Green Bay -- Late Thursday afternoon, Engineer Arnie Wolff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant by the Green Bay Police and Fire Commission.
Wolff, 55, died Sunday in a house fire he was fighting on the city's east side. He was a 17-year veteran of the Green Bay Fire Department.
He was nominated for promotion before his death, and the fire department decided to proceed with his promotion posthumously.
About 20 city firefighters were on-hand at the meeting to support the promotion. The meeting began with a moment of silence.
"I think it was just another part of our grieving process and healing process that they see this happen and they see it through," Fire Chief Jeff Stauber said.
Chief Stauber explained to the commission that the lieutenant position has been vacant since July 18, so the promotion is essentially retroactive, meaning Wolff was a lieutenant from that time until the day he died. Stauber said Wolff was fully qualified for being a lieutenant.
"The things that are happening over the past few days and tonight's visitation and tomorrow's funeral is part of that process, and hopefully it'll help to bring closure," Stauber said Thursday.
Republished with permission from WBAY
