anytime of the year and innearly any weather conditions.

“The vehicle was purchased in 2009 andwe added a new trailer early in 2010, giv-

ing the department a complete trail rescuepackage,” said Sell.

The Ranger’s rear-cargo area featuresthe option of two slide-in units. One unitincludes a water/foam tank that can beused in the spring, summer and fall to bat-tle brush fires.

A second slide-in unit can be installedin the winter and used for patient trans-port when people may become injured on atrail or lake.

The department also has a rescue trail-er that can be pulled behind the Ranger fortrail rescues in the summer or fall. The en-tire unit is hauled on a long trailer that ishooked up to the department’s rescuetruck.

With the tracks and slide-in units, Sellsaid the department has close to $26,000in the specialized rescue vehicle.

The Winchester Fire Department alsoreceived a $4,000 cost-share grant fromthe Department of Natural Resources(DNR) for much-needed equipment in2011. With the grant, the department wasable to purchase about $8,000 worth ofgear, including a Honda portable pump,

1,500 feet of 1-inch hose, nozzle adaptersand strainers.

The department also installed sevendry water hydrants in the town. The hy-drants were installed along lake edges inareas of higher population.

The eventual goal of the department,according to Sell, is to lower the insurancerates for homeowners by achieving a Class8 fire rating.

Training was a priority for the depart-ment in 2010. Training sessions includedpractice in vehicle extrication, wildlandfire attack, water supply and pump opera-tions, off-road rescues, communication andglobal positioning system training andalso interdepartmental training withManitowish Waters Fire Co. and emergen-cy medical services (EMS).

Sell said these exercises helped preparethe department for emergency incidents.

“Training is an important part of thisdepartment, as it allows the veterans tofreshen up their skills and learn newequipment while the new recruits can see

Winchester Fire Department getsnew sign, water pump for truck

Winchester Fire Department members displaying their new sign included, front row from left,Sulo Wainio, Joan Wainio and Kaity Meyer; middle row, Bryan Klug, Fire Chief Bill Sell, As-

sistant Chief John Melzer and Jim Cayo; and back row (standing), Renee Melzer, Tyre Ray-ala, Dick Smith, Matt Schmidt and Marshall Reckard. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO



To WINCHESTER, Pg. 66

WINCHESTER


how things are done so everyone is pre-pared when a true emergency takes place,”he said.

Other equipmentIn 2009, the Winchester Fire Depart-

ment purchased a new rescue truck fromMarion.

The truck features a 2009 Fab 20-footbody on a 2009 Peterbilt Model 335 truckbody with a 360-horsepower Paccar en-gine. It also is equipped with a walk-inbody and a Cascade fill station for self-con-tained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bot-tles. There is storage space for 20 air bot-tles and seating for seven firefighters.

Sell said a command desk, refrigerator,interior storage cabinets and an openingto enter the operator’s compartment areincluded in the truck body.

The rescue truck is equipped with afront bumper extension with a toolbox, aHannay hydraulic hose reel, an Amkuspower unit to operate two hydraulic rescuetools, tire chains and floor-mounted slide-out trays for easy tool access.

The truck, with equipment, cost$290,000 and was paid for by the town. Italso carries air rescue bags and blocking,stabilizing struts, an inflatable rescueboat, ice and water rescue equipment anda Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) bag.

In 2007, the department received a newambulance with more overhead room andstorage space. Ambulance director GingerBrousil said the ambulance was pur-chased with money from an anonymousdonation and fundraisers, along with$20,000 from the town.

Six years ago, Winchester used a feder-al grant to purchase 24 sets of turnoutgear, 12 new SCBAs, a $15,000 thermal-imaging camera and rescue air bags.

Assistant Fire Chief John Melzer saidthe thermal-imaging camera is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that is incredi-bly accurate at detecting any heat in walls,attics or any hidden places.

Sell said the grant-writing team alsowas awarded a second grant that providedthe department with a rescue truck.

He said the department also purchasedthree cold-water rescue suits, ropes andother gear in response to 13 departmentmembers completing cold-water rescuetraining.

“Along with Firefighter I and II, manyof the members have had training in cold-

water rescue, extrication, cardiopul-monary resuscitation (CPR), imaging cam-era and advanced SCBA as well as pumpengineer and operations,” said Sell.

Winchester’s main pumper/tanker is a2004 Pierce built on a Peterbilt chassis.The $275,000 rig came equipped with acompressed-air foam system, an appara-tus that will cut down on water use duringa fire. It includes a 3,000-gallon tank anda 1,500-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pump.

Fire hall additionWinchester completed a 44- by 40-foot

addition to the 14-year-old fire station in2001, offering a separate two-bay area forthe department’s ambulance, space foremergency medical technician (EMT)equipment and room for a washer, dryerand showers.

With the county’s E911 system in place,Sell said a computer modem links Winch-ester to the county by computer andmakes transmission of written dispatchespossible.

“Having professional dispatching 24hours a day, provided by the Vilas CountySheriff ’s Department, has greatly im-proved dispatching and response times,”Sell said.

The following is a brief overview of eachmember:

William “Bill” Sell, a 33-year depart-ment member, is the fire chief and an

EMT. He has been an EMT since 1978. Heis self-employed as an excavator.

John Melzer, the assistant fire chief,is a firefighter for the Winchester, Manito -wish Waters and Lac du Flambeau depart-ments and has completed both FirefighterI and Firefighter II training. He’s beentrained in thermal-imaging camera use,advanced extrication, wildland fire-fight-ing, advanced SCBA and pump operations.He works at Lac du Flambeau ChippewaHousing Authority.

Ginger Brousil is the ambulance di-rector, a certified EMT and an entry-levelfirefighter. She has completed thermal-imaging training and cold-water rescue.She has been with the department foreight years and is employed by the town ofWinchester.

Don Melzer Jr. is in his 11th yearwith Winchester Fire and Rescue. He hascompleted Firefighter I and cold-waterrescue training. He works at Chicago Pub.He serves as a firefighter for ManitowishWaters as well.

Richard “Dick” Smith has been withthe department for 10 years. He is em-ployed by Northern Capital Insurance.

Bryan Klug, department captain, hasbeen with the department for eight years.He has completed entry-level Firefighter Iand II training, advanced extrication, cold-water rescue and thermal-imaging train-ing. He is employed by CK Builders.

Paul Coan has been a firefighter foreight years. He is trained in Firefighter Iand II, extrication, cold-water rescue, wild-land fire, CPR and thermal imaging.

Jim Cayo, an EMT and firefighter, hasbeen with the department for seven years.He is a stay-at-home parent.

Bill Shober has been with the fire de-partment for six years. He is a resident ofManitowish Waters and is employed byLittle Bohemia Lodge.

Sulo Wainio, a six-year member, hascompleted extrication training and is asafety officer. He has completed Firefight-er I training and is an owner of ThirtyPoint Trading Post and Tap.

Joan T. Wainio also is a sixth-yearfirefighter with the department. She istrained in extrication. She is enrolled inFirefighter I training. She is an owner ofThirty Point Trading Post and Tap.

Renee Melzer has been a WinchesterEMS member for five years. She is secre-tary of emergency ser vices and employedby Marshfield Clinic.

Mathias Schmidt of Mercer has com-pleted Firefighter I and II training, and isin his fourth year with the department. Healso serves as a firefighter for ManitowishWaters. He has completed EVOC motorpump operator II training. He is trained inadvanced auto extrication, landing zonesafety, haz-mat operations, basic RIT andis wildland fire and CPR certified.

Tyre Rayala, a resident of ManitowishWaters, is in his fourth year as a firefight-er for the town of Winchester. He alsoserves on the Manitowish Waters depart-ment. He has taken Firefighter I and II,hazardous materials training, advancedextrication, wildland fire training andEMT-Basic training.

Natasha Johnson, a resident of Man-itowish Waters, is in her third year withthe department. She is employed by LittleBohemia Lodge.

Christine Wendt of Winchester is inher second year with the department andhas completed entry-level firefighter class.She is self-employed.

Brad Durango has completed entry-level firefighter class. He’s from Winch-ester and is self-employed.

New recruit Marshall Reckard hasbeen with the department one year as anEMT and is from Presque Isle.

New recruit Kaity Meyer is an EMTin training and has been with the depart-ment since November 2011. She has com-pleted CNA and basic lifesaver training.She is employed by Howard Young Medi-cal Center.

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Winchester Fire Chief Bill Sell (left) and Assistant Chief John Melzer display the depart-ment’s new front-mount water pump. Pumping at 500 gallons per minute, firefighters useit to fill portable tanks. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

WINCHESTER


Boulder Junction Fire Department members include, front row from left, Eric Johnson, Jes-sica Mabie and Jeremy Mabie; second row, Amy Wilk, Jim Hanson, Trish Menzia, MeganGalasel and Linda Thayer; and back row, Raphael Moraczewski, Paul Newberg, Matt

Reuss, Don Melzer, Dave Garner, Dan Potrykus, Jason Mauer, Jim Fragassi, RichardWallden, Lee Hoffman and Dan Wahlgren.


With three new members, the BoulderJunction Fire Department has empha-sized training during a busy fire year.

“Fire numbers have already sur-passed those from last year,” said FireChief Jim Hanson.

Staying current on training, the sta-tion hosted ice-water rescue training lastwinter.

“We also have a couple of house burnscoming up,” said Hanson.

The 22nd annual chicken barbecue,the main fundraiser for the departmentwas held July 7 and featured a children’sfire safety house.

Funds for department equipment andtraining also are raised through T-shirtsales throughout the year.

Last year the department purchased anew trailer for the rescue snowmobile, aswell as a new powered cot.

The pneumatic cot allows emergencymedical technicians (EMT) to lift pa-tients using less manpower and with less

risk of dropping patients.Also in 2011, members from the sta-

tion participated in the Nicolet College-run hybrid vehicle training. Firefightersand EMTs learned how to properly extin-guish a fire and rescue individuals fromhybrid vehicle crashes.

The Boulder Junction station contin-ues to make use of the pumper purchasedtwo years ago. The $300,000 rescue vehi-cle carries a compressed-air foam systemto maximize fire-fighting effectiveness,while using less water.

The 2010 Freightliner engine, built byJefferson Fire in Middleton, includesRosenbauer accessories, such as a pump-ing system that can turn out 1,500 gal-lons per minute (gpm), enough to sustainfive hoses.

It also includes a four-person cab andstorage for extrication equipment.

According to Hanson, the engine aidedthe department in maintaining its Class7 ISO rating.

In 2009, the department purchased aFord F-250 rescue truck that carries anall-terrain vehicle (ATV), extricationequipment, air bags and stabilizer jacks.

It also pulls trailers that transport thedepartment’s rescue snowmobile andboat.

Three years ago, 10 members of thecrew completed Rapid Intervention Team(RIT) training in conjunction with fire-fighters from Conover, St. Germain,Arbor Vitae and Lac du Flambeau.

RIT training focuses on rapid inter-vention techniques for the removal ofdowned firefighters or fire victims from aburning structure. The training includeswork on techniques such as bridgingwalls, conducting basement rescues andladder bailouts.

Many of the department’s membersalso joined with Manitowish Waters fire-fighters for wildland fire suppressiontraining, conducted by the Department ofNatural Resources (DNR).

The Boulder Junction Fire Depart-ment has completed water-rescue train-ing. For water rescues, the department isequipped with an 18-foot Alumacraftboat with a 40-horsepower Mercury elec-tronic fuel-injected outboard and trailer.The 2005 model includes steps on thestern and carries several pieces of water-

rescue equipment.The department made large additions

in 2007, when it took delivery of a newambulance and a new tanker.

The ambulance was purchased by thedepartment for $107,000 at no cost to thetown’s taxpayers. The Ford E-450 Med-Tech ambulance replaced a 2000 Braunambulance, which was traded in for$28,000.

The department also purchased a2007 Sterling chassis for $89,000 whichwas converted into a tanker truck. Thetruck was equipped with the depart-ment’s 3,200-gallon stainless tank thatwas on a 1982 truck.

A 36- by 48-foot storage shed was alsoadded to the department’s facility onHighway M in Boulder Junction at a costof $21,000.

The shed houses the department’s res-cue boat, snowmobile, ATV and Rescue 2pickup truck which pulls rescue equip-ment.

In 2005, the department purchased a$114,000 brush truck built by Custom

Boulder Junction Fire Departmentemphasizes training during busy year



To BOULDER JUNCTION, Pg. 68

BOULDER JUNCTION


Fab & Body of Tigerton. The purchasewas made possible by a Federal Emer-gency Management Agency grant, whichrequired just a 10% local share.

The brush truck can carry 300 gallonsof water, which is enhanced by a com-pressed-air foam system capable of deliv-ering three different types of foam forvarious fire-fighting applications.

“It can be used for assistance withstructure fires, to foam down and protectaccessory buildings and for fighting wild-land fires,” said Hanson. “We could go inahead of a forest fire and cover a struc-ture with foam, which would protect itfor an hour or more.”

Hanson said the truck carries wild-land fire-fighting equipment such ashand tools, bladder bags, 1,000 feet of 1-inch forest fire hose and 300 feet of 11⁄2-inch line.

Search-and-rescue capabilities are yetanother asset of the Boulder Junction de-partment, which became field-ready forsuch activities in 2004. Myk Hensley is amember of Headwaters Search and Res-cue and has helped the department setup for it.

The department’s commitment to con-tinuous improvement has made it possi-ble for Boulder Junction to maintain itsISO rating of Class 7, saving propertyowners money on their homeowners in-surance.

“ISO looks at equipment, record keep-ing, manpower, water-carrying abilities— everything,” Hanson said. “It’s a realstep forward for the department.”

The department’s 2000 Welch enginehelped Boulder Junction get the betterrating. The engine has a 1,250-gpmpump and is equipped with two types offoam.

The department also purchased aHurst 56-ton three-air bag system for thetruck. The lift bags can be inflated withthe air packs used by firefighters for in-terior attacks.

The department also owns a thermal-imaging camera to locate fires withinwalls and people trapped in a burningbuilding, and a water supply truck to filltankers at lakes.

Most of Boulder Junction’s vehiclesare kept in a 7,600-square-foot fire build-ing complete with training room, offices,rest room and seven vehicle stalls withseparate doors.

The departmentFire Chief James A. Hanson has

been a firefighter and EMT in BoulderJunction for six years, but has 29 totalyears of firefighter service in other com-munities. He has associate degrees in po-lice and fire science, is a certified emer-gency manager, EMT-B, Firefighter I andII and fire science instructor. He is em-ployed by the Boulder Junction Police De-partment.

Jim Fragassi, assistant chief, hasbeen a volunteer firefighter for the Boul-der Junction Fire Department for sixyears. He is a resident of Boulder Junc-tion and is a retired firefighter from Win-netka, Ill.

Matthew Reuss, has been with thedepartment for six years and serves ascaptain. He has completed Firefighter I,Firefighter II, wildland firefighting andEMT training. He is employed by ReussConstruction Co.

John Titel has been a volunteer forthe fire department for 30 years and anEMT for 28 years. He is the department’sfire investigator. Titel has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, numerousLearning thru Burning courses, fireground command, arson investigation andmod 1. He also has completed hazardousmaterials tech training. He is employed atAhlborn Equipment.

Myk Hensley, a 25-year veteran, is adriver-operator and is certified in surfaceice rescue. Hensley is trained in humansearch-and-rescue techniques.

Paul Newberg, safety officer, is a 21-year veteran as a state-certified firefight-er and an EMT. He is employed by SpiritMedical Transport.

Bill Saal serves as fire inspector forBoulder Junction, as well as Woodruff,Lac du Flambeau, Lake Tomahawk andArbor Vitae.

Eric Johnson has been with the de-partment for five years. He has completedentry-level Firefighter I and II trainingand wildland fire-fighting. He is the fireprevention officer and public educationcoordinator.

Doug Bailey has been a volunteerwith the department for 38 years and hasbeen an EMT for the ambulance servicefor 36 years. He is a resident of BoulderJunction and is employed by NorthwoodsPersonally Yours. Bailey has completedcourses in Firefighter I and II, mod 1,search and rescue, ice diver specialist, ad-vanced open-water diving, state EMT,hazardous materials, DNR-related train-ing, practice burns through Nicolet Col-lege and cardiopulmonary resuscitation

certification.Jonathan Dobbs has been an EMT

with the department for 16 years andowns a resort on Trout Lake.

Dan Potrykus has served on the de-partment for 12 years. He owns BoulderJunction Motor Lodge.

Linda Thayer has been a volunteerfor the Boulder Junction Fire Departmentfor seven years. She is an EMT.

Megan Galasel has been a volunteerEMT for the Boulder Junction depart-ment for seven years. She is an EMT-Band is employed by CareTakers LLC. Sheis a resident of Boulder Junction.

Steven Bartling of Manitowish Wa-ters has been a volunteer for the BoulderJunction Fire Department for sevenyears. He is a firefighter and EMT. He istrained in ice rescue and vehicle extrica-tion.

Jessica Mabie has been a volunteerEMT for eight years, a firefighter forseven years and a paramedic for twoyears. She completed paramedic trainingat North Central Technical College inWausau. She is employed by HowardYoung Medical Center.

Jeremiah Mabie has been with thedepartment for three years. He has eightyears of experience as a firefighter and isemployed by Trout Creek Cranberry Co.

Lee Hoffman has been with the de-partment for eight years. He has complet-ed entry-level Firefighter I and II and isalso cross-trained as an EMT. He is theowner of Granary Restaurant in BoulderJunction.

Jim Johnson has been with the de-

partment for seven years. He has com-pleted entry-level Firefighter I and II. Heis the owner of Boulder Bear Motor Lodge.

Theo Indermuehle has been a fire-fighter and EMT for the department forseven years.

Jason Maurer is serving his secondyear with the department and has entry-level Firefighter I training. He is em-ployed by Knitt’s Hardware in BoulderJunction.

Troy Beda has been with the depart-ment for four years and is employed byBeda’s Mobile Repair. He has completedentry-level Firefighter I training.

Joshua Thompson, has been withthe department for four years and is em-ployed by Boulder Marine Center. He hascompleted entry-level Firefighter I train-ing.

Don Melzer is in his third year as afirefighter and has completed FirefighterI and cold-water rescue training. He alsoserves the Manitowish Waters Fire Co.

Amy Wilk has completed EMT-Btraining and is employed by HowardYoung Medical Center.

Susan Donato has served as an EMTfor six years.

David Gardner has completed Fire-fighter I training and works at RainboLodge.

Dan Wahlgren is in his first year as afirefighter and is employed by SyscoFoods.

Trish Menzia, EMT, serves as the de-partment secretary.

Karment Tornow is the departmenttreasurer.

Boulder JunctionFROM PAGE 67

BOULDER JUNCTION

Boulder JunctionWho do you call?



Members of the Manitowish Waters Fire Company include, back row from left, MathiasSchmidt, Don Melzer, Skip Skrobot, Bill King, B.J. Bauers, Bob Skrobot and Daryll Behnke;

second row, Harry Kaczmarek, Heather Bauers, Tyrel Rayala and David Krembs; and front,Aiden Bauers, department supporter. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

The Manitowish Waters Fire Companywill take delivery of a new rescue pumpertruck in 2013.

The department planned in advance forthe pumper and is now entering the finalstage of the purchase.

“We’re drawing up specs and meetingwith sales reps over the next few months,”said Fire Chief Leonard “Skip” Skrobot.“The rescue pumper will be a great addi-tion to our company’s growing arsenal offire trucks and equipment.”

Last year was highlighted by the addi-tion of a mural to the side of a companytruck, in remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001.

Skrobot said the mural was done byCalm Water Solutions of Manitowish Wa-ters.

“He’s one of the guys in town here, andhe does it for a living,” said Skrobot. “Hedid the mural for us and gave us a bannerto hang on the other side of the truck. Hedid a really great job.”

The department displayed the workpublicly at its weekly Music in the Parkevent in Manitowish Waters.

“That day we supplied sandwiches andbeverages and thanked the town for theirsupport,” said Skrobot.

In 2009, the fire department took deliv-ery of a 3,000-gallon tanker truck, a Mar-que-made ambulance and a heavy-dutyall-terrain vehicle (ATV).

Skrobot said the $155,000 tanker, man-ufactured by Stainless and Repair Inc. inMarshfield, was purchased using revenuesthe fire company received from leasing itsser vices to the town.

“We are one of only four fire companiesin the state of Wisconsin that are indepen-dent, nonprofit corporations,” said Skrobot.“The beauty of not being a division of towngovernment is that we can eliminate mostof the politics.”

The tanker is a 2007 Sterling pre-emis-sion diesel that replaces two smallertankers of early 1970s vintage.

Skrobot said no town money was usedto purchase the ambulance, with the$115,000 raised solely through donationsand company fundraisers, such as the an-nual Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle.

Taxpayer-supplemented funds did helpwith the purchase of a $12,000 four-wheeldrive ATV, along with a thermal-imagingcamera and a multi-gas detection meter.

Skrobot said the camera allows fire-fighters to find people trapped in heavysmoke more quickly or detect heat insidewalls and ceilings.

He said the meter can be used to detectfour kinds of gases, including carbon

monoxide, propane, methane and oxygen.Skrobot said community support of the

fire company is a huge reason for its suc-cess, both in updating equipment and at-tracting firefighters.

“We get a lot of support for ourfundraisers, including our largest, which isthe raffling of a Harley-Davidson motorcy-cle,” he said. “We draw a winner inSeptember every year.”

Manitowish Waters, one of the oldestfire departments in the county at 54 years,is also one of the best equipped. In additionto two modern engines (2004 and 1994), ithas a 2009 tanker, a 2008 first-responsetruck and an equipment van.

The department received a $2,825matching grant from the Department ofNatural Resources (DNR) in 2008 to pur-chase new backpacks, forestry hose,forestry coveralls and helmets. Most of themembers also went through wildfire train-ing that spring, taught by DNR firefight-ers.

Department members, both individual-ly and as a group, improve their trainingevery year. Recently, the firefighters haveconcentrated time on cross training withthe Winchester Fire Department. In doingthis, both teams are ready to work togeth-er in a large emergency incident.

In 2007, six firefighters were trained inwater rescue and three were scuba rated.

They are equipped with cold-water drysuits and an inflatable rescue boat.

Other equipmentThe department made use of a Home-

land Security grant to purchase a first-re-sponse truck, turnout gear and new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) in2006.

The 1-ton Chevrolet pickup is equippedwith 300 gallons of water and foam thatcan maximize the effectiveness of thewater supply tenfold. The 2006 truck alsois equipped with a 500-gallons-per-minutepump and both 2-inch and 4-inch hose.

Skrobot said they received 17 full setsof turnout gear and a dozen air tanks,masks and communication equipment.

“We purchased a special radio attach-ment that goes with the face masks, allow-ing firefighters to communicate better dur-ing interior attacks,” he said. “The addi-tional feature fits our Motorola radios.”

The Manitowish Waters fleet includes apumper/tanker with compressed-air foam.

Skrobot said the state-of-the-art unitfeatures a severe-duty Freightliner chas-sis, has 3,000 gallons of tank space and in-cludes some of the newest pumping tech-nology available today.

For the first time, he said, the truck car-

Manitowish Waters Fire Companyto take delivery of rescue pumper



To MANITOWISH WATERS, Pg. 70

MANITOWISH WATERS


ries the traditional water-foam mixturebeing used almost universally by fire de-partments, along with the new-wave com-pressed-air foam system.

“Compressed-air foam breaks the sur-face tension of water, seeks out carbon andfollows air currents in a building, just likea fire would,” said Skrobot. “It smothersand cools a fire with virtually no waterdamage. Hose lines are lighter becausethey are carrying one-half air.”

The town board appropriates about$40,000 annually to finance the fire de-partment, $14,000 of which is allocated forupdating large apparatus, including firetrucks.

The company also includes certifiedemergency medical technicians (EMTs)who operate an ambulance squad. They re-cently took delivery of a 2009 Marque am-bulance that meets today’s standards forwider, longer emergency vehicles.

About the companyManitowish Waters Fire Company was

organized under a corporate charter in1957 and, five years later, it started thefirst ambulance service in Vilas County.

It is financed through tax dollars, userfees, annual fundraisers, annual appealletters and private donations.

The department voted nearly a decadeago to accept stipends from the town to re-imburse firefighters and emergency med-ical service personnel for the time theyspend responding to emergency calls.

The fire company’s equipment andtraining allows the town to maintain aClass 8 insurance rating.

Following are brief biographicalsketches of department members

Chief Leonard “Skip” Skrobot Jr.has been a firefighter for 47 years and isstate certified. He is a self-employed car-penter. He served as the fire department’spresident, vice president and assistant

chief prior to being elected chief, and hasserved as an EMT since 1975. He is acharter member of the Northwoods FirePrevention Committee as a fire investiga-tor, and is currently a member of the VilasCounty and state of Wisconsin fire chiefsassociations.

Assistant Chief Bob Skrobot, certi-fied in Firefighter II, has served as a fire-fighter for 19 years and is currently thecompany’s vice president. A 1994 gradu-ate of Lakeland Union High School, he isa self-employed carpenter.

Secretary Debbie Skrobot has beena firefighter for 32 years and also servesas an EMT. A former secretary of theNorthwoods Fire Prevention Committee,she organizes fire-prevention activities atNorth Lakeland Elementary School andat other youth-oriented facilities in thearea. She is employed at Associated Bankin Mercer.

Capt. William Dietz is a state-certi-fied Firefighter I who has received spe-cialized training in industrial fires, venti-lation practices, incident command, strat-egy/tactics, auto extrication and breathingapparatus. He is cardiopulmonary resus-citation (CPR)-certified and is a memberof the Northwoods Fire Prevention Com-mittee. He is owner-operator of Dietz’sService in Manitowish Waters.

Capt. Harry Kaczmarek has been afirefighter for 41 years. Until he retired,he owned Harry’s Supermarket. He hascompleted Firefighter I training and nu-merous fire-training classes over theyears. Since his retirement, he spendstime serving the department by keepingthe trucks clean and serviced and main-taining the fire hall.

Capt. Kenneth Deakin has been afirefighter for 59 years, including his tourof service as captain firefighter andparamedic in Milwaukee prior to his re-tirement. Since then, he has served as avolunteer on the Manitowish Waters de-partment and is considered one of its mostvaluable and experienced members.

Ambulance Capt. Daryll Behnke-has been an EMT for 11 years. He is

trained in epinephrine, defibrillation andnonvisualized airway. He is responsiblefor keeping all EMTs aware of develop-ments in emergency medical training, cer-tification and trends. He also evaluatesthe status of the ambulance and its sup-plies. He is self-employed, and is a part-time school bus driver for the North Lake-land area school transportation system.

Bill King has served the departmentduring the summer months for the last 12years. He spends his winters in Racine,where he worked as a police officer for 31years before his retirement, and as a vol-unteer EMT and firefighter on the Sturte-vant Fire Department for 15 years.

David Krembs has been a firefighterfor 24 years and has completed Firefight-er I and other fire-fighting training pro-grams. He is employed at Coon’s FranklinLodge in Arbor Vitae.

Robert Polic is state certified in Fire-fighter I and II. He completed his EMTtraining at Nicolet College and is a na-tionally registered EMT. He is a self-em-ployed consultant.

Lisa Behnke has been an EMT for theambulance squad for nine years and is thecompany’s new treasurer, replacing theretired Dorothy Krembs. She completedher training at Nicolet and is a nationallyregistered EMT. She is a school bus driverfor North Lakeland Elementary.

Beth Kebl, an 11-year veteran andformer vice president, is trained in entry-level Firefighter I and II along with icerescue, wildland fire and extrication. Sheis a self-employed saleswoman of indus-trial chemicals.

Bryan Klug is a seven-year companymember and former director who hascompleted entry-level Firefighter I and II.He has training in cold-water rescue andextrication. He is employed by CKBuilders.

Mathias Schmidt of Mercer, whocompleted his entry-level Firefighter Iand II, has been with the company forseven years. He has completed EVOCmotor pump operator II training. He is aformer director. He is trained in advanced

auto extrication, landing zone safety, haz-mat operations, basic Rapid InterventionTeam and is wildland fire and CPR certi-fied. He is employed at Little Star Garage.

In his eighth year with the company isRichard Indermuehle, who has com-pleted Firefighter I training and is em-ployed at Alder Lake Cranberry CompanyHe is a company director.

Chris Sindberg, also an eight-yeardepartment member and director, hascompleted entry-level Firefighter I and IIalong with extrication training.

Steven Bartling, who is in his ninthyear with the department, holds the rankof captain. He is employed at Bartling’sManitowish Cranberry Company

Tyrel Rayala, who has completedentry-level Firefighter I and II, is alsotrained in advanced auto extrication andwildland fire. He has been with the de-partment six years. He recently completedEMT training at Nicolet. He is employedby Northern Wisconsin Security andSound.

John Melzer, the assistant chief atWinchester and also a department mem-ber in Lac du Flambeau, is in his fourthyear with the Manitowish Waters FireCompany

B.J. and Heather Bauers, a hus-band-and-wife team who own BauersElectric and have completed entry-levelFirefighter I and II courses, are in theirfourth year with the company. Heather re-cently completed training at Nicolet andis now a certified EMT.

Don Melzer Jr. is in his third year asa firefighter for the company. He has com-pleted Firefighter I and cold-water rescuetraining.

Graham McFarland, in his thirdyear with the company, has completedentry-level Firefighter I and II. He is aresident of Manitowish Waters but alsoserves the Winchester Fire Department.

Renee Melzer served as a Manitow-ish Waters EMT for the past three years.

Don Melzer has been a volunteer fire-fighter for Manitowish Waters Fire Com-pany for the past three years.

Manitowish WatersFROM PAGE 69

Manitowish WatersSupporting


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oct. 10, 2012

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