Category Archives: Fire

by | August 29, 2012 · 4:10 pm

South Milwaukee Gas Main Leak Forces Brief Evacuation

Six people were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday after the construction crew on the Nicholson/Pennsylvania widening project apparently struck a gas main and caused a leak.

Everyone was back in their homes in the 200 block of Nicholson by Wednesday afternoon.

Here is the email I got from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

Earlier this afternoon, the Oak Creek Fire Department received a call for a natural gas main that was struck by the construction crew working on the Nicholson / Pennsylvania Avenue project, causing a leak that was releasing into the air.  The assumption was that the leak was on the Oak Creek side of the project and therefore, OCFD received the call.  Once they arrived on the scene, the OCFD Battalion Chief assessed the scene and determined that the main that was struck was actually in front of 215/217 Nicholson Avenue, on the South Milwaukee side of the project.  The OCFD Battalion Chief called me from the scene, apprised me of the situation, and stated that they would not require any assistance as they had sufficient resources on the scene.  They did temporarily evacuate 6 people from the residences directly north of the leak until WE Energies arrived on the scene and stopped the leak.  The Battalion Chief called again a short while later to provide an update and reported that WE Energies had entered the excavation, stopped the leak, and the residents were allowed back into their dwelling.

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by | August 13, 2012 · 9:16 pm

Fire Department: South Milwaukee Car And Garage Fire Believed To Be Intentionally Set

Update: Here is another photo of the fire, and here is video.

Firefighters believe a car and garage fire in the 2800 block of Chicago Avenue on Sunday night was arson. Here are updates I got from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter … 

At approximately 9:22PM last evening, the fire department responded to a report of a vehicle on fire inside a garage to the rear of 2800 South Chicago Avenue.  Upon arrival of FD units, the interior of the garage was fully involved in fire.  During the extinguishment of this fire, SMFD was notified of a vehicle located in the alley next to 1208 Manistique Avenue that appeared to have an attempt made to light the glove box on fire.  Due to the suspicious circumstances of both fires, the PD called in the State Fire Marshall’s Office to assist in the investigation. … Damage to the garage and vehicle is extensive with little chance of salvage.  No injuries were reported.

After a very detailed scene investigation, investigators determined that the fire that destroyed the mini-van and garage late last night and the small fire that damaged the nearby car were intentionally set. It is my understanding that SMPD is continuing the investigation at this time.

I’ll keep you posted.

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by | July 24, 2012 · 5:51 pm

Hot Food: Firehouse Spaghetti Dinner Still On

The annual South Milwaukee Fire Department Spaghetti Dinner remains on despite Wednesday’s heat advisory. That is according to this press release from Acting Fire Chief Joe Knitter. From it:

In light of the Heat Advisory issued for tomorrow, attendees are strongly encouraged to dress accordingly and consider enjoying their dinner at home as accommodations are going to be made for take-out dinners.

Temperatures are expected to reach close to 100 degrees yet again, according to this advisory from the National Weather Service. Stay cool!

(You’ll also recall that last year’s dinner was cancelled due to heat.)

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by | July 17, 2012 · 9:30 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Helps Deal With 5-Alarm Blaze In Milwaukee

Give the South Milwaukee Fire Department an assist on the big Riverwest fire on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Learn more about the fire in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

And here is the email from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

Milwaukee Fire Dept. requested a MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Level One Box Alarm which took our engine to a Milwaukee fire station on Holton and Keefe to handle calls in that response area.  While there, our engine responded to three EMS calls and a fire call. This is the third time in history that SMFD has responded to the City of Milwaukee as the result of a MABAS Alarm and, ironically, Capt. Czajkowski has been the Shift Officer on all three responses!!

 

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by | July 12, 2012 · 5:02 pm

Scary Situation: Fire Department Rescues 3 Stranded Boaters … At Night

Here is the email I received from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter about yet another Lake Michigan water rescue on Wednesday …

In what seems to be an all-too-often occurrence lately, the SMFD Rescue Boat was placed into operation again last night in what I can truly say was a rescue situation with a very successful outcome. At approximately 10:26 PM, SMFD received a call from SMPD Lt. Cary Fischer requesting assistance in locating three missing persons who had left Bender Park earlier in the evening on a Personal Water Craft. SMPD was notified when one of their officers was in the process of clearing out Grant Park at the Main Beach and came across the missing boaters wife who was frantically searching for them along the coastline. SMFD deployed their boat at approx. 10:36 PM and was in the process of scanning the shoreline between the SM Yacht Club and Bender Park with floodlights, our handheld thermal imaging camera, and the FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) system on the boat when they encountered the distressed watercraft with two of the occupants, the 36 y/o father and 13 y/o child, in the water and the 9 y/o child still aboard the watercraft. The 13 y/o and 9 y/o both were wearing personal flotation devices (PFD) while the father was not. All three occupants were brought aboard the rescue boat and the watercraft was successfully towed into Bender Park. The boaters were reunited with their family and turned over to the OC Fire Department to be medically evaluated.

It is my opinion that these boaters were extremely lucky that all of the circumstances aligned to provide for their rescue. Fortunately for them, the water temperature in Lake Michigan has increased by ten degrees over the past few weeks due to the warmer-than-usual air temperatures and lack of rain. At the time of the rescue, the water temperature was approx. 71 degrees. Experience has taught us that exposure to water temperatures like that for periods in excess of three hours can be detrimental to a persons physical well being and adversely affect their ability to function and perform physical tasks. One can only imagine what the outcome would have been had the circumstances not aligned and they had not been located.

The US Coast Guard was notified of our response, however, they did not deploy any of their boats. Once again, the teamwork between SMPD and SMFD paid off for a successful end to what could have been a tragic story.

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by | July 9, 2012 · 9:27 pm

Helping Boaters In Need

The South Milwaukee Fire Department responded to two calls of distressed boaters on Sunday. Both situations had happy endings. Here is the email from Acting Chief Joe Knitter:

Yesterday, the SMFD Rescue boat was called upon twice to respond to reports of distressed boaters.  The first call came in from the boater himself who reported that he was without power, approx., 300 yards off Grant Park Beach, East of the pavilion.  On the arrival of our rescue boat, the distressed boat was found anchored with two adult passengers on-board, unable to return to Bender Park where they had launched from. While heading North, the boater heard a loud noise coming from his motor before it died and stranded him without power. The occupants remained on-board during the tow into the SM Yacht Club.

While entering the harbor during this tow operation, the US Coast Guard requested assistance in the area of Bender Park for another disabled boat. The Coast Guard stated they were busy in Milwaukee and asked for our assistance with a 17′ Glastron boat that had lost power with two adults and three children on-board.  While en route, SMFD contacted the disabled boater via cell phone with a number that the Coast Guard had provided and learned that they were under tow from another boat and were just entering Bender Park. The SMFD confirmed that they were safely attended to and returned to the SMYC.

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by | July 5, 2012 · 9:15 am

Small Fire Reported At South Milwaukee’s Civic Arms Apartments

There was a small fire in one of the Civic Arms Apartments on Wednesday night.

From an email sent by Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

During the height of all the fireworks last night, SMPD rec’d a call from a tenant of the Civic Arms apartment building at 2005 10th Avenuereporting that their fire alarms were going off. Arriving SMPD officers (Klipfel & Fournier) discovered the sprinkler system activated and smoke pouring out from underneath the door of apartment 110. This information was relayed to SMFD and, due to simultaneous EMS calls occurring at this time, Captain Czajkowski and I responded with an engine and were met by one of our ambulances that had just freed up from another call.  Because of the reduced staffing, mutual aid was requested from our neighbors. Upon our arrival, we discovered that a fire had started on the stove top in that apartment and spread to the cabinets above.  Once the fire grew to a sufficient size, it activated the sprinkler head in the kitchen which extinguished the fire.  It is without a doubt that the sprinkler head activating saved that building from extensive damage.  A big thanks to Officers Klipfel and Fournier for assisting with evacuating all the occupants from the building. Investigation revealed that the occupants were cooking just prior to the power going out and inadvertently left the stove burner on when they left the building to seek shelter at another location.  Once the power was restored, the burner heated up the cookware on top, overheated it and caused it to burn.  Fire damage was limited to the kitchen with water damage in the kitchen and living room.

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by | July 5, 2012 · 9:10 am

Accident In Cudahy Parade, Fire At Oak Creek Fireworks: Eventful Holiday In Nearby Communities

Edit: Here is Patch coverage of the Oak Creek fire. The photo is pretty alarming.

Two people were hurt during the Cudahy July 4 parade, various media outlets are reporting.

See coverage (including video) of the unfortunate incident from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WISN.

And the Oak Creek fireworks show sparked a small grass fire, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. WISN has video.

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by | July 3, 2012 · 3:38 pm

South Milwaukee Fireworks Show Goes On

The South Milwaukee fireworks at Grant Park will go on as scheduled, and the city is doing its part to reduce the fire danger.

The South Milwaukee Fire Department has been watering the area near the fireworks launch zone since Wednesday, and the area, since it is well-shaded, is not “problematic,” Acting Chief Joe Knitter said in an email update today.

Additionally, the department will have a mini-pumper near the launch area that evening in case something happens.

And there will be emergency personnel on-site all day on July 4, near Brown Pavilion, to handle any heat-related or other health issues.

In related news, Oak Creek’s fireworks show will also be held as scheduled Wednesday.

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by | June 21, 2012 · 9:28 pm

Life-Saving Numbers: South Milwaukee Fire Department Files Annual Report, Grades Well On Study

The South Milwaukee Fire Department has filed its 2011 Annual Report, and it provides a great snapshot into all the work the department does throughout the course of a year.

Check out the report, dedicated to the victims of 9-11 and the firefighters who fought to save them, here. The South Milwaukee City Council accepted the report at its meeting Tuesday.

One key statistic: The total number of incidents the department responded to (2,968) stayed basically static from 2010 (and the year earlier).

The report, however, is much more than numbers. More than anything, it celebrates the people that make the department what it is – and why we should be so thankful for their tireless work.

I encourage you to read it, and post your comments below.

In other news, the department recently went through the Insurance Services Office certification process and saw its rating improve from a five to a four.

ISO collects and evaluates information from communities across the country on their “fire suppression capabilities.” Insurance companies in part base their rental, commercial and industrial rates on these ISO findings. So a lower number can mean lower rates … and that’s a practical reason to celebrate this improvement. Even more importantly, however, this report validates the work our department is doing.

See the full ISO report here.

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by | June 20, 2012 · 10:18 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Assists On Milwaukee, Oak Creek Fires … Are They Connected?

You have probably heard about the two major fires in the area today — one near downtown Milwaukee and the other in Oak Creek.

South Milwaukee played a role in fighting both.

Here is the update from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

Earlier today (around 10:30), SMFD responded on a MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Box Alarm – 2nd level called by Milwaukee Fire to standby at Milwaukee FD’s Engine 7 firehouse on Chase and Euclid Avenues. This is the 2nd time in history that we have assisted the MFD to protect their city. This time, MFD was fighting the 5-alarm fire on 12th & Vleit Streets. While there, our engine took an EMS call for MFD.

At about noon, the Oak Creek Fire had a working fire in an garage attached to a house that went to a MABAS Box Alarm level due to the heat and limited resources resulting from the Milwaukee fire. Our ladder truck responded to that scene since we had sufficient response from our off duty personnel and could provide the apparatus and stil maintain coverage inour city. You may have seen on the news that there may be some relationship between the owner of the store that burned in Milwaukee and the owner of the house in Oak Creek. At this time, this is what Channel 58 is reporting. The State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Milwaukee office of the ATF are investigating both fires with assistance from local investigators. I have made myself available to the investigation team and have been in contact with the Investigators and may very well be assisting tomorrow when the team assembles again.

I’ll keep you posted on this strange potential connection.

Here is the Oak Creek Patch story. Here is the Channel 58 story, and here is coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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by | June 19, 2012 · 9:56 pm

Deal Reached: City Council Approves Firefighter Contract

The South Milwaukee City Council has approved a new four-year contract with firefighters represented by the South Milwaukee Firefighters Protective Association Local 1633.

I think it’s a fair deal that is reflective of the city’s financial picture – and a strong example of the type of collaboration that can happen among public employee unions and their employers.

The deal is effective Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2015. Among the highlights:

  • It calls for no pay raise immediately, then a 2% increase on Jan. 1, 2013; 1% increase on July 1, 2013; 2% increase on Jan. 1, 2014; and 1% increase on July 1, 2014. Additionally, the deal calls for a potential “base wage reopener” for Jan. 1, 2105, under which the union notifies the city by Aug. 15, 2014, of its desire to reopen the contract for wage negotiations.
  • Effective July 1, it calls for the city to pay the same amount toward firefighter health insurance as it does for its non-represented and civil service employees – 88%. Workers pay anything above that amount for the lowest cost health plan.
  • It also brings firefighters in line with other workers when it comes to pension contributions, within a year. Under the deal, the city will pay one half of the employee-required pension contribution effective July 1. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the firefighter will pay that entire amount (about 5.8% of their earnings), the same amount other non-represented workers pay. All new employees will pay the full amount immediately.
  • The deal also relaxes firefighter residency requirements, making their residency standard the same as it is for all non-represented workers. It requires firefighters to live within these boundaries: Highway 20 from Racine west to Highway S; north on S to Highway K; west on K to Highway 164, north on 164 to the Waukesha-Racine County border, east to Highway V (Town Line Road) extended, north on Highway V extended to Silver Spring Road (Highway VV), and east on Silver Spring Road to Whitefish Bay.

The deal also makes some changes to retiree health insurance; sick leave allocation, usage and payouts upon retirement; bereavement leave; and limited duty assignments, among other areas.

Firefighters ratified the contract on Friday.

Of course, I’d like to know what you think of the contract. Post your comments below.

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by | June 18, 2012 · 7:50 am

South Milwaukee Fire Department Rescues Stranded Boaters

It’s been a busy month for the South Milwaukee Fire Department.

Several business and house fires and now this on Saturday: a call for assistance in rescuing stranded boasters off the Oak Creek Water Treatment Plant. As usual, the SMFD was up to the task.

Here are details from Acting Chief Joe Knitter:

At approx. 1:30 this afternoon, the SMFD received a phone call from the US Coast Guard in Milwaukee requesting assistance in locating and assisting a stranded boater that had lost power and was adrift somewhere off of the OC Water Treatment Plant. In addition, one of the five passengers was suffering from chest pain and was in need of medical assistance. SMFD responded to the SM Yacht Club and deployed the rescue boat, locating the distressed boat approximately 200 yds. from the mouth of the harbor. The ailing boater was removed from the boat, transported to the dock and transferred over to the care of waiting paramedics who treated and transported him to St. Luke’s South Shore. The Coast Guard arrived on scene with their 45 foot rescue boat but, due to its size, they were unable to get close enough to shore to provide any assistance to the stranded boat with the exception of towing it out further into the lake so it would not run aground. SMFD’s boat responded back to the location, secured the stranded boat and successfully towed it into the safety of the SMYC.

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by | June 10, 2012 · 11:27 am

Small House Fire In South Milwaukee

There was a small house fire Saturday evening at 625 Sherman Ave. in South Milwaukee.

No one was hurt, and the excessive heat made it a difficult one to fight. It also provides a good reminder about overloading electrical outlets.

Here is the report from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

The original call came in from the occupancy reporting a smell of smoke in a second floor bedroom of the two-story dwelling. Arriving personnel encountered an odor and light smoke on the second floor and after a intensive search, discovered wood framing members, cellulose insulation and a plastic (PVC) plumbing vent stack burning in a roof area above a rear addition to the dwelling. Due to a lack of access to the area, the roof had to be opened up to expose the fire and complete extinguishment and overhaul. Due to the excessive heat of the day, additional SMFD personnel were sent to the scene to assist in the overhaul process. In true SMFD fashion, crews cleaned up the debris in the house and yard and returned as much of the yard to normal to assist the family with their plans for a yard party tomorrow. The cause of the fire was attributed to overheated electrical wires on a circuit that was overtaxed due to two window air conditioners being powered off of the single circuit. The family was extremely appreciative of our efforts and even apologetic for calling on such a hot day! Nice job by all involved and Capt. Czajkowski for organizing the scene. No injuries were reported.

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by | June 7, 2012 · 10:37 am

South Milwaukee House Fire Reported

Update: Here is the Fox 6 story.

There was a house fire overnight at 515 Madison Ave. that left the second floor of a multifamily residence there extensively damaged. No one was hurt.

Firefighters from the Cudahy, St. Francis, Oak Creek and the 128th Air Refueling Wing fought the blaze, which also included this scary scene, as described by Acting South Milwauke Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

Fire crews arrived and encountered heavy fire on the 2nd floor, rear balcony extending into the second floor apartment and attic area. At the same time, the aluminum electrical service had shorted due to the fire and the entire building (gutters, siding, etc.) was energized and arcing.

Here is Acting Chief Knitter’s full description … 

A resident at 505 Madison Avenue was in their rear yard at approximately 2:35 AM and smelled smoke. While looking for the source, they discovered the rear porch burning at 515 Madison. They immediately went to knock on the doors and awoke the occupants allowing them to self-evacuate. Neither tenant knew anything of the fire and left the dwelling safely. Fire crews arrived and encountered heavy fire on the 2nd floor, rear balcony extending into the second floor apartment and attic area. At the same time, the aluminum electrical service had shorted due to the fire and the entire building (gutters, siding, etc.) was energized and arcing. Lt. Dan Lang, as the Shift Officer, upgraded the level of response to a Working Still which brings in our mutual aid partners from Cudahy, St. Francis, Oak Creek and the 128th ANG. SMFD crews cautiously extended a hoseline between the houses to the rear yard and knocked down a bulk of the fire while additional crews extended hoselines into both the first and second floors through the front entrance. A primary search was completed to assure all occupants were accounted for – which they were. The American red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced occupants. Damage to the second floor is extensive. Damage to the first floor is limited to minor smoke damage and moderate water damage. No injuries were reported.

The area of origin is the 2nd floor balcony and the cause remains undetermined at this time.

I’ll keep you posted.

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