Before Milwaukee firefighters head out on emergencies, they rely on behind-the-scenes help to make sure they get where they need to reliably and safely.
Around 40 mechanics, carpenters, painters and other workers operate out of the Milwaukee Fire Department's repair shop in the city's Walker's Point neighborhood, WTMJ-TV reports. They do the essential maintenance work that keeps the department's fleet of more than 200 vehicles running and ready to respond to a fire scene or medical call.
As the shop's unofficial motto goes: "Without us, they walk."
“Our main focus is always to keep the wheels rolling,” John Litchford, the deputy chief of the department's fire support division, told WTMj.
Operating on an annual budget between $5 million to $6 million, the shop is always humming with activity, and a whiteboard on the wall tallies what staffers are working on. Last year, they completed more than 3,800 jobs, a workload that the firefighters who use the vehicles don't take for granted.
“I fixed something and I had a few firefighters shake my hand and say, ‘Thanks.' That's when it dawned on me,” welder Gregory Brulla told WTMJ.
General upkeep isn't the only type of work done at the shop, though. Repairs also are needed when an apparatus is struck by another vehicle, such as when a reckless driver collided with Engine 30 last month, causing $170,000 in damage and sidelining the vehicle for about six months.
“People run into firetrucks more than I ever thought,” Litchford told WTMJ.
But like the firefighters out on calls, people are a priority over property.
‘We always ask are the individual and people involved in this OK,” he added.
