Pulaski, Wisconsin Firefighters Threatened Walkout in Support of Chief, Assistant Chief
After 9 o'clock Wednesday night, everything was back to normal.
Normalcy was restored after a 45-minute, closed-door session with the Tri-County Board of Directors and a meeting that was standing-room-only. The board decided both Chief Wichlasz and his son, the assistant chief, will keep their jobs.
The controversy started Tuesday night when four of the five board members voted to terminate both men if they did not resign within 24 hours.
Board members say Chief Wichlasz abused his power by suggesting that his department would no longer respond to carbon monoxide calls. In January, a Pittsfield family complained about the way the department handled a Christmas Day call to their house when several people were treated for CO poisoning.
The entire fire department threatened to walk off the job in support of Wichlasz.
Board members reversed their decision saying the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
Board member Craig Klatt said, "This decision, I felt, is a big decision. It affects 12,000 people in the surrounding communities, and we have a couple of town chairmen who were making this decision without really getting all the information I feel we didn't get."
"I'm glad it all worked out," Chief Wichlasz said. "This is what I've been fighting for. We've been able to do this for 55 years, since the fire department was formed. I hope we continue down the same path if we have a problem, sit down, work it out, because we're all working for the good of the people."
Klatt was the only board member who would speak on-camera after the meeting.
As for the fire department, Wichlasz says for now firefighters will continue responding to every carbon monoxide call.