New Wisconsin Rapids Fire Chief Todd Eckes wants to carry on tradition of excellence
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The city's newest fire chief has a long history with the fire service.
Chief Todd Eckes officially took the oath of office Tuesday evening during the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council meeting. He had been interim fire chief since former Chief Scott Young's retirement in October. The Wisconsin Rapids Police and Fire Commission named him as the new fire chief on May 2.
Eckes' father also was a member of the fire service. Norman Eckes was one of the 17 men who were part of Marshfield's first full-time fire department, which was started in 1948. According to the Marshfield Fire Department's website, Norman Eckes was hired April 1, 1948.
Although Todd Eckes, 61, grew up with a firefighter father, he didn't start out as a firefighter. Eckes went to work for the Wisconsin Rapids mill, owned by Stora Enso at the time. He said he was making good wages and raising a family in Vesper. He decided to volunteer for the Vesper Fire Department, becoming a lieutenant. He was a member for the department about 16 years and loved it.
When mill management decided to cut the maintenance positions by half, Eckes decided it was time to become a full-time firefighter. The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department was the one that offered him a full-time job in January 2006.
It was retired Fire Chief Mitch Waite who put the idea of becoming fire chief into Eckes' head. Waite told Eckes he could be more than a firefighter, and Eckes said he took that advice to heart. He completed the National Fire Academy Executive Officer Program.
"I learned a lot about being a leader for the organization," Eckes said.
Eckes said becoming chief means he's reached a goal he has been working toward for years.
The thing that has impressed Eckes the most since he's taken charge of the Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department is the department's 36 members.
"From the frontline firefighters to the battalion chiefs, they all have a vision for the future, and everybody is pulling in that direction," Eckes said. "Everybody likes the path we're going on."
For years, the former chiefs and department members have built a solid foundation for the department, Eckes said. The Wisconsin Rapids department was the first ambulance service first in the state to become accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, a national agency that sets stringent standards for Emergency Medical Services. The department still is one of 193 EMS in the country to have the accreditation.
The accreditation means residents of Wisconsin Rapids can know that when they have a medical crisis, they are getting the very best in care, Eckes said. The ambulance will arrive in a designated amount of time and the paramedics will maintain the highest standards, he said.
The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department is ISO cert as a level 3 department, but it was only a percentage point from being a level 2 department, Eckes said. His goal is to reach level 2 with the next inspection. The lower the number, the better for insurance rates..
Another goal Eckes has is the health and safety of the department. The number of calls department members responded to in 2021 was 15% higher than in 2020. So far this year, the calls are up between 8% and 9% over last year, Eckes said. Firefighter/paramedics are seeing more graphic scenes where weapons have been used and many drug overdoses their counterparts of 20 or 30 years ago didn't see, Eckes said. Eckes wants to put programs in place to ensure firefighters stay both physically and mentally healthy.
The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department always has been and will continue to be a progressive fire department, Eckes said. The department has sent members to trainings that have allowed the department to be ahead of innovations in firefighting.
"It's not one person," Eckes said. "It's about all 36 people in one department knowing where we're heading and having a focus on it."
Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wisconsin Rapids fire chief wants to carry on tradition of excellence
