NSFD Program Highlights Extra Holiday Hazards

The North Shore Fire Department's "Keeping the Wreath Red" program begins Saturday, and is a time to promote additional awareness of fire safety.

Saturday marks the beginning of this year’s "Keeping the Wreath Red" campaign from the North Shore Fire Department. The campaign highlights the importance of added home fire awareness during the holiday season.  During the campaign, a wreath with red lights will be hung outside each of the five stations in the NSFD. If holiday decorations cause a fire, a red bulb will be switched out for a white bulb. “When we’re talking about the holiday season, there are extra hazards in place,” said Capt. John Maydak of the NSFD. These extra hazards are not solely related to decorations. According to Maydak, the most common cause of house fires is cooking. Some of the added hazards during the holiday season include: Several steps can be taken to prevent…

• Photos (1)

Thick Smoke and Darkness, Fire Departments Work on Rapid Intervention Training

Fire departments across Southeastern Wisconsin trained in mixed groups to rescue simulated fallen firefighters in situations where seconds mean the difference between survival and a memorial service.

Crawling across the floor of an enormous warehouse, a team of six firefighters from different departments follows a hose line toward what they hope is their fallen comrade. Simulating a "mayday" call, these firefighters are practicing Rapid Intervention Training where they attempt to rescue a fallen firefighter.  “Occasionally, conditions on the scene change and firefighters find themselves in situations where they become the one needing help," North Shore Fire Assistant Chief Andrew Harris said in a press release. "This training helps us learn to recognize the signs that we may be in trouble and call for help early to ensure that we make it home to see our families." Along with the North Shore Fire Department, Cudahy, Franklin, Greendale…

• Photos (12)

NSFD Honors Retiring 30-Year Veteran Firefighter

Heavy Equipment Operator Robert Lewis is a third-generation firefighter. He publicly thanked his parents and said he's most proud that his mother and father were still alive to see him retire.

The fire bell rings and all police officers and firefighters snap to attention, standing tall and stiff, hands at their sides, eyes locked forward. As the firetruck rolls in, the siren is let loose in honor of North Shore Fire Department's Heavy Equipment Operator Robert Lewis' retirement after more than 30 years as a firefighter.  Lewis is a third-generation firefighter with deep roots in Southeastern Wisconsin, beginning with his grandfather's time as a firefighter in Ixonia. Tuesday morning, dozens of Lewis' friends, family and co-workers attended a ceremony at NSFD Station 1 in Brown Deer.  An official fire department escort brought Lewis to the station. As he stepped off Engine 1, he was welcomed by an official color guard, other …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (11)

North Shore Fire Officials Dive into Growing Cost of Post Employment Benefits

Officials look at how to fund an estimated $22.2 million liability for retiree benefits other than pensions.

Bayside Cuts the Red Ribbon on the New Consolidated Dispatch Center

The new dispatch center is open for business, now supporting all seven North Shore communities for police and fire dispatching services.

Roughly 700 days after the first movement toward a Consolidated Dispatch Center, the Bayside Village Board stood in the new entry way for the official ribbon cutting ceremony.  Robb DeGraff, Sam Dickman, Bill Hersch, Eido Walny, Michael Barth and James Petersen were all in attendance, along with members of both the village hall and police departments.  The new center supports dispatching services for all seven North Shore communities including Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, River Hills, Glendale, Shorewood, and Whitefish Bay.  The Public Policy Forum awarded the North Shore Consolidated Dispatch Services with their "Intergovernmental Cooperation" award for the work it took to negotiate and come to agreement with all seven communities. But…

• Photos (1)

Honoring EMS Teams: More Than a Job, a Calling

As National EMS week comes to a close, we remember those who arrive on scene first to administer life-saving emergency medical attention and bridge the gap between the accident scene and the emergency room.

You're driving along Interstate 43 and someone tries to sneak between yourself and the next car. They cut it just a little bit too close, tapping your front bumper, tipping you into a 70 mph spin. Next thing you know, you're trapped motionless in your car and hear sirens creeping in the background.  Why is the first thing you see a fire engine and not an ambulance? Because every fire engine in the North Shore Fire Department is loaded with life-saving equipment and fully EMT certified fire fighters that bridge the gap between you being trapped in that car-wreck, and making it safely to the emergency room.  "Being an EMT or a paramedic is not an easy job, they see things that most people would never want to see," NSFD Chief Robert Whitaker …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)

Sarah Worthman

2:38 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012

Hi David - I actually didn't know it was police/law enforcement week last week. I caught wind of this on Facebook and so we did a story. Please feel free to shoot me a note if you know of something coming up you'd like us to look into covering though! sarah.worthman@patch.com   more ›

Photos: Local Families Attend Chametz Burning

Local synagogues and the North Shore Fire Department paired up for a Passover bread burn, representing a spiritual scouring of the soul.

Mid Friday morning, dozens of families made their way to Station 2 of the North Shore Fire Department in Glendale to participate in the official bi'ur chametz, or burning of leavened bread, in honor of Passover. "The goal of the Fire Department is to be in touch with who we're serving, and if we don't understand who we're serving, I don't think we're doing our job 100 percent," Capt. John Maydak said. Check out this article for more information on why this is so important to both the fire department and local synagogues.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (9)

CowDung

1:53 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012

It's good to see the fire department taking the 'extra step' to serve the members of their community like this.   more ›

Local Fire Department and Synagogues Pairing Up for Passover Tradition

For safety and community connections, the North Shore Fire Department is hosting an official chametz burning – the removal by fire of all leavened bread – in honor of Passover.

It's not a pairing you see every day: a fire department mostly filled with Christian men pairing with Jewish synagogues for a religious ceremony. But for Passover, it's all about learning about each other and keeping the community connected. And it's more widespread than just the North Shore.  The North Shore Fire Department will host an official bi'ur chametz, or burning of leavened bread, in honor of Passover from 10 to 11:45 a.m. April 6 at NSFD Station 2 in Glendale, 5901 N. Milwaukee River Pkwy. "The goal of the Fire Department is to be in touch with who we're serving, and if we don't understand who we're serving, I don't think we're doing our job 100 percent," Capt. John Maydak said.  Rabbi Wes Kalmar of Congregation Anshe Sfard …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (10)
• Videos (1)

Rabbi Wes Kalmar

10:50 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

It's a good question Dave. The truth is that at this time of year, there is a strong Jewish custom to donate large amounts of money (called Maot Chittin - 'money for wheat') to the poor so that they can afford the extra cost of the Passover holiday. There are also food donation sites throughout the congregations and institutions of the Jewish community at this time of year so a ton of food does …   more ›

Fire Department Fees Increasing for 2012

Largest increase is a $30 hike in advanced life support transport for a nonresident. There's also a new $900 fee for kits to treat exposure to nerve agents.

Gas prices aren't the only cost that's going up — fees for services by the North Shore Fire Department are as well. However, these fees aren't jumping quite as exponentially as recent gas price spikes. "The changes in fees are very limited," NSFD Chief Robert Whitaker said. "The only changes are ALS services, which is a county-wide fee structure. At this point, we don’t expect a significant change in our revenue projections based on these changes in fees." There are only a total of four fee increases and three new fees on the 2012 schedule including: The new fees include: The most expensive new fee is the cyano kit, which is a special injection used to treat exposure to nerve agents according to NSFD Lt. paramedic Pete Bierton. "We've been…

•  13 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

David Tatarowicz

11:17 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012

@chief Thank you for your response. I understand, as I think everybody does, that if there wasn't a fee, the cost would go to taxes. I for one would rather see it covered by taxes and not have the documented reluctance of elderly or poor to hesitate to call. Also, there is nothing worse than when a family gets a bill for service after a loved one dies in a traffic accident, from a heart attack, …   more ›

NSFD Report: Eighth-Graders Stuck in Stalled Elevator

The latest reports from the North Shore Fire Department.

The North Shore Fire Department responded to a total of 98 calls for service, 75 EMS calls, and 23 fire and rescue calls from Jan. 30 through Feb. 5 throughout the North Shore. Here is a summary of the calls from Shorewood and Whitefish Bay. There were no reports this week for Fox Point or Bayside. Whitefish Bay Shorewood

• Photos (1)