Falls Fire Department Adds Two Firefighters, Promotes Another

The welcomed two new firefighters to their ranks and promoted another Tuesday during a swearing-in ceremony at Fire Station No. 3.

MFFD fire fighter Joe Ostrosky was promoted to lieutenant and has served on the department since 2005. Recruits Jesse Holmes and Ted Wusler both became official members of the department after completing over a year of training.

Ostrosky has lived in Menomonee Falls since 1999, and served on the Fire and Police Commission before joining the department. Ostrosky grew up in Pennsylvania. He was a member of the United States Air Force and served in the military police. He serves with the Wisconsin National Guard as a Chief Warrant Officer.

For his “real world” job, Ostrosky is a software engineer working as a consultant.

On Tuesday, Chief Jeffrey Hevey and Captain Jim Taylor presented Ostrosky with his bugle collar pins, which give him the distinction among fellow firefighters as a lieutenant.

“I really appreciate the fact that the chief and ranking officers have faith in me to do my job, lead, set the example and mentor the new members,” Ostrosky said. “I didn’t have a chance early on in my career to become a fire fighter, but when I moved to Menomonee Falls I got the chance. It was the chance to live out my childhood dream.”

Ostrosky now dons a bugle on each side of the collar on his fire department uniform. Hevey said these are symbols of leadership in departments throughout North America. For more than 100 years, officers would relay commands to the fire fighters on the scene of a blaze using a bugle. Only the ranking officers were given that responsibility.

Staying committed to the department

Both Holmes and Wusler trained with a class of seven total recruits. However, after a more than a year of training they were the only two to successfully complete the program.  It’s an achievement worthy of a ceremony, given the challenge of recruiting and retaining fire fighters in the department.

“I congratulate them for hanging in there and putting in the time with us,” Hevey said. “Bringing people onto the department is special, and they’re taking their first step of a career in fire sciences, which is what I did back in 1974. I hope they’re here for a long time serving with our department.”

Wusler works for Paratech Ambulance Service during the day, and studied fire sciences in college. He hopes to turn his passion of fire fighting into a successful career.

“I found this department and it allowed me to live in Milwaukee but still volunteer,” Wusler said. “I studied fire sciences and it has always interested me.”

Holmes said he’s following in a path forged by his father, and is taking the first steps toward building a career as a fire fighter. By day, Holmes is a welder at a factory in Brookfield.

“My father was a fire fighter in for Milwaukee, and I’ve found that it’s my calling as well,” Holmes said. “It sure beats a desk job.”