VILLAGE OF PLOVER
FIRE/EMS DEPARTMENT

Hours:	7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Location:	Plover Municipal Building, 2400 Post Road
Telephone:	(715) 345-5310
Fire Chief:	Tim Kluck
Email:	tkluck@ploverwi.gov

Village of Plover Fire Department
“The Growth of a Community Service”

1949 to 2008
by:  Fire Chief, Tim Kluck, February 2008

Prior to 1949, an all volunteer department protected the citizens of Plover.  In the spring of 1949, the Charter members of the Town of Plover Fire Department began to organize and provide fire services with one fire truck.  These original members included; Lloyd Phelps, Don Mansavage, Ed Stump, and Ray Tomczak.

On July 5, 1951, the Village of Plover Fire Department became an official volunteer fire department within Portage County and the State of Wisconsin.  The department was located at the intersection of Post Road and Willow Drive.  Fire Chief Lloyd Phelps was responsible for the department oversight.  Chief Phelps served the department in the role of Fire Chief until 1966.  In early 1952 an alerting siren was purchased and affixed to a pole at the department to assist firefighters in responding to incidents. 

May 9, 1957, the department received a 1949 Packard combination hearse and ambulance which was purchased in Elkhorn, WI.  The cost of the ambulance was $800.00.  In July 1957, an ambulance committee was formed to discuss various aspects of the operation of the ambulance.  The cost for the ambulance in 1957 was $5.00, and 10 cents per/mile for Plover residents.   1958 saw the addition of a resuscitator for the ambulance personnel to use (from funds donated from the 9^th Annual Fireman’s Festival).

In the early 1960’s, the department began providing contract fire services for a portion of the Town of Grant.  This service was in addition to already existing contract services to the Town of Plover, Town of Buena Vista and the Town of Stockton.  In 1966, Fire Chief Glen Sterling became responsible for department oversight.  Chief Sterling served the department as Fire Chief until 1974.  1968 saw the end to ambulance service provided by the department due to increasing state requirements and lack of funding issues.

In 1974, the department selected Fire Chief Joe Radomski to head up the organization. Throughout the period of the 70’s, the department continued to experience significant growth, increased response to incidents and increased training requirements.  Fire Chief Joe Radomski and department members continued to upgrade many services and equipment throughout this period including the addition of portable radios.  On Saturday, October 4, 1975, the department took delivery of a new engine which replaced the 1952 model pumper.  The new engine had a 750 gallon a minute pump.  The department also took delivery of a new brush truck this same year.  This brought the total number of apparatus to five trucks (two engines, two tankers and one brush unit).  In late 1978, the department began making plans to move into the new municipal center which was to be built over the next few years.

On October 18, 1980, the department participated in the dedication of the new municipal center, which included general Village offices, an activity center and Police and Fire Department office space.  The new facility provided the department with additional space for fire trucks as the department continued to grow and expand its services.

April 1983, saw the development of a 1^st Responder emergency medical services program for the department.  Fourteen (14) firefighters and police officers participated in training.  On September 13, 1984 the department began providing 1^st Responder services with sixteen (16) members.  These members responded to a total of 53 incidents in their first year of existence.  In 2007 the Department’s 1^st Responder program responded to a total of 706 incidents. 

A new fire engine was added to the Department on November 17, 1983.  The 1,000 gallon per minute engine holds 750 gallons of water and was built by Gruman Mfg., of Roanoke, Va.  Chief Radomski placed the unit in service within one week of deliver, following extensive training of Fire Department staff.

Joe Radomski became the first full-time paid Fire Chief for the Village of Plover on January 1, 1984.  The Village Board decision to make the position full-time was based on the “increasing number of fire inspections necessary, size of the department and to provide greater efficiency, according to George Bauman, Village operations director”.  Prior to this time, the position was part-time.  The department continued to upgrade services provided, adding Hazardous Material Level “B” Technicians and performing UST/AST Tank Inspections.

Things continued to develop and grow well as we move into the 90’s.  The addition of a Snorkel aerial ladder apparatus in 1991 and the “Jaws of Life” extrication tools brought the total number of apparatus to ten (three engines, three tankers, one wildland brush, one rescue, one HazMat, and one snorkel).   A second full-time position was added to the department in June 1991, when Assistant Fire Chief, Jeff Berry was hired. 

The Village of Plover created a Police & Fire Commission in 1992, as called for by Wisconsin State Statutes (communities whose population exceeds 5,500 are required to create a Police & Fire Commission).   In December, 1992, the department receives the Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating of 3 for the Village of Plover.  

In 1994, the 1^st Responder program began to utilize defibrillation units for cardiac incidents.  Also in 1994, Assistant Fire Chief, Jeff Berry resigned from Department to accept the position of Fire Chief with the City of Waupun.

In 1996, the 1^st Responder program responded to a total of 260 incidents.  In July of 1996 the Village hired Dale Garski, who was hired as a Captain.

Entering the 21^st century, several significant changes occurred in the department.  Fire Chief Joe Radomski retired from the Department in December 2003, following his tenure of 29 years as Fire Chief.  Chief Radomski is credited with significantly developing the department into one of the finest combination (i.e. career/paid-on-call) fire departments in the State of Wisconsin.  Chief Radomski also served as President of the Wisconsin State Fire Chief’s Association during the 90’s. 

On April 30, 2004, Fire Chief, Tim Kluck assumed the position of Fire Chief, representing the second person to serve as Fire Chief for the Village and its service area.  Chief Kluck previously was the Fire Chief for the City of Antigo from 1996-2004.  Prior to that he was a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Marshfield from 1984-1996.  Chief Kluck began his fire career as a volunteer firefighter for the Town of Hull Fire Department from 1979-1984.

In March, 2005 Chief Kluck fostered development of an automatic-aid agreement between the Village of Plover and Whiting, which calls for each municipality to immediately send the other department one engine and a minimum of six (6) firefighters to all structure fires.  This agreement ensures that additional personnel will be on-scene to fight fires immediately and was considered a vital safety issue for both communities.  This agreement initially grew out of the continued Village growth and development of the Crossroads Commons and Village Park at Plover developments.  

In December 31, 2006 the Department discontinued providing hazardous material level “B” coverage to Portage County, due to significant increase in training requirements for a service that is provided only a few times each year.  In 2006, the department joined the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), Wisconsin Division 110, Portage County.  MABAS provides state wide mutual aid to all participating divisions, and mutual aid on a local basis from all participating Portage County Fire Departments. 

In December 31, 2007 the Town of Stockton ended its contract with the Village to provide fire protection service to the Town.  The Town of Stockton created its own Fire Department and began providing service on January 1, 2008.  Chief Kluck was instrumental in assisting the Town as it sought to develop its own Fire Department.  In the 2007 Annual Report to the Police & Fire Commission, Chief Kluck reported that the Fire Department responded to 921 incidents.   Of this total, 706 were 1^st Responder/EMT incidents, and 215 were fire/rescue related. 

In 2008, the Village of Plover and City of Stevens Point are discussing the possibility of a joint purchase of a new aerial ladder platform.  In addition, Village of Plover, City of Stevens Point, Village of Whiting, Village of Park Ridge and Town of Hull have begun discussions about exploring the feasibility of forming a Metro Fire District.

As the Village of Plover Fire department looks forward, our number one goal is to ensure that we continue to provide the highest level of service to our customers at the most affordable cost.  We will continue to invest in our most valuable resource, our members through continuing education and training.  We will continue to investigate alternative methods to providing services with our neighboring municipalities.

Mission Statement:

The Mission of the Village of Plover Fire/EMS Department is to provide the highest quality proactive and reactive fire, EMS and Rescue service of a modern nature. This service shall include, but not be limited to public education, inspections, fire prevention, EMS, assistance to law enforcement, training and fire suppression. These services will be provided via the most cost effective method as governed by the Police & Fire Commission, Village Board, and Fire/EMS Department Officers.

Organizational Values:

We believe and are committed to....

• Accountability
• Communication
• Community Service Beyond Expectations
• Customer and Employees Satisfaction
• Diversity
• Innovation
• Leadership and Teamwork
• Loyalty, Commitment and Trust
• Professionalism
• Safety For Our Members and Community
• Service Excellence
• Training Competency

GENERAL INFORMATION

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The Village of Plover Fire/EMS Department consists of a full-time Fire Chief, a full-time Captain and a combination of forty-three (43) “paid-on-call” firefighters and emergency medical technician (EMT) personnel who provide a wide variety of services including;

·          fire suppression
·          emergency medical services;
·          vehicle extrication;
·          confined space rescue;
·          wildland fire suppression;
·          fire inspection program;
·          public education program;
·          collapse rescue;

The department provides these services to the Village of Plover residents, and to the contracted areas of the Town of Buena Vista, Town of Plover and Town of Stockton.  In March of 2005, the department began providing first-responder EMT services to the Village of Whiting.  With the implementation of this program, seamless EMS coverage shall exist throughout Portage County.

The department continues to participate in the county-wide mutual-aid agreement with the other eleven (11) departments throughout Portage County.  In the event any department becomes overwhelmed due to an incident, they are guaranteed receiving assistance from the remaining departments.

On December 1, 1992, the Village acquired a Town Class 3 Fire Rating which positively impacts insurance premiums paid by Village property owners.

In 2005, the Fire Department received a FEMA Grant for $153,000 that enabled the department to obtain 27 SCBA, 40 sets of turnout gear, and 19 sets for the Stockton Fire Station. And in 2006, received another FEMA Grant for $98,000 that was used for the purchase of a new vehicle exhaust system. With these FEMA Grants, Plover is responsible for 5% of the cost, with the grant covering the other 95%.

Department fire fighting apparatus consists of ten units, one of which is an aerial ladder platform capable of elevating to 100’ in height.  In the spring of 2007 the department will take delivery of a new 2008 - Ford F-550 4x4 Crew Cab Brush Unit. The brush unit will replace the existing brush unit and will allow the capacity for more personnel. It will hold approximately 300 gallons. 

As of January 2005, the department began assisting the Town of Stockton with the development and implementation of a fire department station.  Currently, Stockton firefighters have been responding with either the Amherst Fire District or the Village of Plover Fire/EMS Department to incidents in the Town of Stockton.  The Stockton station now has their own engine, brush unit, tanker, and the Plover Fire Department will be in the process of relocating a water tender to the Stockton station on Feb 1, 2007, to help improve response times.

Link to EMS Page