'Slow down': Two Milwaukee firefighters were struck by a vehicle while removing snow outside their fire station Monday
Two Milwaukee firefighters were struck by a vehicle while removing snow outside of their fire station Monday morning, according to Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. Both are recovering at home.
Two firefighters were working on removing snow from the approach in front of Milwaukee Fire Department Station 4, at 9511 W. Appleton Ave.
"This is a responsibility we take extremely seriously because if we can't get out of our overhead doors with our vehicles, we can't respond," Lipski said during a Monday afternoon news conference. "You'll oftentimes find firefighters — because there is nobody else who does it — removing all the snow from in front of their own stations so that they can have a ready response."
Shortly after 7 a.m., a vehicle traveling eastbound on Appleton Avenue left the roadway, and crossed over the sidewalk and the station's front lawn. It struck the two firefighters, then spun and hit the building, Lipski said.
The firefighters, a 38-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were immediately attended to by on-site fire station personnel, Lipski said. Two paramedic units and a battalion chief were requested to assist.
Both firefighters were transported to Froedtert with non-life-threatening injuries.
"It is dumb luck and the grace of God that we're not dealing with a fatality or critical injury here today," Lipski said.
The firefighters were released from the hospital and are expected to recover at home over the next few days.
The woman firefighter is a member of the department's recruiting section and has been with the department for about 2½ years. She was working an overtime shift when the incident occurred.
"We're constantly hiring firefighters to work extra shifts on an emergency basis," Lipski said. "She was helping with that."
The man firefighter who was struck has been with the department for about 1⅓ years.
The driver has been cited for driving too fast for conditions, Lipski said. The damage to the building was "relatively minor."
"Please, let's just slow down," Lipski said. "There's a lot of people, there's a lot of traffic in this city. If we're not respectful for each other and we're not at least aware that driving this two-ton bullet down the road could have an impact on someone else's life or lives, let's bring that awareness back to the forefront."
Slow down and practice safe driving
"Let me give you some pointers on how to handle driving a vehicle on the road since it appears to be confusing people lately," Lipski said.
Slow down
Leave extra space in front of your vehicle
Turning lanes are not meant for rapid passing
Wear a seatbelt
Put kids in car seats in accordance with their age and weight
Use vehicle lights and make sure they're in working order
Shovel out hydrants
He also said to thank a firefighter. Year-to-date, the fire department has responded nearly 50 times to reports of buildings on fire, he said. During 32 of those, he said, firefighters had to work by laying hose lines, pushing fire and/or rescuing people. Eight of those fires required additional resources.
"This is against the backdrop of violent crime that you are all witness to, up to and including the absolutely horrific events from yesterday," he said. "Our firefighters are just jamming all of these calls in."
"They are laying it out for you, on the ringer, and it is at a pace we have not seen ever in this city," he continued. "I am so very proud to be leading this fire department, where our firefighters will go out there and will go through this grind every day."
Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two Milwaukee firefighters struck by vehicle outside fire station
