This week’s featured question was submitted for Merrill Fire Chief Josh Klug
The question reads-
“Is there any sort of specialized training the department goes through in the case of rough winter weather like we have been seeing lately? I cant imagine high winds, blinding snow and bitter cold goes easy on your equipment much less the MFD crew. Be safe out there!”
Answer as given by Chief Klug:
“While the Merrill Fire Department does not have any specialized training for extreme weather, more importantly it has high quality employees working for us. We only hire people who have the grit and determination to fight through the toughest of conditions. We only hire people who won’t quit when things get tough. Thank God we don’t have employees who would simply walk away from their duties when the going gets tough because not all fire departments are fortunate to say that. That said, our personnel are human, so if needed we will rotate them during an incident when exposed to extreme conditions.
“In addition to our personnel meeting our high standards, we also provide as much equipment as possible to handle these extreme conditions lately. First, some of our apparatus are 4-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicles. Other vehicles have chains on them that can be deployed to get us through tough spots. Recently we added a v-plow to our new utility vehicle. This will allow us to bust through a road or driveway if needed, so MFD personnel can get to a patient or incident. Finally, we are hopeful next year we can upgrade our off-road rescue vehicle from a wheeled unit to one with tracks. This will allow personnel to get to hard to reach patients safely. Extreme weather conditions like we are having, and will likely continue to have, are not easy to deal with, but rest assured the Merrill Fire Department will continue to provide the best possible service to our community regardless of weather.”
Do you have a question or concern you would like to address with a local official? If so, simply email your question or concern to [email protected]. Currently, ten city, county and state officials participate in the Ask an Official feature. Participating officials are as follows: Merrill City Administrator Dave Johnson, Merrill Common Council President Rob Norton, Merrill Fire Chief Josh Klug, Merrill Police Chief Corey Bennett, Merrill Area Public Schools Superintendent Dr. John Sample, Lincoln County Administrative Coordinator Jason Hake, Lincoln County Forestry, Land and Parks Director Kevin Kleinschmidt, Tomahawk Police Chief Al Elvins, Wisconsin DNR Conservation Warden Curt Butler and Wisconsin State Patrol Lieutenant Richard Reichenberger. Please Note: Those who choose to submit a question or concern will remain anonymous.