MFD Bureaus | Milwaukee Fire Department (2024)

The Milwaukee Fire Department EMS Division is headed by Deputy Chief David J. Hensley.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)constitute for over 80% of the emergency responses by the Milwaukee Fire Department and close to 95% of all the 911 calls handled by Milwaukee Fire Equipment Dispatchers. The EMS Division writes and updates the MFD’s EMS Standard Operating Guidelines and monitors quality assurance of patient care and transportation by the department’s EMS personnel, as well as private providers working under the MFD to provide Basic Life Support (BLS) transport for the city’s 911 callers.
The EMS Division coordinates licensing and training for the firefighters of the MFD, which includes more than 600 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and over 200 Advanced Life Support (ALS)-trained paramedics. The EMS Division recruits and interviews prospective paramedics from within the department and is responsible for assigning the department’s paramedics to their individual companies, which include ALS ambulances, fire engines, trucks, and special operation units.
Additionally, the EMS Deputy Chief writes the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) Grant application and coordinates the distribution of the funds, when awarded, while monitoring adherence to the grant guidelines. Several of the MFD’s EMS projects under the MMRS Grant guidance include the Tactical EMS (TEMS) program (which provides paramedic support for regional law enforcement tactical teams), stocking Surge ambulances for regional Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI), and pioneering patient-tracking equipment and procedures for large-scale incidents.

The Milwaukee Fire Department Special Operations Division is headed by Deputy Chief Joseph F. Hegeman, Jr.

The Milwaukee Fire Department Special Operations Division has the responsibility for recruiting, training, and maintaining the skills of over 200 Special Team members. These Special Team units exercise expertise in three major disciplines: The Hazardous Materials Response Team (HAZMAT), the Heavy Urban Rescue Team (HURT), and the Marine Unit. The Deputy Chief of Special Operations responds to all Special Team assignments as well as all third alarm fires as the Rapid Intervention Team (R.I.T.)/Safety Chief.
The Heavy Urban Rescue Team has over 90 members, and they operate in 4 disciplines: Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue, and Structural Collapse Rescue. They are also dispatched on all third alarm fires as the Rapid Intervention Team. The HURT team operates out of Station 23 (Kinnickinnic River Parkway and Oklahoma) and Station 24 (located at 50th and Fiebrantz).
The Hazardous Materials Team (HAZMAT) has over 75 members and operates as a regional response team. The HAZMAT team operates out of the quarters of Engine 33 (located at 45th & Burnham).
The Marine Unit has over 60 members and is further divided to include these specially trained units: Boat Pilots of the MFD Trident fireboat and the Dive Rescue Team. The Dive Rescue Team and the Trident Pilots operate out of the quarters of Engine 2 (located at James Lovell and Wells).