Wayne Mutza - Engines and Other Apparatus of the Milwaukee Fire Department

Within the fire service there are fraternities comprising active duty and retired fire department members, fire buffs, historians, collectors of fire memorabilia, and photographers, all of whom share a common interest and enthusiasm for fire department equipment and operations. The creation of this book would not have been possible without the assistance and support of many of these individuals. Representatives of museums, manufacturers and various associations joined me on the research trail as well. I am especially indebted to Chuck Madderom, professional photographer of fire apparatus, author of fire apparatus books, and staff writer for Fire Apparatus Journal. Complementing Chucks superior images taken over many years is his intrinsic knowledge of fire apparatus. This book would have been much thinner without Chucks expertise and generosity.

Within any field, it seems, is someone who stands out as the guru, the go-to person for information not generally available. It might be a museum curator, a fire department historian, someone with intimate knowledge of a particular specialization, someone with whom history resonates. For the early days of the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD), it is the late H.J. McGinnis, M.D. The late Keith Franz, lifelong fire buff, fire chief, collector, and leader of fraternal organizations easily fills the bill as well. Doug Hanke provided more insight into retired Milwaukee fire apparatus than anyone I could imagine. Bruce Rahlf, who made the fire department shop a career, provided great insight into shop operations based on his experience. Richard L. Nailen, historian and author, kindly offered pages of notes from interviews he gathered for his popular book Beertown Blazes, co-authored by Jim Haight. All-around fire apparatus expert and author Walter M.P. McCall offered his expertise. Meetings with Thomas H. Buestrin, a descendant of Milwaukees remarkable engineer and builder Henry Buestrin, were enlightening and informative. Those on whom I consistently leaned for answers to my many questions deserve special mention; they are Jim Ley, retired deputy chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department and fire apparatus author; Louis DeChime, whose passion was the amphibious fireboat; FDNY chief and author of Fire Apparatus Journal John M. Calderone; my brother Dale, whose knowledge of photography and related skills are unmatched; and Captain Dan Rode of the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Special mention goes to the late Gerrit Madderom, Milwaukee Fire Department battalion chief, retired, also photographer and historian; King Monaghan, longtime friend, photographer, and fellow Milwaukee firefighter; Darrel P. Smerz, Milwaukee Fire Department captain, retired, and editor of Milwaukee Firefighter magazine; Tom Conrad; Bobby Tanzilo, managing editor of OnMilwaukee.com; Susan McMenamin Photography; Thomas McMenamin, Milwaukee Fire Department captain, retired; Marvin Glass, Milwaukee Fire Department deputy chief, retired; Rodger Birchfield; Christine Cossens, Milwaukee Fire Department lieutenant, retired; Bob Milnes, Firefighting Innovations, Inc.; Mark Hoeller; Melissa Skolaris, the Timken Company; Sally Witte, Milwaukee Arts Board; Al Muchka, curator of the Collections History Department, Milwaukee Public Museum; Nathan Schneider; Robert A. Miller, captain, of the Monona, Wisconsin, fire department; Kathy and Tom Terek; Dan Grudzielanek, St. Francis Fire Department; Alan J. Hanson, H.H. Bennett Studio; the Two Rivers, Wisconsin, fire department; Peggy Veregin, National Register Coordinator, Wisconsin Historical Society; Timothy J. Stein, American Hand Fire Engine Society; David Mandel, director of production, Arcadia Publishing; Charles Pomazal; Matthew J. Prigge, author of Damn the Old Tinderbox!, which superbly details the Newhall House disaster; Mark Kuehn; Scott Lanza; the late Peter Lund, New York firefighter; Leo Frank; John Degenhardt; David Dunn; Mike Colafrancesco, Firehouse Museum, San Diego; and Hartly M. Brokenshaw, chief of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Gulf Shores, Alabama. Kris at Allied Digital Photo of Germantown, Wisconsin, consistently addressed my photo needs, and the love of my life, Deb, faithfully accepted the time I spent on this project.