Fire Department - Town of Peshtigo

Welcome

The Town of Peshtigo operates a volunteer based, paid-per-call fire department consisting of up to 25 firefighters that have proudly served our community for almost 60 years.
Established in 1964, the department covers the entire 56 square mile Town of Peshtigo, serving a population of over 4,100 residents. The service area includes those rural areas outside the city limits of both Marinette and Peshtigo and extending into the waters of Green Bay on two sides.

Through its fire department, the Town provides primarily fire protection and technical rescue services, relying on the private volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad and hospital based paramedics to provide emergency medical services. Call volume averages 110 calls per year and all responses are based out of one fire station on Old Peshtigo Road.

The Town of Peshtigo Fire Department is an active member of the Marinette County Fire Association and Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 144.
Town firefighters are all trained to meet or exceed state mandated training standards. In addition, the department has a number of firefighters trained as hazardous materials technicians that assist the City of Marinette Hazmat Team and several that are state certified fire instructors.

Public Education & Fire Prevention

Our History

Remembering the Peshtigo Fire of 1871

Photo Gallery

Town of Peshtigo – Engine 205 Replacement

Contact Us

In an emergency, DIAL 911. For administrative questions or needs you may call the Town Hall at (715) 582-4332.

Mailing Address:
W2435 Old Peshtigo Road
Marinette, WI 54143

E-Mail: [email protected]

Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/townofpeshtigofiredepartment

Mission

The mission of the Town of Peshtigo Fire Department is to provide fire protection and related emergency services in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all town residents, occupants, visitors and their properties.

Vision

Our vision is to provide high quality and efficient emergency services by developing and maintaining community partnerships, by hiring and training exceptional volunteers, and by meeting or exceeding state and national standards as related to the fire service.

Values

We value having pride in our organization, the service we provide, and the equipment we use.

We value the honor of being part of a profession that is trusted by the community.

We value the integrity and honesty of our members and what upholding these values means to our customers.

We value the dedication, commitment to excellence, and reliability in everything we do.

We value leadership, teamwork, innovation, respect and tolerance in our organization.

We value cooperation and partnerships with other emergency service providers.

We value the social good in what we do as an organization and as individuals.

Come Join Us

We continually seek out individuals who are team players with a strong desire to help others, possessing the courage and dedication to respond to emergencies at a moment's notice. We do have high expectations of our volunteers, but we respect the fact that they have lives, families and jobs that take precedent outside the fire department. We do promote training beyond the minimum standards and ask for regular participation in department activities. In exchange for your commitment, we promise to treat our firefighters with respect, outfit them with the best equipment available and we won’t waste your time.

Eligibility requirements include:

Live or work within ten miles of the Town of Peshtigo Fire Station (City of Marinette and City of Peshtigo residents are eligible)
Be at least 18 years of age and out of high school
Possess a valid driver's license
Have a clean background check with no criminal or felony convictions
Pass a medical and occupational physical exam including drug screening test
Complete minimum 60-hour Entry Level Firefighter training within one year
Complete a six-month probationary period following completion of Entry-Level Firefighter training

To apply, pick up an application at the Peshtigo Town Hall or click here for an application

Our Firefighters

Active Firefighters

Mike Folgert
Chief
Serving since 1986

Rich Seils
Asst. Chief
Serving since 1991

Derek Monnette
Captain
Serving since 2012

Ryan Kass
Captain
Serving since 2011

Joe Paoli
Lieutenant
Serving since 2016

Gabe Aschbacher
Firefighter
Serving since 2018

Jed Buechler
Firefighter
Serving since 2008

Jim Meyer
Firefighter
Serving since 2005

Chris Callies
Firefighter
Serving since 1997

Clarence Coble
Firefighter
Serving since 1974

Justin Couillard
Firefighter
Serving since 2018

Jordan DeForge
Firefighter
Serving since 2021

Justin Walk
Firefighter
Serving since 2022

Alli Kacalo
Firefighter
Serving since 2022

James Matthews
Firefighter
Serving since 2018

Brittany Peterson
Firefighter
Serving since 2008

Dano Sebero
Firefighter
Serving since 2018

Adam Walker
Firefighter
Serving since 2017

Adam Staszak
Firefighter
Serving since 2014

Retirees

We thank and honor all past members of the Town of Peshtigo Fire Department who retired after reaching the age of 50 and having served as a volunteer firefighter for at least 15 years.

If you know of other retirees who are missing from this list please let us know so we can add them.

Bob Eggener, 1987-2020

Scott Fredericksen, 2004-2019

Mark Monnette, 1982-2018

Tim Roggendorf, 2005-2016

Norm Rohde, 1983-2015

Brian Peterson, 1989-2015

Bryan Peth, 1971-2013 (deceased)

Grace Pennings, 1977-2010

Rose Peth, 1982-2005

Amber Lynwood, 1986-2005

Gary Lynwood, 1986-2004

Dale Edlbeck, 1983-2001

Jim Doemel, 1985-1997

Bill Johnson, 1973-1988

Richard Kotecki 1964-1985 (deceased)

Connie Doemel, 1988-1997

Alex Dudka (deceased)

Franklin Biernet (deceased)

Herb Hoffman (deceased)

Tom Grandaw (deceased)

Daniel Erickson

Art Bigger (deceased)

Dennis Behnke (deceased)

Leonard Peth Sr. (deceased)

Norm Mumpy

Daniel Lea (deceased)

Nels Plym Sr. (deceased)

Richard Zoellner

John Sutek

Our Apparatus

Engine 205

Engine 207

This 2010 rescue pumper was built by Rosenbauer America on a commercial Freightliner chassis. This pumper was placed into service in April 2010, carries 1,000 gallons of water and is capable of pumping 1,250 gallons per minute. This truck is also used to carry our extrication equipment, commonly known as the “Jaws of Life”. This is our primary first due engine and has a four-person cab which permits us to respond with a full crew of firefighters.

Brush 1

Brush 2

Tender 234

Tender 235

Polaris 900 UTV

Cold Water Rescue Trailer and RDC

Rescue Boat

Public Education and Fire Prevention

Fire Extinguishers

Fire Extinguishers (source: NFPA)

A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives; but portable extinguishers have limitations. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the #1 priority for residents is to get out safely.

Class A, B, C, D, and K Extinguishers:

A portable extinguisher must match the fire that is being fought. There are five classes of fires. Extinguishers are labeled with letters and symbols for the classes of fires they can put out.

Class A – Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth and paper

Class B – Flammable Liquids such as oil and gasoline

Class C – Energized Electrical Equipment

Class D – Combustible metals such as magnesium and sodium

Class K – Combustible Cooking Oils and Equipment

To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS:
Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you, and release the locking mechanism.

Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.

Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.

Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side.

Smoke Alarms

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Carbon Monoxide Alarms (source: NFPA)

Carbon monoxide is an invisible, colorless and odorless gas that results from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane or burning wood. Carbon Monoxide detectors should be installed outside of every bedroom and on all floors of each residence. Test your alarms monthly, check for low batteries and, if the alarm sounds, move to fresh air and call 911.

Kitchen Fire Safety

Kitchen Fire Safety (source: NFPA)

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.

What you should know about home cooking safety

Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire

Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

Exit Drills in the Home

Exit Drills in the Home (source: NFPA)

Your ability to get out of your home during a fire depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors.

Burning Permit Regulations

Prior to conducting any open burning within the Town of Peshtigo a DNR annual burning permit must be obtained whenever the ground is not completely covered with snow. After obtaining your permit, and prior to burning, you must then call 1-888-WIS-BURN or go to https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/ForestFire/restrictions.asp to check the daily burning restrictions and fire danger.
Burning permit requirements with a link to obtain a DNR burning permit application: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forestfire/permits

Burning permits are NOT required anytime the ground is completely snow covered or for fires such as campfires designed solely for cooking food or warming purposes.

Our History

A chronological timeline of the fire department since its inception in 1964:

April 28, 1964
First meeting of the new organization held at the town hall

Howard Rettke elected as first fire chief / president (April 1964 – Aug. 1966).

Purchased the first pumper truck, an American LaFrance, to be housed in Marinette under contract

June 1964
Ratified the By-Laws of the new organization – Town of Peshtigo Volunteer Firefighting Company

September 1964
First group photo taken on September 26, 1964

October 1964
Town Board abolished the ordinance authorizing the volunteer firefighting company and created a Town of Peshtigo Fire Department. All current officers to remain the same with Howard Rettke as fire chief

April 1965
Pay rate of $1.00 per hour set by the town board for volunteers responding to fires

June 1966
First tanker truck chassis purchased from Gustman – A 1966 Chevrolet to be outfitted with a 1,000 gal. water tank

August 1966
Adolph Benson elected Fire Chief (August 1966 – Sept.1967)

Model By-Laws approved by the Town Board

February 1967
Tanker truck completed and now housed at Marinette Fire Dept. with the town’s pumper

September 1968
John Benson elected Fire Chief (Sept.1967 – Sept. 1969)

September 1969
Tom Grandaw elected Fire Chief (Sept. 1969 – March 1983)

April 1970
Purchased 11 firemen coats for $70.04 each

August 1971
Mutual Aid agreements in place with Marinette, Menominee, Peshtigo and Oconto

May 1972
Purchased second tanker with 2,200 gal water tank from Marinette Produce

July 1972
Received military surplus 6 x 6 truck on loan from DNR – outfitted with a 1,000 gal water tank. Purchased two portable Hale pumps

May 1973
First paging radios purchased

January 1975
Purchased second pumper – 1,000 gpm (Engine 6), built by Pierce Mfg.

June 1977
Engine 4 rebuilt by Pierce Manufacturing

July 1977
Fire station constructed by the town hall on Old Peshtigo Road

April 1979
Mini-pumper (Engine 8) purchased for $27,700 – built by Pierce Mfg.

July 1980
New base radio and 180 ft. radio tower installed at the fire station

March 1983
Bill Johnson elected Fire Chief (March 1983 - January 1988)

January 1988
Clarence Coble elected Fire Chief (January1988 – December 2009)

May 1991
Fire Corporation was dissolved with the fire department officially becoming a town fire department

October 6, 1992
Public hearing at the town hall regarding termination of the contract with Marinette and taking a truck out of the Marinette station. Town decided to maintain the contract.

January 1994
Town Board orders a new truck (Engine 205) from 3-D in Shawano to replace the original truck purchased in 1964. New engine is equipped with a Compressed Air Foam System and delivered in October.

May 1994
I.S.O. conducted a field audit and improved the town’s Public Protection Class rating to 7

September 1994
Engine 204 taken out of service at Marinette Fire Dept. and sold. Engine 206 moved to Marinette Fire Station upon delivery of new engine

January 1996
Purchased the first multi-gas detection monitor and implemented procedures for responding to carbon monoxide alarms.

Sept 1996
Purchased a 1988 International chassis from State Surplus for $14,900 to be outfitted as a tanker truck (T-233). Tank installed by T-Line Equipment in Monroe, WI.

April 1998
Received a 1986 military surplus Chevrolet pick-up truck on long term loan from DNR to be outfitted and used as a brush truck

May 1999
First Scott Thermal Imaging Camera purchased for $15,500

2000
Converted Tanker 233 to a vacuum tanker to enable self- filling

December 2000
Contract with Marinette terminated at the end of the year with Engine 206 being moved back to the Town of Peshtigo Fire Station. Marinette will provide mutual aid upon request.

March 2002
New vacuum tanker truck (Tanker 234) purchased for a cost of $120,000 from Monroe.

December 2004
Town Fire Commission created. Bill Johnson elected chairperson

December 2004
Engine 205 re-built by Elite Power Products with a new pump and foam system

February 2007
Town Board authorized the purchase of ice water rescue equipment including rescue suits, ropes and an inflatable rapid deployment craft.

Summer 2007
Fire Station completely remodeled and expanded with two additional truck bays, new roof, new walls, insulation, plumbing, an office and rest room. Cost $350,000.

January 2010
Mike Folgert appointed Fire Chief (January 2010 to ___)

April 2010
New fire engine (E-207) delivered. Built by Rosenbauer America on a Freightliner chassis. Replaces Engine 206 which was sold to The Motor Company for $4,000

August 2013
Dodge tanker (Tanker 231) removed from service and sold for $3,555

November 2013
New Brush Truck (Brush 1), built on a F-350 chassis was purchased from Red Power Diesel at a cost of $85,478. Replaces old Dodge Tanker (T-231) and 1979 mini-pumper (Engine 208)

February 2014
Dodge mini-pumper (Engine 208) sold through the Wisconsin Surplus Auction for $4,950

June 2015
Town of Peshtigo Fire Department celebrates its 50th year anniversary with an old-fashioned picnic with pig roast at Badger Park. Congressman Reid Ribble presents the town with a Congressional record commemorating 50 years

August 2014
As a result of an I.S.O. field audit, the town’s Public Protection Class rating improved to class 6 for all properties within 5 miles of the fire station.

March 2016
New water tender (T-235) delivered. Built by Stainless & Repair in Marshfield, WI on a Freightliner chassis for $208,000. This vacuum tanker has a capacity of 3,200 gallons and replaces an old tanker (T-233) that was destroyed in a crash while shuttling water to a fire in June 2015.

October 2017
New 2017 F-350 four-wheel drive pickup truck with a crew cab (Brush 2) was purchased locally from the Motor Company and outfitted with a winch, emergency equipment package and the Department’s existing skid unit at a total cost of $47,153. This truck replaced the 1986 military surplus truck that was on loan from, and returned to the DNR.

2018
A used, 10 ft. inflatable, Avon, semi-rigid boat equipped with a 9.9 hp four stroke outboard motor, was purchased with funds from grants and donations at no cost to taxpayers. The boat comfortably carries two people and is equipped for performing rescue work either in the Peshtigo River or near shore waters of Green Bay.

April 2019
New Polaris 900 UTV, outfitted with tracks, was purchased from Cozzy’s Polaris for $19,000. A firefighting/rescue skid was fabricated by Stainless & Repair of Marshfield, WI, and mounted on the back of the UTV.

August 2021

New Mercury Rigid Inflatable (RIB) rescue boat was placed into service. This rescue craft is equipped with a 40 hp Mercury outboard motor and Humminbird navigation system. The boat and motor were donated by Mercury Marine, while the trailer and all other associated equipment were entirely funded through grants, donations and fund raising events.

Remembering the Peshtigo Fire of 1871

2021 was the Sesquicentennial year of America’s most deadly forest fire that burned over 1.2 million acres in northeast Wisconsin, also taking over 1,000 lives on October 8, 1871.

Learn more about this tragic fire by checking out the following link: https://www.facebook.com/peshtigohistoricaldays/