Without a chief since earlier this year, the South Milwaukee Fire Department continues to quietly deliver the kind of first-class service that all city residents can be proud of.
The department’s captains, who are essentially the acting chiefs of the department these days, can certainly take their share of credit for that. And one in particular — Joseph Knitter — is doing especially great things.
Capt. Knitter recently completed National Fire Academy training and earned the designation of “Executive Fire Officer,” a status that has only been achieved by a very small group of firefighters throughout the nation.
The mayor and City Council formally recognized Knitter at its meeting Wednesday night.
To become and Executive Fire Officer, Knitter studied and performed research for four years and authored four applied research papers, all of which have been published by the U.S. Fire Administration.
Here is one of them from 2007 on the SMFD’s efforts at unveiling a competency assessment tool.
Learn more at South Milwaukee NOW.
Alderperson Brooks: Thank you for the kind words and for recognizing my accomplishment. It is truly one of the highlights of my fire service career. However, it would not have been possible without the outstanding support of my family, friends, colleagues, and especially, the City of South Milwaukee for allowing me to attend.
[...] As I’ve written about, Capt. Knitter is very qualified for the position, and I know he will serve ably until the long-term future of the chief position is determined. When that will be is an open question, as we continue to get more clarity around the consolidation efforts. That work, the subject of an upcoming study by the Public Policy Forum, will help shape the future of our department. [...]