‘Is this guy for real?’ Mishicot firefighter named Wisconsin Firefighter of the Year after rescuing family from fire amid February 2022 snowstorm.
MISHICOT - John Tulachka is a busy guy.
He not only serves full-time as public works director for the village of Mishicot, but also volunteers as a firefighter for both the Mishicot and Tisch Mills fire departments.
His dedication to all those roles led the Wisconsin State Firefighter's Association to name Tulachka Firefighter of the Year for 2022 at its recent banquet and annual conference.
“I was shocked,” Tulachka, who didn’t know he was nominated, said. “It’s such an honor.”
He was nominated for his actions to save a family when their house caught fire during a major snowstorm last year.
Tulachka was plowing snow at about 3 a.m. on Feb. 25, 2022, when his pager went off, alerting him to a nearby fire. He decided to go straight to the scene in his public works truck and was the first to arrive, clearing access to a water hydrant and a place for fire trucks to park.
“I saw smoke coming out of the rear of the house,” he recalled. “I didn’t have my fire gear with me and was thinking about what I should do.”
Tulachka saw a woman standing at the door. Her husband had gone back into the home’s basement to grab some personal items and papers. He helped the woman find her husband and get him out of the house safely. Tulachka then went back into the house, amid the smoke, to close the door and secure the fire as much as possible.
His fellow firefighters arrived minutes later to put the fire out.
Tulachka was one of about 10 nominees, said Thomas Krajnik, second assistant chief for the Mishicot all-volunteer department. Krajnik is a member of the association’s board, but did not participate in the award’s vote because of a conflict of interest.
“He’s really deserving of the award,” Krajnik said. “One of the other board members looked at John’s nomination papers and asked me ‘Is this guy for real?’ It’s pretty amazing.”
There are 644 volunteer fire departments, 41 full-time departments and 125 hybrid departments, according to the state of Wisconsin. There are about 10,000 firefighters in the state.
Tulachka has been a volunteer firefighter in Mishicot for nine years and with Tisch Mills for 20. It’s a family affair, with both his brother and uncles serving as volunteer firefighters.
“I feel it’s a way to give back to the community and to help the community,” he said. “I like being able to help people on what is probably one of the worst days of their life.”
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Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2586. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Mishicot firefighter Wisconsin association's Firefighter of the Year
