Bob Wagner has been a fixture at the Shelby Fire Department for 40 years.
“All of us in the department know where Bob is going to be from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday,” department chief Tony Holinka said.
Shelby firefighters will see less of Wagner after Jan. 1, when he begins his retirement after four decades of fighting fires. He joined the volunteer department in 1984 and has no regrets about his community service.
“I think it’s a great career,” Wagner said. “It doesn’t hurt to go out and help people.”
Wagner became interested in firefighting during his military service. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1970 and served three tours in Vietnam on a troop transport vessel. Among his responsibilities were maintaining the exterior of the ship and the damage control locker.
His full-time service ended in 1975, when he transitioned into the Navy Reserve. He was discharged from the Reserve in 1980 but returned for a second tour of Reserve duty from 1991 to 2007.
When he came back to western Wisconsin, he launched a career as a cook at several of the top restaurants in the area. He was at work when a customer told him about an opening at Shelby. He welcomed the chance, even though it would be a year before he could actually battle his first fire.
“I didn’t get to do that much because on the first year you’re on probation,” he said. “We would report to the station, and we could go out and observe.”
After his probation period ended, he fought his first fire at Les’s Radiator Shop.
“They had me ripping down the ceilings in the office to make sure there were no hot spots,” he recalled.
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Since then, Wagner has responded to several thousand calls. He said the one he remembers most occurred at the Coulee Mobile Home Park on Hwy 14/61. He recalled when he and a fellow firefighter “got kind of scared and nervous and did a quick retreat.” He said the two then went back inside were startled to find their breathing apparatuses in an unexpected place.
“We were so excited and so scared, we jammed our breathing apparatus into the wall,” he said.
Wagner said apprehension is an inevitable part of the job.
“It’s the heat and the unknown of what you’re getting into,” he said. “That’s why we have (crisis response teams) after extreme fires or fatal fires to help us cope with it. It also helps a lot to talk about it with fellow firefighters.”
There are other challenges. Firefighters carry between 80 and 110 pounds of equipment into a burning building, and Wagner said he exercises daily to keep himself in shape.
And then there are the fires that start overnight. He said the five-mile trip from his house to the fire station helps to clear his head when an overnight alarm sounds.
“It gives me time to think about what’s happening,” he said.
Wagner said it’s important for any firefighter to have supportive family members. He describes his wife, Dana, as his “rock” and “100 percent” behind his commitment.
“She doesn’t mind too much when the pager goes off at 3 a.m.,” he said.
Holinka said one of Wagner’s most important attributes as a firefighter is his ability to remain current with constantly evolving firefighting techniques.
“You see people who get stuck in their ways, but not Bob,” Holinka said. “Bob has stayed current with his training for 40 years.”
Wagner said his post-firefighting career involves spending a lot of time with his wife.
“Now it’s going to be doing the wife’s bucket list,” he said. “It means a lot more camping and traveling.”
When Wagner was asked about the most rewarding part of the job, his first answer was “chickencue’s.” He then mentioned the camaraderie with the other firefighters and the service that volunteer firefighters are able to provide.
“It’s the reaction of the people that we help,” Wagner said. “We always get a lot of thanks and a lot of, ‘I’m glad you’re here doing this.'”
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