5-22-14 waupun fire chief retiring

After more than four decades in firefighting, the last 19 as Waupun Fire chief, Jeff Berry, is stepping down.  Berry will be retiring at the end of August.  "Its been a very good 19 years,"  Berry told AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.  "...very good department, very good firefighters, to work with.  I've enjoyed every minute of it."   He got his start as an 18 year old volunteer firefighter with the Plover Fire Department.

The Waupun fire department responds to dozens of fires every year…in the community and surrounding area…but Berry sasy there are a handful of fires over the years that he will always remember.  "We had the Ben Franklin fire, it was a big one back during the 2000 era, the VC Trucking fire.  Those were probably the biggest dollar-loss fires in the city of Waupun,"  Berry said.  "We also went to the Quad Graphics fire, Watertown fire, downtown Fond du Lac, the Ripon fire."   When it comes to fire prevention Berry says there are two things he wishes residents would take more seriously...working smoke alarms and being more careful with candles.  Berry was scheduled to retire this month but agreed to stay on while Waupun conducts a statewide search for a new fire chief.