DE PERE, Wis. (NBC 26) — What was normally a one-alarm fire Wednesday night in De Pere required response from six surrounding fire departments because of the extreme cold, officials say.
De Pere Fire Chief Alan Matzke says firefighters work shifts were halved from 10-20 minutes to 5-10 minute intervals as they dealt with icy conditions on a bitter cold winter night as they doused a two-story wood-frame apartment complex at 833 Ash St.
While extreme heat and cold can complicate fire response efforts, Matzke says winter conditions are undoubtedly worse for responders.
"Things just don't go right for us," Matzke said. "We were fortunate last night. We didn't have equipment failures. We didn't have hose failures, but typically that's when we're expecting it. We're expecting the worst in those situations."
Matzke wants to remind residents that shoveling out fire hydrants that may sit around your property can save first responders 10 minutes of work, instead of leaving them buried under snow. On Wednesday night, firefighters connected to three area hydrants in case pipes and hoses had frozen. Even though ultimately pipes had not frozen, the cold impacted human resources by cutting their ability to sustainably work outside on the fire for more than 10 minutes at a time. Usual work cycles last up to 20 minutes before rotating crews.
"Thats kind of what led to our need for more people," Matzke said when asked why they had to call on six additional fire units. "So our people, once they got wet and needed a rest cycle, we needed to cycle in more responders. Now that fire wasn't really complete – our crews were on scene until midnight. So from the time it started, there were several hours of really physical work that had to be done, and the only way we're able to accommodate that is by switching in, let our people rehab and rest in a warm environment."
The rehab trailer is similar to police command trailers brought to heavier crime scenes where responders need additional but protected space to work on site. It is filled with snacks and blankets, and is available to what Matzke calls the Fox River Fire District: De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Lawrence, and Ledgeview are included.
