Hello Fellow Chief’s:

As I sit down to write this article, I realized that this will be the last one from me as your President of the Association. At our June conference your new President, Chief Steve Denzien will be starting his term. I have enjoyed the time as your President and wish Steve well as he takes over leadership of your Association for the next two years. Yes, that’s right, two years because we approved the bylaw changes last year to change the terms of our Office. We did this to provide some more time for your leadership team to complete projects that sometimes cannot get completed in one year. We have always had a great transition when we start each new year, however this two-year term period will provide more consistency and identification to our outside agencies and legislators. We will be able to better continue the progress your Association has made and the partnerships we share. By having a two-year term, it makes it easier for legislators to better recognize our President because some years the House and Senate aren’t in session much and we can’t get a lot of things completed legislatively. It’s going to be better for your President as well, because once you start getting momentum going there’s a better chance, you’ll see it completed while you’re still serving in the Presidents role.

It seems like the year went by really fast but we were productive and successful on advocating for causes to improve items that effective the fire service in Wisconsin. I have mentioned this numerous times, that membership in the State Fire Chiefs has value. We all have many things to manage in our respective departments and belonging to your state Association makes better use of our time because your Association is looking out for your best interest as well. You have the added value of access to other chief officers who may have experienced what you’re going through and can help you navigate the obstacles that may come up. Your resource pool is not limited to just Chiefs. There are quite a few of our members who have experience in other professional fields on a daily basis (Part time Chiefs, POC & POP members, Combination Departments, and Volunteer Chiefs) who bring that knowledge and experience to our members as best practices and real-life experiences. If you know a neighboring chief who isn’t a member, find out why and share the value you have experienced from your participation and welcome them to join us. There is must to say about the strength in numbers and your Association represents the majority of the Fire Service leaders in our state.

In just a short time we will be gathering in Milwaukee for our annual conference from June 24^th-28^th. We are looking forward to an excellent conference and the hospitality our host city and department have in store for us. Our programs and planning committee has an excellent lineup of networking, educational, technical and entertainment events for us to experience. This is your conference so make the most of it. We have tried hard to have something for everyone to enjoy. We listen to your feedback from previous events and work hard to meet and exceed those expectations. Again, the value you should be getting from your Association comes from your feedback and the resources we provide for you. Don’t forget to share the opportunities we are offering to your inspiring officer’s coming up through the ranks. Don’t be afraid that they make take your job away from you if they learn too much. If we don’t train the next generation behind us, we’ve failed in our responsibility to make tomorrow better than today. Everyone who has served as a Chief has their challenges. Those before us had theirs, we have ours now and the next ones serving after us will have some as well. Let’s make sure we work together to make sure we can deal with those challenges in a cooperative, productive and workable conclusion to help all those effective be able to move forward.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Milwaukee later this month and be able to gain some knowledge, reconnect with colleagues, have some fun and take back useful experiences that benefit our departments and the communities we serve. Stay safe and remember ”Together we make a Difference”

     - John P. Breuer, Fire Chief, Allenton Fire Department

*Updated 6/5/2026