Matthew N. Haerter

Mastery of a craft is a goal with an ever-moving finish line. Acceptance into FEMA’s Master Public Information Officer Program is the next step in honing my abilities to effectively convey the accomplishments of our agency, inform those who rely on us, and telling a story everyone can appreciate regardless of background.

This once-a-year competitive opportunity includes an application process which centers on what we can do to better the field. My focus was on the impact of sworn Therapy K9 Teams embedded in the chaotic environment of information centers and groups functioning at incidents, events, and more. While we have been fortunate to do this locally, we will now try it nationally as I and Tesla attend the program in Maryland at the Emergency Management Institute and across the lawn at the National Fire Academy.

As I enter this challenge, I am thankful to my mentors of so many years, the journalists who have held me accountable to do good work, and the communities who trust it.

The journey really never ends and I look forward to this next chapter, learning from others, and paying it forward along the way. Thank you to the incredible team at the EMI for the confidence and I assure that I will do my absolute best to surpass expectations (and yes I know they are way more excited to have the dog there)

K9 Tesla

It’s always fantastic to see careers prosper and evolve. Congratulations to these three and may this just be the beginning for their success!

27 May is a day of mourning and celebration for our great nation. We mourn the loss of those who so selflessly offered their lives for the greater good. We celebrate their valor, their honor, their greatness. The lists and results of these sacrifices go far beyond freedom. They embody a way of life we as Americans enjoy and that others can only hope to duplicate. Certainly we hear the the disdain from those not pleased with our country yet they still don’t leave as others continue to try to come in - and for good reason as America is indeed great.

Our United States is not -nor will it ever be- perfect. That said, it’s an amazing place that affords us as fortunate citizens to live how we please and pursue what we will.

This photo is one I took when I was fortunate to be my dad’s guardian on his honor flight. His reflection with the names of his friends who died while he was serving as a fighter pilot in Vietnam remains one of the more powerful images I look to often for clarity.

We owe it to all of them to take time to be thankful for those whose war has ended. We owe it to all of them to remain grateful people of such caliber lived to achieve such greatness. We owe it to all of them to live a life worthy of them giving theirs.

Exactly.

A tragic loss of a good man. More of us die at our own hand than from injuries or illnesses while on shift. It’s an epidemic and people are here to help.

Tremendous respect for the family as well as CFD for putting this out there and talking about it. So many times su***de isn’t recognized and capturing this opportunity allows others to learn from Jared’s death and hopefully prevent future ones.

Talk to your people. They may not be ok.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/sCjoaT2qxywGovY1/?mibextid=WC7FNe

It is with immense pain that we share with you the death of Firefighter/ Paramedic Jared Kneale. Jared passed away last night at the age of 42.

Our members are on bended knee grieving. Words cannot describe the void his passing has left in this department. Jared was hired on 4/29/2015 and initially assigned to the 1st battalion where he served for one year. He was transferred to the 2nd battalion where he remained until his passing. Jared was assigned to Ladder Truck 1. He was a member of the TROT team and an integral part of the radio division. Jared spent many hours on his off days repairing radios and knox boxes. His most important role undoubtedly was head chef at station #1. He cooked nearly every meal, a task he took great pride in. Every morning, he imparted the same greeting to incoming and off going crews, a simple "YOOO". Jared had infectious laughter and was all the ringleader for pranks around the station. He had an insatiable love of candy. Most specifically peanut butter m&m's and sweet tart chewys. He always kept the door to his locker open knowing full well the entire crew would sneak handfuls of his candy that he never let run out. Jared had great mechanical aptitude and loved operating the ladder truck and its equipment. He took great pride in showing floaters to the station how to run the truck. He was the go-to guy on shift if you ever needed help fixing your car. Jared was a "helper" no matter what the task he always wanted to help.

It is with the permission of Jared's wife and children that wish to share that Jared's death was the result of su***de due to a post traumatic stress related illness. Jared's family and our members are struggling to make sense of his decision to take his own life but we have collectively agreed his passing cannot be for nothing. We MUST and we WILL make something positive come out of Jared's death. In his final moments Jared signaled to us his wishes to use his death to help bring awareness to firefighter mental health. We urge our fellow brothers and sisters to reach out to one another.

Upon receiving notice of Jared's death 70 plus firefighters immediately descended upon the hospital. Our members took great comfort in being able to say goodbye one final time and receive Jared at the funeral home. Our department is heartbroken but resilient. Our members are rallying around each other and exemplifying the true meaning of "brotherhood". We would like express our sincere gratitude for the outpouring of support we have received during this trying time. Jared leaves behind his wife, six children and 151 united brothers & sisters. We ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. At this time his family is asking for privacy as they grieve. Arrangements will be made available once finalized.

Thank you for the outpouring of love.

Take care of one another.

It was on the internet so it has to be true right?!

Thank you to all the moms out there for all they do and a special thanks to those who work in public safety and the armed forces. You are all incredible.

Charlie is an absolute inspiration. Her story is one of recovery and victory against insurmountable odds. It is an absolute honor to know her and humbling to be associated with a county who understands how invaluable her contributions are.

Thank you to Waukesha County Health and Human Services and Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow for their surgically clear vision and relentless pursuit of success as this effort continues.

https://www.facebook.com/share/ShCevHhNSxCZKPhR/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Waukesha Co. woman shares her powerful story of recovery in new mini-documentary The Waukesha County Health and Human Services releases a series of mini documentaries about addiction and recovery on this Fentanyl Awareness Day.

Over the last few years, we have accomplished a lot our local public safety agencies as well as communities as a whole. What started as a goal of direct affect on the mental health for first responders has evolved into a community presence covering almost anything you can think of.

We are fortunate to be involved in the efforts of Waukesha County and the work to combat local effects of opioid fatalities. Part of this effort regards a multi-disciplinary media campaign to bring the issue home from various perspectives. As we were working to make of these days perfect for the staff running it, Tess took a break outside to be a pup for a few moments. When working, she "checks-in" with me constantly to get cues and make sure she's doing what's expected. She also can let me know if she's ok during it as well. As she did this one, I bent down and she gave me her paw for an ear scratch (they have to be behind the ear) and then a big kiss. It was all captured by the crew inside.

While it may not look like much, this simple photo captured exactly what we do. She has become such a right hand that I couldn't imagine a day without it and when it comes down to it, I would be hard-pressed to place into words the good work she's done. She's affected so many and I hope it will continue well into the future as we work to start more teams and help as many people as we possibly can.

I’ll admit this one snuck up on me. So many years thanks to an incredible amount of good people to learn from along the way and in the process, hopefully pass some things on to others.

I remember when I first was hired, the members I thought were the seniors of the department were younger than I am now; yet I don’t think I’m old yet :)

Here’s to the next 30…..

We had an incredible time last evening at The Pfister Hotel supporting the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation, Inc. who cares for burn injured youth, firefighters, and our communities!

Please check on each other. You never know when you’ll be the one to help someone who really needs it.

For help in the US, remember 988 is an incredible resource.

Check in on those around you | #WorldMentalHealthDay 💛💚 #youarenotalone At times, it can be obvious when someone is struggling to cope. But sometimes the signs are harder to spot. Check in on those around you. ...

The Illinois Fire Service Institute is arguably the best training and research facility one can learn from. Their accomplishments are vast and lives saved uncountable. Today one of the instructors found themselves in a deadly situation and lived because of practicing what he preaches.

I cannot adequately express in words the gratitude for what IFSI offers and the subsequent benefits to others once those attending return home.

May God bless Ryan, his family, the victim, and all MFD members.

Fatal Milwaukee fire, firefighter burned; officials provide update | FOX6 News Milwaukee WATCH: Officials are providing an update on a fatal fire that happened in Milwaukee near 8th and Hayes early Sunday morning. One person is dead and a firefig...

An absolutely incredible place with an unsurpassed vision!

Thank you so much to Delafield Promotion & Tourism for highlighting K9 Tesla! She loves everyone so much (even more than snow)

Have a great day everyone!

Did I see snow in the forecast because I like snow and like to roll in snow and eat snow and run in snow. I like snow.

It’s always great to get our dedicated members some press! If you look closely, you may see a little of K9 Tesla watching the show 🙂

Wildfire season flares up early than expected in Wisconsin Wildfire season typically doesn’t start until April or May.

Happy K9 Veterans Day to all working dogs at Fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and military groups across our nation!

Scotty has been gone for 9 years today. It’s hard to believe.

The world was a greater place when he was around with so many benefitting from his contributions. Family, fire, baseball, and friends were impacted in ways which will forever leave a lasting and meaningful legacy in his name.

It’s easy to dwell on the bad of all this and I’ll admit that I do go down that path…..not because of him going but rather that what could have been. He had a lot left to give and so many others to help. That’s the sting.

With all of that, I’ll also admit that our relationship absolutely allowed me to place things in perspective and achieve clarity while continuing to do my best to on a daily basis. Helping others, mastering your craft, being that support, or just listening all has a part of him in it so others really will continue to benefit as long as anyone continues to do the same. We all can be better.

I miss this guy but I’ll always be grateful for the time we had and what we learned together while he was around.

Take it easy Shoe.

Love how this agency brags up their pup!

'He makes everybody smile': How Stanley the therapy dog has become De Pere Fire Rescue's pride, joy The Australian labradoodle eases stress for first responders, sometimes sits on the mayor's lap and knows exactly who has treats in their desks.

It has been an absolutely brutal week for fire and law enforcement in our country.

Please take care of each other and remember we never ever go on anything routine.

May all affected find some level of peace during these tragic days.

It’s always a good day to find a reason to smile!

❤️ Happy Valentines Day to all of you beautiful people ❤️

Happy birthday to the one and only Gabby Martin ❤️

This sweet and sassy soul and I have had some pretty fun times and she still holds the record for the most (sometimes daily/or like 8 times) FaceTime calls of anyone I have in my life.

Love you girl.

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Watching others thrive and do great things is as good as it gets. Congratulations to our three new Lieutenants who will add to our leadership ranks and facilitate great service to become even better.

Hire smart people and let them do smart things.

Old school pride demonstrated through action. This is how it should be done!

Let’s take care of each other!

Pup had a busy morning. Merry Christmas everyone!

An incredible morning in the City of Wauwatosa planning with our public and private partners for planned and emergent events.

Establishing relationships in advance of the day we are challenged is key to realizing success and we are so fortunate to have forward thinking professionals willing to do just that.

Happy Veterans Day to all of our incredible men and women in the US military. We owe a debt a gratitude which cannot be repaid nor adequately expressed in words.

A special shout out to my hero and dad General Edward Haerter USAF and father in law Randy Paul US Army. You gentlemen are the real deal.