Germantown Wisconsin Fire Department

NAC Night will be August 6th from 5pm-8pm! Flight for life will be landing at 5:30PM and we will have a vehicle extrication demo at 7:15PM! This event is always very well attended and is sure to not disappoint!

Meet Quin, a recent graduate of Germantown High School. He's working as a summer intern at GFD, and is sponsored through the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. He receives job coaching support while performing his duties: light custodial, special projects, and his favorite - washing the rigs and the Bay floor! He has quickly become part of our GFD Team.
www.dsaw.org
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dvr/

This incident was a large scale, team effort. We are very grateful to our mutual aid partners for assisting us in monitoring an incident a couple blocks long. We would also like to thank the local media who was able to assist us in spreading the word of the leak and keep our citizens informed while we were operating.

See below for an information release regarding this morning's incident.

Businesses please practice evacuation drills, have designated meeting points, and have a way to account for all employees in the building. This business did a great job of that today!

Former Chief Hoell fostered a wonderful relationship between the Germantown Police Department and Us, one that continues to this day. We are immensely grateful for the service he provided to our great community and deeply saddened to hear of his passing. Rest easy former Chief Hoell.

It is with profound sadness that I must inform the community of the passing of former Chief of Police, Pete Hoell. It was less than five years ago that I composed a post celebrating his retirement. Needless to say, we are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of our former leader, and a man that is still commonly referred to as “Chief”.

Chief Hoell served his entire 30 plus year career with the Germantown Police Department. His first day was April 17th, 1989. He actually missed his college graduation to begin his undercover assignment with the Washington County Metro Drug Unit. He worked this position full-time his first year, then served in a part time roll for many years as he worked as a patrol officer with the Germantown Police Department. He gained a vast amount of experience in that role that benefited him immensely throughout his career.

Chief Hoell rose through the ranks quickly and before his five-year anniversary had attained the rank of patrol sergeant. Chief Hoell was regarded as someone who would do what the department needed. Prior to his promotion he had served as a field training officer for new recruits. Once promoted he learned he was the last certified field trainer in the department and was tasked with training one more recruit. As eager as he was to start his new role as a sergeant, he approached his last assignment as a field trainer with the same passion and commitment that he approached any task assigned to him.

Within a year he was assigned to the administrative sergeant position. He was promoted to Lieutenant shortly after that. Ultimately, he achieved the rank of Police Chief, a goal he had set for himself at the beginning of his career. He held that position for over 16 years. I believe the average tenure for a police chief in the state of Wisconsin is between 5-7 years. You can imagine the strength necessary to serve in that position for 16 years. Even the strongest are certain to feel a considerable burden throughout those years. Chief Hoell conducted himself admirably and served with distinction.

Chief Hoell believed in transparency and used social media to ensure the public was well informed regarding law enforcement matters. This is from his last official post as the Germantown Chief:

"It has been an absolute pleasure communicating with all of you on this page. I tried to keep it informative, while every now and then having a little fun. I also attempted to humanize the badge and break down barriers. What I mean by breaking down barriers is creating good communication with the public we serve. As a hypothetical explanation, think about going to a gathering where you don’t know anyone in the room. For a lot of people, it may be a little uncomfortable not knowing anyone, communication may be a bit challenging. Now think about going to a gathering where the room is filled with friends and family. Communication is obviously more comfortable, and you feel more at ease."

Chief Hoell was a great boss and a caring friend. In law enforcement a Cop’s Cop is someone who watches out for his officers, has their back, and gives them the support they need to do their job. Pete was a Cop’s Cop. His leadership style emphasized accountability, where expectations were made clear. He was able to measure this with compassion and a genuine concern for his people. Too often the burdens of this job are felt long after retirement and especially by those who gave so much.

I pray God comfort family and friends with the assurance that those burdens are gone and our friend and loved one is at peace.

Good News: We will see you on the 4th!
Bad News: We will *NOT* have a "SPLASH ZONE" this year, as our Engine 62 is out of service until next week.

Still a great parade and a fun event at Fireman's Park.

HUGE 4th of July Event upcoming!
Are you joining us on the 4th of July?

Maha and her brother Dan enjoyed their *first* Fire Station visit! Saw so much and asked even more questions. Dan wants to start working here today.
😎🚑🚒

GFD helped close out the week of SAFETY TOWN! A Parks & Rec program for kids starting school in the fall.

Learning about fire safety with the Survive Alive House, seeing Firefighters in their gear and hearing them talk with the air mask on, and even seeing the Crew respond to calls with lights and sirens today.

Over 150 kids participating, with Youth Volunteers helping to supervise, made for a great day at the Station!

Lemonade lookout on Division north of Mequon: Kendall and Chaylin will be smiling all afternoon. Stay hydrated in today's heat!

Muffin Monday!! Thank you to the Gables for treating us to breakfast on Mondays😁

Sawyer hosted his annual "Alex's Lemonade Stand" yesterday, raising funds for childhood cancer research. We had a few minutes between calls to enjoy the weather with him!

"Ride Home in a Fire Truck" raffle winner day! Adelyn and her 3 friends enjoyed a ride home from school today in Engine 62. MPO VanderHeiden drove the long way home, lots of singing in the back 😁, a few sirens and photos, and everyone saw the equipment compartments up close. Congrats! 🚨😁🚒

Thank you for lunch, Miller Family!! We were happy to be part of the recent BLAZER DASH and cheer everyone on. But getting a surprise lunch made our day! 😎

"Ride Home in a Fire Truck" raffle winner day! David and his 3 friends enjoyed a ride home from school today in Engine 62. MPO VanderHeiden drove the long way home, a few sirens and photos, and everyone saw the equipment compartments up close. It was a party!!!🥳 Congrats! 🚨😁🚒

"Ride Home in a Fire Truck" raffle winner day! Colton and his 3 friends enjoyed a ride home from school today in Engine 62. MPO VanderHeiden drove the long way home, a few sirens and photos, and everyone saw the equipment compartments up close. Congrats! 🚨😁🚒

See you there!!!

Put this date on your calendar to get to Robert's Frozen Custard to support one of the Leadership Germantown Class of 2024 projects!

The best part about warm weather? Lemonade stands!

Congratulations Shawn on completing your first full-time year!

"Ride Home in a Fire Truck" raffle winner day! Lincoln and his 3 friends enjoyed a ride home from school today in Engine 62. FF/MPO Clark drove the long way home, a few sirens and photos, and everyone saw the equipment compartments up close. Congrats! 🚨😁🚒

See below for an information release regarding the incident on U.S. HWY 41 this morning.

"Ride Home in a Fire Truck" raffle winner day! Conrad and his 3 friends (Hudson, Nora & Wyatt) enjoyed a ride home from school today in Engine 62. FF/MPO Martinich drove the long way home, a few sirens and photos, and everyone saw the equipment compartments up close.
Congrats! 🚨😁🚒

The safest place during severe weather is the lowest level of your residence away from windows. Also have multiple forms of notification in the event of severe weather (Phone, Radio, TV) Don’t count on being able to hear severe weather sirens during inclement events.

Your Germantown Firefighters were performing storm spotting for tonight’s thunderstorms that had the possibility of producing tornadoes and captured this picture.

We’re at the WCTC job fair from 4-7 tonight. Spread the word.

See below for an information release from the multi-family residential fire this morning.

New photos of tender 1792.

We loved being a part of the day!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/5BxEZrJeeanSbrYb/?mibextid=WC7FNe

So, can we all agree that this is NOT the place you want to deep fry your turkey. This will definitely get our full attention. Be safe and happy thanksgiving!