Jackson Fire Department

05/18/2026

*Happening Tonight*

Simulated HazMat Exercise at Sysco Foods

West Bend, WI – The Washington County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Jackson Fire Department, Washington County Hazmat Team, Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department, Jackson Police Department, Froedtert West Bend Hospital, and Aurora Medical Center Washington County are jointly participating in a HazMat exercise on the evening of Monday, May 18, 2026.

The exercise will take place at Sysco Foods and simulate a hazardous materials leak. The exercise planning committee from the participating agencies is making the public aware that there will be minimal impacts on the public or traffic, and that the associated activity is not for an actual emergency situation.

HazMat hazardous materials leak exercises are simulated emergency scenarios where employees, response teams, and external emergency responder agencies practice how to detect a hazardous materials release, contain and control the leak, protect workers, the public, and the environment, and communicate and coordinate effectively.

Please direct any media inquiries to Jackson Fire Department Assistant Chief Jim Huyser – 262-677-3811.

05/16/2026

We want to congratulate Lieutenant Gregg Rathke on graduating this weekend from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire and Emergency Response Management.
Great work, Gregg! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to both your education and the fire service have truly paid off. We are proud of this accomplishment and excited to see all that you will continue to achieve. Congratulations on this well-deserved milestone!

05/13/2026

For Immediate Release: May 13, 2026

Media Contact: Jackson Fire Department Assistant Chief Jim Huyser – (262) 677-3811

Washington County Emergency Management - (262) 335-4399

Simulated HazMat Exercise at Sysco Foods

West Bend, WI – The Washington County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Jackson Fire Department, Washington County Hazmat Team, Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department, Jackson Police Department, Froedtert West Bend Hospital and Aurora Medical Center Washington County are jointly participating in a HazMat exercise on the evening of Monday, May 18, 2026.

The exercise will take place at Sysco Foods and simulate a hazardous materials leak. The exercise planning committee from the participating agencies is making the public aware that there will be minimal impacts on the public or traffic, and that the associated activity is not for an actual emergency situation.

HazMat hazardous materials leak exercises are simulated emergency scenarios where employees, response teams, and external emergency responder agencies practice how to detect a hazardous materials release, contain and control the leak, protect workers, the public, and the environment, and communicate and coordinate effectively.

Please direct any media inquiries to Jackson Fire Department Assistant Chief Jim Huyser – 262-677-3811.

05/12/2026

On Monday, April 27th, firefighters from the Jackson Fire Department, Hartford Fire Department, Slinger Fire Department, St. Lawrence Fire Department, Allenton Fire Department, Kewaskum Fire Department, and Germantown Fire Department participated in a live-fire propane training exercise focused on enhancing firefighter safety, knowledge, and operational readiness.
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who helped make this valuable training opportunity possible:

-Wisconsin Propane Gas Association for sponsoring the class
-Coffeeville for providing food at a discounted price
-Boehlke Bottled Gas for supplying the propane
-Washington County Fair Park for providing the training facility
-Fire, LLC for providing education and instruction

Most importantly, thank you to the firefighters from all participating departments who dedicated their evening to continuing their training and professional development in order to better serve and protect our communities.

05/04/2026

05/04/2026

With the strong winds and low humidity today, there is a high risk of grass fires. Crews are currently heading to Hartford for our 2nd fire of the day. Please consider holding off on any controlled burns as sparks travel and fires run quickly on days like this.

05/02/2026

The JFD is starting a campaign to raise funds for purchasing a UTV. This will allow for better access and support for marsh rescues and snow mobile trail incidents, grass fires, and public events such as the county fair and local sporting events!

We had the honor of accepting a wonderful donation from the Jackson Piggly Wiggly today that will help kick off our UTV fundraising efforts. Thanks Dale and team for your support!

If you or your company would like to partner in our fundraising efforts, please reach out to Lt Grevenow at [email protected] for more information.

04/27/2026

Reminder.
The Jackson Fire Department, in partnership with the Wisconsin Propane Education & Research Council (WiPERC), is hosting an emergency response, live propane fire training tonight at 6:00 PM. Approximately 50 firefighters from the Jackson Fire Department and surrounding areas are expected to attend. At times during the training, area residents and motorists may see flames shooting 20 feet or more into the air. Local media are welcome to watch at the training area.

The training consists of classroom instruction on the physical properties of propane and a hands-on portion that includes five fire scenarios, including a grill, forklift, bulk tank, and propane terminal piping props. All hands-on training is overseen by Wisconsin-certified fire instructors, FIRE LLC, and is conducted in accordance with NFPA 1403. The Jackson Fire Department is providing local coordination and the location for the training. WiPERC estimates the value of this training is $4,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the group trained and the number of trainers required.

Propane will be provided by Boehlke Bottled Gas, a WPGA member who participates in the propane industry check-off program, which provides the funding for this training.

The Wisconsin Propane Education & Research Council is the education foundation of the Wisconsin Propane Gas Association (WPGA).

Classroom and hands-on training will be held at Washington County Fair Park and Conference Center at 3000 County Hwy PV, West Bend, WI 53095.

For more information on this program, contact Cheryl Lytle, WPGA/WiPERC Executive Director at [email protected] or (608) 844-8477 ext. 2 or Assistant Chief Jim Huyser at 262-677-3811.

04/22/2026

PRESS RELEASE: Jackson Fire Department Hosts
Emergency Response Fire Training

The Jackson Fire Department, in partnership with the Wisconsin Propane Education & Research Council (WiPERC), is hosting an emergency response, live propane fire training on Monday, April 27, 2026
at 6:00 PM. Approximately 50 firefighters from the Jackson Fire Department and surrounding areas are expected to attend. At times during the training, area residents and motorists may see flames shooting 20 feet or more into the air. Local media are welcome to watch at the training area.

The training consists of classroom instruction on the physical properties of propane and a hands-on portion that includes five fire scenarios, including a grill, forklift, bulk tank, and propane terminal piping props. All hands-on training is overseen by Wisconsin-certified fire instructors, FIRE LLC, and is conducted in accordance with NFPA 1403. The Jackson Fire Department is providing local coordination and the location for the training. WiPERC estimates the value of this training is $4,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the group trained and the number of trainers required.

Propane will be provided by Boehlke Bottled Gas, a WPGA member who participates in the propane industry check-off program, which provides the funding for this training.

The Wisconsin Propane Education & Research Council is the education foundation of the Wisconsin Propane Gas Association (WPGA).

Classroom and hands-on training will be held at Washington County Fair Park and Conference Center at 3000 County Hwy PV, West Bend, WI 53095.

For more information on this program, contact Cheryl Lytle, WPGA/WiPERC Executive Director at [email protected] or (608) 844-8477 ext. 2 or Assistant Chief Jim Huyser at 262-677-3811.

04/13/2026

Pediatric EMS training tonight. Part of this training will include radio traffic. We will be “Responding” no lights or siren to areas in the community for different patient scenarios.