Fire departments in Wisconsin spent this last year combatting more than just the emergencies they normally do. Even though their training is for high-stress tasks that may not be conducive for social distancing, Luxemburg Fire Chief Lew DuChateau says COVID mitigation measures were still at the front of their minds. 

Virtual options became popular as well for off-site training, such as the officer training through NWTC. When called to scenes this past year, fire departments like Luxemburg’s also kept COVID-safe practices in mind if possible. 

It also became standard, especially before personnel was vaccinated, for firefighters to ride in their units with face coverings on. This was important as there may be six people in the unit at times. DuChateau says they are getting their typical amount of calls so far this year. They most recently completed training when they artificially smoked out an old farmhouse.