Greenville Fire Department & First Responders

The Greenville Fire Department started as a separate fire department in 1972. The Fire Chief at the time would get the call. He would then in turn call another fireman. Each person then would make a call and give the nature of the fire and the location.

The Department has purchased various equipment over the years. In 1989 a new pumper truck was purchased. They then retired their first truck, which was a 1948 model purchased from the Hortonville fire Department. "Granny" is now used in parades and has its own spot in the Fire Station because it’s one of the family.

Greenville Fire Department from the beginning as told by Jim Peters.

I became a Volunteer Fireman for Greenville in the late 1950’s – 1958.  At this time we met with Hortonville and Ellington in Hortonville.

In the mid 1960’s, the people of Greenville believed it took too long for fire trucks to get to Greenville.  In 1967 the Town Board got bids for a new Town Hall and fire barn which was built around 1969.  About 1971, Hortonville sent the old truck to Greenville.  We went to our first big fire – the Jerry Jentz barn fire in February 1972.

At this time, the Town Board appointed Nob’s Sigl as Chief and myself, Jim Peters, Assistant Chief, to look into a new truck.  We got a 1972 Ford truck and worked with the Ray Richards Co. of Hortonville to build and complete this truck for Greenville.

Our first fire as Greenville Fire Department was a call to a truck fire in December of 1972.  Trucks at this time were filled by water from the large 30,000 tank under the Town Hall floor.  We pumped the water out with the truck pumps at first and then a large pump was put in the tank so we could fill much faster.

Our next truck used to haul water to fires was a used milk truck with a 1,7000 gallon tank.  Later we got a World War II 6 X 6 truck that we put the tank on.  Next was the World War II Jeep we got for grass and marsh fires, which had small pump and brooms for fighting grass fires.

Nob’s Sign retired in 1977.  Karl Korth took over until 1993.  Glenn Kelly became chief in 1993 and retired in December 2000.  Randy Strey took over until the fall of 2002 when he retired.  At that time Dave Julius took over and remains the Chief today.  I stayed on until 1982 when I retired.  Lee Wunderlich then took over as Assistant Chief.  I left Greenville for several years, returning in 1997.  Chief Glen Kelly then appointed me as Fire Inspector, a job I held for several years.   

I had over 25 years as a volunteer in the Greenville Fire Department.  As I left, my son, Mike, took over in my footsteps as an active Greenville Volunteer Fireman.
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I.S.O. Fire Class Rating

Class "5" – This is for commercial buildings which are five miles or less from the fire station and 1000’ or less from a fire hydrant.

Class "10" – This is for all other buildings which do not fall in either of the above classes.

Becoming a Volunteer Fire Fighter

Entry Level:  It takes a minimum of 104 hours and a candidate needs to pass the fire fighter 1 exam (NFPA).  From there, there are many classes that can be taken.  The is all volunteer time.

To help attract new volunteer fire fighters and slow turn over, the Town and Fire Department have started a retirement fund for the fire fighters.

In 2002, we went from one meeting and one training night per month to one meeting and two training nights per month.

Things we train on:

Ø      Airport:  All aspects of fire and rescue on airport grounds.

Ø      Vehicle extrication: jaws of life.

Ø      Fire fighter survival: training a fire fighter on how to survive in a fire, etc.

Ø      Ice rescue:  Water rescue from ponds, river and lakes

Ø      New R.I.T. – rapid intervention team.  A rescue team that is set up at a fire to rescue fire fighters if things go wrong in a fire and they become trapped.

Ø      County wide water shuttle

Ø      Mock disasters:  This is a controlled disaster that is set up for a large scale such as an airport, school, tornado, etc.

Ø      Real structure burns

Ø      We play airpack basketball:  this is where we suit up in full gear including airpacks and play ball.  Trains us on air consumption, heart rate, etc.

Safety Building Renovations

Ø      In 2004 the Safety Building was renovated to create more office space, an indoor training area, and a security system to monitor incoming and outgoing personnel.

Equipment History 

Ø      In 1989 our 1^st custom built pierce pumper was purchased with a 1000 gallon tank.

Ø      In 1993 the Department bought a Snap On Tools Van and refurbished it themselves for Fire Department use.

Ø      Our first jaws unit was purchased with donations from throughout the community.  In 2004, the Department ran with two jaw units.

Ø      In 1995, the Department put together a trench rescue trailer.  They had a trench rescue shortly after that time.  The trailer was the first and only one built in Outagamie County.

Ø      In 1998 tanker truck #10 was purchased to hold 3,000 gallons and pump 1,750 gallons per minute.  This was a Pierce Fire Truck.

Ø      In 1999 a 6 X 6 off road ATV was purchased for grass fires, off road fire and rescue.  The off road trailer was built by the Department themselves from 4-wheeler parts.  It was the 1^st off road rescue in the County.

Ø      In 2000 a grass fire and rescue truck was purchased to replace the old World War II Jeep.  The jaws unit is carried on this truck along with foam for quick knock down.

Ø      In 2003 a pumper tanker was purchased from Pierce.  This is the 1^st out truck.  This vehicle can carry 2,500 gallons of water, foam, a 1250 gallon pump and the jaws unit.

Ø      In 2005 a rescue truck will replace the van for safety and more equipment.

Personnel and Mutual Aide

All of our Fire Department equipment and man power are involved in mutual aide with other fire and E.M.S. units in the County.

We have 43 members that are all from the community. They are all volunteer and have to go to 60 hours of training to be a certified entry level fire fighter. The State provides the training through the Fox Valley Tech system.

Our members are selected from applications sent in by anyone interested in giving his or her time and talent back to the Community. There is always a waiting list to get accepted to the Fire Department.

Members of the selection committee interview the applicants. The committee is comprised of the elected officers and the Fire Chief. This committee recommends to the Fire Department as a whole, who they think would be a candidate. Most of the time, we select four or five people at one time so they can attend classes as a group. After they complete their training, they are on a three month probation period to see if they are still interested in this kind of volunteer work. After this period, the Town Board accepts them as a member of the Fire Department.

Meetings

We meet two times a month. On the 2^nd Monday we have training or drills to remain sharp in the skills we have. On the 4^th Monday we have our business meeting to discuss recent runs and ways we can improve in the future. We also hold discussions on future purchases and equipment we may need in the future.

Greenville 1^st Responders

The First Responders are a very fine dedicated group of residents who give freely of their time and talent to help in medical emergency situations. They work hand in hand with Gold Cross Ambulance and area hospitals to provide fast response to medical emergencies in our area. They are trained by Fox Valley Tech and Gold Cross instructors in First Aid, CPR, an extrication of victims from auto accidents and farm and industrial accidents. They also respond to heart problems and any other medical problems. They have seven AED machines to restart heart beats in heart attack victims.

As with the Fire Department, the 1^st Responders are always looking for people to help out. If you can help, please contact the Town Office or any Fire Fighter or First Responder.

Fire Fighter and 1^st Responder General Info

Fire Fighters and 1^st Responders are dispatched from Outagamie County 911 center. Each Fire fighter and E.M.S. personnel have their own pager which tell them where the emergency is at. All 1^st Responders carry medic bags, oxygen and have 16 channel portable radios and carry a fire extinguisher. All use their personal vehicles and receive no pay for doing this very important work.

The Fire Department and the 1^st Responders operate on a budget approved by the Town Board. They use this money and donations from area business and clubs to purchase radios and bags. They also have to re-supply bandages, oxygen and supplies to their medic bags. The Fire Department has to provide truck maintenance and repair equipment and replace equipment with these funds.

ONE  1^st RESPONDER

ONE FIRE FIGHTER TURNOUT GEAR

The Fire Department has ten 16 channel portable radios.  Six are carried by officers, four are in the van.