BOLTONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

The History of the Boltonville Fire Department (provided by Ann Enright)

    Although the village of Boltonville suffered several serious fire losses since the start of the present
century, such as the loss of the Peter Wood business in 1904 and the school in 1913, there had been no organized
fire department, though Batavia did help with a fire on one occasion in 1916.

    Casper Klunke, local grocer and tavern keeper, was instrumental in arranging the first organizational
meeting of the fire department. Mr. Joseph Riley presided and Ben Wierman acted as secretary of the committee of
Casper Klunke, William Groeschel, Oscar Marbes, Paul Belger and Oscar Frauenheim to assemble information
pertinent to the establishment of an effective fire fighting organization. The committee was also authorized to raise
funds to purchase equipment and solicit subscriptions from residents. They also sponsored a dance. These efforts
raised over $1,100.00 and the committee was authorized at a July 1917 meeting to purchase two No. 10 chemical
engines from La France Company of Chicago. These engines were delivered in November at a cost of $350.00 each.
With these purchases, fire protection for the community became a reality.

    The trustees purchased a parcel of land from Hamm Brewing Company of Random Lake at the southwest
corner o the property which now comprises the Firemen’s Park. A building was erected which housed the
equipment of the department until 1955 when the western portion of the present firehouse was constructed. Records
indicate that $25.00 was paid for the land and that the building cost over $500.00. Fifty-eight members of the
community are listed as charter members of the organization, which included three women: Mrs. F. Pietschmann,
Mary Dullea, and Mrs. J. Schoetz.

    At a meeting held in January, 1918, the Constitution and Bylaws were adopted. The preamble reads as
follows:

    The members of the Boltonville Fire Department, in order to maintain perfect union among themselves,
establish discipline, define duties, insure harmony and promote objects for which they are associated, do ordain and
adopt the following code of laws for the government of the company.”

    The bylaws stipulated that meetings were to be held on the first Tuesday of each month and membership
dues were to be ten cents per month. For non-attendance at meetings and practice sessions of the fire company,
there was to be a fine of twenty-five cents for each infraction of the rules. Article 22 provided that if a member was
injured while fighting an fire, and such injury presented him from doing his regular work, he was to receive a
compensation from the Department of three dollars per week for not more than six weeks.

    The officers elected at this meeting were President, Joseph Riley; Fire Chief, Ben Wierman; Secretary,
Oscar Frauenheim; Treasurer, Casper Klunke; and Steward, Robert Ruel, Sr. Ten men were appointed to act as a
fire company for each new engine, and ten others were designated as a hook and ladder company for the new wagon
that was built by the Belger Brothers at their blacksmith shop.

    The first Boltonville Firemen’s picnic was held on august 4, 1918, and the resulting profit of $410.70 was
deemed a highly successful accomplishment.

    A bell was purchased in 1919 for $41.16. A siren replaced the bell in 1947 and the bell was mounted in a
planter next to the firehouse. In 1920, the department took on a “new look” when it became mechanized through the
purchase of a new Ford run-about for $450.00, enabling the chemical engines to be driven instead of pulled by
horses. A chimney was added to the building so that it could be properly heated and the equipment cared for, as
well as for comfort at meetings. The department was incorporated in 1924. During these early years, the younger
men of the community were also being enlisted as members to help man the equipment. The night of August 13,
1927 marked the first meeting at the firehouse with electric lighting, a gift from Louis Morbes, who was given a
rousing vote of thanks and designated an honorary lifetime member. On November 13, 1927, the members
participated in the unveiling of the Courthouse monument in West Bend that had been erected in honor of the
soldiers who had served in the Civil, Spanish-American and the First World Wars.

    In 1930, two new chemical tanks and a booster pump were purchased at a cost of $1,775.00. They were
mounted on a new Model A Ford chassis purchased from Art Groeschel for $569.00. A quote from the secretary’s
minutes of February 1, 1934 reads: “Chief reported call to Elmer Plaum’s on a bitterly cold day to extinguish
chimney fire, stated that though the chimney was hot, the weather was not so hot,” B. Wierman, Sec’y.

    In 1938 the department purchased the lots adjoining the fire department from George Fay and the Wendel
estate. To facilitate this effort a “Tree Day” was held on April 6, 1940, and the members were asked to bring trees
and plant them in the park. Also in 1938 a 1932 model Chevrolet truck was purchased and a 500-gallon tank and
booster pump were installed. In 1946 the bylaws were revised and the articles of incorporation renewed in
accordance with the more recent provisions of the state statutes.

    A new Ford truck chassis was purchased in 1948 and outfitted with a 500-gallon tank for $9,000.00. The
fire department joined the Badger Firemen’s Association and was awarded the Annual Association Tournament in
1950 which proved to be a gala day in the annals of Boltonville and netted the department a profit of
$1,997.00. During the early years, fire departments existed almost wholly on fundraiser events; since 1945,
however, state law stipulated that municipalities provide a portion of the department support through the tax rolls.

    In 1953, the former Belger Brothers property was purchased and a new firehouse was built in 1955; the
westerly portion of the present firehouse, which was constructed for $24,000.00. The upper story housed the
equipment and the ground floor included a modern kitchen and meeting/dining/bar and rest rooms. The first floor
was frequently used for organizational meetings, town meetings, wedding, and private parties. A panel truck was
added in 1958 and used to carry coats, boots, tools, etc. It was jokingly referred to as the “paddy wagon.”

    In May of 1960 a sizeable group of local firemen took part in a firemen’s training course conducted by the
West Bend Fire Department, and in April 1961 a course in first aid. When the Boltonville Sportsmen’s club was
organized in 1962 with the intent of replacing the mill dam and creating the pond for recreational purposes, the fire
department cooperated and installed a hydrant and constructed approaches to fill the trucks with water. The
hamburger stand was built in the park in 1965. In 1966 the old firehouse was taken down and the basement
converted to out-house-type toilets and storage. To supplement aging equipment, the department purchased a
Chevrolet chassis from Honeck’s in Kewaskum and the pumper and equipment was built by the John Bean Division
of the FMC Corporation of Tipton, Indiana. Several members of the department spent a few days in Indiana training
on the new equipment and brought it home on January 20, 1967. A new siren was installed in 1969 and a new
hypalon portable tank purchased at $236.00.

    In 1970 the new paging system was installed replacing he old phone call-siren sounding system. The
Sheriff’s Department would use their radio equipment to signal the alert that was received in ten firemen’s homes on
10-10 Motorola receivers. Ronald A. Petermann was elected Assistant Chief in 1971, and also served as a training
officer, picnic chairman and hamburger stand chairman until his death in 1995. His passing was a great loss to the
department.

    More equipment was purchased in 1973 – a 610-gallon-per-minute capacity portable pump, twenty feet of
four-inch rubber suction hose and fifty feet of four-inch discharge hose at a cost of $1,295.00. A Chevrolet van was
purchased in 1975 from Cooley’s International of West Bend for hauling apparatus and equipment. This truck
contained extra SCBA’s (self-contained breathing apparatus), fire-fighting clothing, extra air tanks and
miscellaneous equipment. The old “paddy wagon” was sold for the best offer of $200.00. In 1976 and 1977 new
Motorola pagers were purchased for individual firemen at the cost of $230.00 each. With these purchases, the
response time to the fire alert was drastically shortened. A new mini-pumper was purchased in 1979, built by Welch
Fire Equipment Company. The new pumper had a capacity of 400 gpm with a 250-gallon water tank. It was also
equipped with a foam attachment for fighting flammable fuel fires. Other equipment on the pumper consisted of
250 feet of two and one-half inch fire hose line on an automatic reel used primarily for fighting grass fires.

    In 1980 the department added a 2,500-gallon tanker on a GMC tandem axle chassis purchased from Five
Corners GMC in Cedarburg. The original flat roof of the firehouse was replaced with a hip roof in 1985, and a fivetank
Cascade System was purchased for filling air tanks, along with a Malco compressor. In 1989, they took
delivery of a Darley Pumper which was able to seat ten men inside a totally enclosed cab.

    In 1991 the membership voted to purchased the Edna Gilford (tavern) property adjacent to the east
property line for $52,000. From 1991-1995 the buildings on the property were used for storage and training. In
1992, a committee was formed to plan an addition to the firehouse which was constructed in 1995-96, ready just in
time for the 1996 Rain Days Picnic. Added to the original structure was a two-story concrete block structure, fiftyfour
by seventy-two feet. The upper addition provided four truck bays for parking, a hose drying tower, bathrooms,
showers, mechanical room and an SCBA storage room. The old portion of the building was remodeled to contain
three truck bays and three private offices. A computer and printer were added to the equipment.

    The complete lower level housed the kitchen, meeting room, banquet hall and furnace room. The grand
opening included special speakers Town Chairman Jack Theusch, State Representative Glen Grothman, Ray Wolf of
the Washington County Fire Chiefs Association, Jim Dieringer, president of the Fillmore Fire Department, and the
architect who designed the building. MC’ing the event was Norbert Dettmann. Displays and refreshments rounded
out the event. In June 1997, 4.4 acres of land adjacent to the millpond was purchased from Ken and Janet Enright to
use in drills, demonstrations and for parking.

    As of 1997, monthly meetings of the volunteer fire department were held on the first Thursday of the
month, and yearly dues were two dollars. Fire training practices are held on the second and fourth Mondays of the
month, and new recruits must attend sixty hours of classes through Moraine Park Technical College before
becoming certified by the state, a required procedure. Additional training is also required before the recruits can
participate in actual fire fighting. The Assistant Chief, Ken Ramthun, is a fire science instructor the MPTC. Also in
1997, a 1,500-gallon tanker was purchased as a need to improve the department’s ISO (insurance) rating.

    The annual Firemen’s Picnic, which as christened “Rain Days” in 1973 because of the frequent inclement
weather on the chosen Memorial Day weekends, has proved to be very profitable and well-attended fundraiser for
the department. A street dance event has also been added to the list of fundraisers since the new addition was
opened.

    The Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary was originally organized in March of 1955. Their traditional
dinner on the weekend of the Annual Firemen’s Picnic has been continued by the current members of the auxiliary.
The proceeds from the dinner have been used to remodel the kitchen in 1982 by adding some new storage cabinets
and paneling. Additional remodeling, new stoves and refrigerator were purchased in 1992. Donations are
periodically made to the Fire Department for gear, clothing, etc.

    The Ladies Auxiliary provides the firemen with sandwiches and refreshments while they are hard at work
fighting fires at all times of the day or night.

    The First Responders started serving the community in April, 2002. Lt. Norman Bandler served as
trainer. Twenty firemen initially took the classes that consisted of forty-five hours of classes and hands-on training
in first aid and trauma intervention. The First Responders answer the call to 911 emergencies and trauma
accidents. The department responded to thirty-one calls in 2003. Refresher training courses are conducted every
two years, for a total of thirty-two hours. Currently, there are twenty-four members of the team. Lt. Bandler was
instrumental in obtaining a federal grant for the Department of $120,000. They purchased forty-five sets of turn-out
gear and twenty-one sets of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

    In May, 2002, the Department purchased a 3,500-gallon tanker. It has an International chassis purchased
from Cooley’s in West Bend. In service as truck number 2393, the whole unit cost $162,000. A new Peter-Built
equipment truck is expected to be delivered in May, 2004. The twenty-two-foot long Marion Body Works carries
twenty-four sets of gear, a Cascade Air System to refill air tanks, twenty-one spare air bottles, six SCBA units, a
generator with light tower and a canopy for a re-hab area. It will serve as a command center with a desk, radios and
maps.

    The current Boltonville Fire Department has thirty-five active volunteer fire fighters.

    Fire Chiefs of the Boltonville Fire Department: 1917-1918- Ben Wierman; 1919-1920-Fred Belger, Sr.;
1921-1922-Oscar Koth; 1924-1934-Arthur Birkholz; 1935-1938-Brooks Meissert; 1938-1948-Arthur Birkholz;
1948-1968-Lawrence Staehler; 1968-1971-Elmer Belger; 1972-present-Joseph Enright.