Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Ralph Wichser Jr., of Waukesha, died Saturday at age 83. He previously served as a firefighter in West Allis and Brookfield before becoming the fire chief in Franklin.
Ralph “Babe” Wichser, Jr., of Waukesha, died Saturday, May 11, 2013, at Waukesha Memorial Hospital at the age of 83. He was born on June 26, 1929, in Milwaukee, the son of Ralph and Lucille Wichser. He was a 1947 graduate of West Allis Central High School, where he excelled in athletics. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy, as a submariner, from 1948 until 1951. He was a member of the U.S. Navy Boxing Team, a member of the USS Chivo Reunion Group and was very supportive of the Navy. On July 7, 1951, he married the former Martha Macuk at Holy Assumption in West Allis. For 37 years he had been a firefighter. He worked for the City of West Allis, City of Brookfield and was the Fire Chief for the City of Franklin, retiring in …
Friday, May 10, 2013
The latest grant dollars will update radios as the county goes digital, but the hard work of the department, led by firefighter and grant writer Bob Tiarks, made the third such award in as many years more than luck.
Brookfield fireman and paramedic Bob Tiarks has taken extensive training from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but it's not what you might think. Fire Chief Charlie Myers said Tiarks took the opportunity to learn more from FEMA on how to ask for funding through their Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, and it's apparent he's paid attention. Since attending a number of seminars offered by the agency, Tiarks has "honed his writing skills" to more effectively request money to garner the department approximately $445,000 over the past 3 years. The dollars have paid for defibrillators ($89,100), self-contained breathing apparatus ($156,600) and now digital radios ($199,242). However, Myers was quick to add that the most …
Monday, May 6, 2013
While Brookfield Fire Department officials say they have no problems with how ambulances are inspected, others raise concerns that some ambulances in Wisconsin just shouldn't be on the road.
Ten years ago, the lives of an ambulance crew in central Wisconsin were changed forever when a balding tire caused their vehicle to lose traction on a wet highway, skid across the median and roll over. In the resulting accident, the patient being transported died and the crew was injured, none more so than Matt Deicher of Mosinee. “I flew and hit my face onto the back doors of the ambulance,” Deicher told WISN 12 News. Deicher was paralyzed. He believes the July 2003 accident could have been prevented "very, very easily." Just two days earlier, the lone state ambulance inspector gave the Mosinee Fire Department 10 days to replace balding tires on the vehicle. The crew was unaware of the report before the run. A decade later, not much has …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Multiple fire departments helped battle a residential fire that started in the sunroom of a home on Elm Grove Road in Brookfield.
Brookfield firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze that started in the sunroom of a home on Elm Grove Road. Fire Chief Charlie Myers said first responders spotted flames and smoke coming from the rear of the home when they arrived on the scene. The home was at 530 South Elm Grove Road. The fire was in the city's mutual response area, and New Berlin firefighters arrived on the scene first. "First police officer arrived on scene saw heavy smoke," Myers said. "Our comapnies arrived on scene along with New Berlin and made an aggresive fire attack on the rear of the building. We extinguished the fire rapidly." The homeowners were out of the house when the fire started, and no firefighters were injured during the blaze, which started at …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Agencies helped put out a residential fire near Townline and Clearview Roads.
Multiple Waukesha County agencies helped battle a house fire in the Town of Vernon on Monday. The fire ignited in a 2-story house on Townline and Clearview Roads. Flames were showing from the second story, according to the Waukesha County Dispatch sent out at 1:39 p.m. Aid units were called from other agencies, including Town of Brookfield, Tess Corners, City of Waukesha and Town of Waukesha.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Over 300 law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel responded to a massive 9 alarm fire in Burlington last night and among them were several Brookfield firefighters.
Firefighters from the Brookfield Fire Department were among the 93 fire departments that responded to a nine-alarm fire in the City of Burlington Wednesday night, according to our media partners at Channel 12. The Burlington Fire Department initially responded to the fire at 6:05 p.m. at Echo Lake Foods, 33102 S Honey Lake Rd. After arriving, they found a “significant fire” and called neighboring departments to help battle the blaze. However, “about 50 people in the area -- 10 homes and one apartment building -- were evacuated as a precaution because of the chemicals in the plant and the heavy smoke, but no further evacuations were expected.” According to the story: Burlington Mayor Robert Miller said Thursday afternoon that the fire was …
42.685956
-88.277603
33102 S Honey Lake Rd, Burlington, WI
/articles/brookfield-among-93-departments-who-responded-to-burlington-fire
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Three people were in the home at 14830 San Marcos Drive but got out safely when the fire started about about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
No one was injured during a house fire on San Marcos Drive in the Brookfield on Tuesday afternoon. Three people were in the home at 14830 San Marcos Drive but got out safely when the fire started at about 1:30 p.m. The fire, which is believed to have started in the kitchen, spread to multiple floors of the house. Firefighters from around the area responded to the blaze. The damage is estimated at approximately $88,000. The exact cause is unknown with the investigation ongoing, according to the Brookfield Fire Department.
Friday, September 28, 2012
With smoke filling the Brookfield apartment so quickly, the workers' fast action to pull the couple out before firefighters arrived was heroic and possibly life-saving, a deputy fire chief said Thursday.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Lisa Sink
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Friday, September 28, 2012
It was gut-check time for two Mandel Group apartment workers on Sept. 11 and the duo acted quickly and courageously, a fire chief said. Not only did they run into a Brookfield apartment building after smelling smoke and seeing flames shooting out the garage, but they pulled an elderly couple to safety and went back in to save their pet dog and birds, Brookfield Deputy Fire Chief Brian Gerner said. "Most people will see smoke and fire in a building and everybody's running out and you two ran in," Gerner told maintenance technician Matt Potts and his supervisor Brad Schmidt. "You guys knew where the fire was. You knew who the people were who were living there. You knew that they needed help." That quick knowledge of tenants speaks well of …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Firefighters responded to a grill fire Friday afternoon in the 2400 block of Coach House Drive.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Lisa Sink
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Brookfield firefighters helped put out a grill fire outside a home in the 2400 block of Coach House Drive about 4:30 p.m. Friday. The homeowner was trying to knock the flames down with a garden hose, fire officials said Monday. Fire Chief Charlie Myers urged residents to turn off not only the grill but also the gas supply — either at the propane tank or the gas outlet from the house.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Mandel Group maintenance workers pulled a man and wife from a burning apartment on Astor Court and rescued their pet dog and birds.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Lisa Sink
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Update (11:30 p.m. Tuesday) Damage to the garage and contents of two apartments was estimated at $100,000 and the cause remained under investigation late Tuesday, Brookfield Deputy Fire Chief Brian Gerner said in a release. ________________________ Two maintenance workers for the Mandel Group rescued an elderly couple from their fiery Brookfield apartment building Tuesday afternoon — and then rescued their pets. Maintenance technician Matt Potts said he was working with his supervisor Brad Schmidt in a nearby building in the Woodlands of Brookfield complex when he smelled smoke shortly before noon. "We saw flames coming from the garage and we knew there was an elderly couple there who couldn't get out," Potts said. He and Schmidt ran to …
Normam Cockstroker
1:08 pm on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Typical conservative hypocrites. The wealthiest city in the state asking for federal money. I think there's a lot of other communities that could use the money more than Brookfield. more ›