UPDATE
Milwaukee City leaders discuss fire safety measures in wake of 3rd deadly house fire in 1 week.
MILWAUKEE- The busiest time of the year for the Milwaukee Fire Department also coincides, this year, with the coldest snap of the season.
Since the start of January the fire department has responded, on average, to two residential fires per day. But it’s not the abundance of calls that provide the most challenges, it’s mother nature.
“The cold creates all kinds of issues for us,” Deputy Fire Chief Dewayne Smoot tells WTMJ. “You’ve got slippery conditions, water doesn’t respond well to the cold because it freezes so quickly and sometimes we run into issues where fire hydrants aren’t shoveled out or cars are parked in front of them… all of that slows us down.”
The issues don’t stop there, “a lot of our rigs are big, they are wide, and the snow banks can make it difficult to maneuver them on some neighborhood streets.”
Just this past week the department’s responded to three deadly fires, including one Tuesday afternoon near 21st and Scott on the city’s south side in which a 57-year-old-man was killed.
The fires, even if they aren’t deadly, are destructive.
“Wisconsin is behind only Louisiana when it comes to displacements because of these fires,” Red Cross Milwaukee’s Justin Kern says. “We currently have 700-plus people that’ve been displaced since the first of the year.”
Deputy Chief Smoots says the cause of these fires can vary widely, but says many, this time of year, have a common cause.
“It’s people trying to heat their homes with alternate methods, whether that be from space heaters or by using their ovens,” he tells WTMJ. “Many of these homes are also old and their systems weren’t made for things like chargers, TVs, DVD players, and things being all being plugged in at the same time.”
Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski joined Wisconsin’s Afternoon News about the high number of fire calls, the challenges of putting them out in below freezing temperatures, and tips to prevent them from starting. Listen to the interview below: