Storm Response Summary From the Madison Fire Department

Madison Fire Department fire/EMS crews were busy overnight responding to calls for service during and after severe thunderstorms that passed through the area Tuesday night.

Altogether, MFD responded to at least 69 storm-related calls between 7:30 PM Tuesday, May 21, and 6:30 AM Wednesday, May 22. The calls were predominantly for downed power lines, fallen trees landing on houses and/or coming in contact with electrical power lines, and fires related to energized power lines. MFD continues to respond to these types of calls into Wednesday morning.

In most cases, hazards were taped off with safety perimeters established until MGE or other resources could respond to mitigate the hazards. Resident and neighbors, when applicable, were asked to stay indoors and out of their backyards for their safety. 

At the height of the storm, all Madison Fire Department ladders, engines, and ambulances were assigned to calls throughout the city. As 911 calls began to exceed available resources, Dane County Public Safety Communications stacked and prioritized calls, dispatching MFD units as they became available.

The demand for citywide fire/EMS response caused many Madison Fire crews to veer outside of their normal neighborhood territories. Still, MFD crews demonstrated great situational awareness and familiarity with the neighborhoods they were dispatched to, volunteering to take on the next nearest call to help relieve the other fire/EMS crews who were still tending to other emergencies.

Some fire stations experienced power outages overnight, affecting the electric-powered garage doors and pre-alert dispatch systems in the firehouse. This required crews to manually open and close their apparatus bay doors when responding to calls and to depend on their portable radios to know when they were dispatched to an emergency call. Fire Stations impacted by power outages overnight were 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12.

As of Wednesday morning, Station 9 on Midvale Boulevard is still without power; however, Engine 9 remains in service and is responding to calls for service as usual. 

Subscribe to Daily Reports from the Madison Fire Department to receive incident-related information and updates straight to your inbox.