Jerry Buechner Retires Grateful for All That Madison Had to Offer

 

Had life gone another way, Jerry Buechner might've been a chef, a carpenter, or working in construction. He explored these fields and a few more. But with three brothers volunteering for the Mount Horeb Fire Department, perhaps it was inevitable he'd eventually become a firefighter.

 

"They really had to talk me into it," said Buechner. "Once I got my feet wet, I was like, 'This is awesome! I have to try doing this for a living.'"

 

The path to the Madison Fire Department wasn't a straight line, though. Buechner was first hired to the Scottsdale Fire Department in Arizona, where he served for nine years and climbed the ranks. He was hired by the Green Bay Fire Department in 1999 and served only ten months before receiving news that he was accepted into MFD.

 

Buechner has fond memories of serving at Fire Station 3 on Willy Street, due in large part to the crews he served with there.

 

"I could work out of a doghouse if I was with the right crew! It was a great time every day," he said.

 

Their brotherly bond was put to the test in 2006. Engine 3 was dispatched to a structure fire on Commercial Avenue involving a home undergoing renovation. The cause was oily rags that spontaneously combusted and burned through the wooden floor, sub-flooring, and joists below, though they didn't know that at the time. 

 

Buechner and his crew proceeded inside. The room was filled with smoke and there was no visibility. As Buechner was pulling ceiling, he took a step and, in an instant, found himself horizontal in a hole in the floor— with fire down below.

 

"When they say, 'What did you think about?' your family comes right to the front of your mind," he remembers. "And then I got angry. Like, 'This isn't going to get me!'"

 

His crew had no idea he fell through the floor. Buechner clung on, held in place by piping and conduit, until fellow firefighter Mike McCartney noticed him. Buechner's lieutenant, Tom Mittelstedt, called a 'mayday' as he and McCartney grabbed on.

 

"Those guys were trying as hard as they could to pull me out."

 

Ensnared by nails and construction material caught in his gear, Buechner reached over to free himself, then yelled, "Pull!" and his crew had him freed in the blink of an eye.

 

Years later, you wouldn't know what Buechner endured unless you ask, or you might notice the newspaper clipping that hangs in his office. With an affable spirit and infectious laugh, Buechner has taken the challenges in stride.

 

"I've had a few close calls here and there, but I learned a lot from them and came through unscathed, for the most part."

 

As Division Chief of Health, Wellness, and Safety for the past seven years, Buechner was tasked with coordinating and overseeing a variety of initiatives related to firefighter wellness, from physical fitness testing to cancer prevention. He also found himself at the spearhead of the department's response to Covid-19, as MFD's emergency services continued uninterrupted amid the many unknowns about the rapidly spreading coronavirus. In this work, he's found the rewards of helping people persevere through their own fear and uncertainty.

 

"The thing that makes you feel good about your job is that you made a difference in someone's life. In this role [as Division Chief], I help those who help others," Buechner described. "That's the rewarding part, is helping our folks."

 

Now, with 38 years of service to look back on, Buechner reflects on all that he's gained just by being here.

 

"What a great city to work for— unreal," he said. "The personnel, the equipment, the working conditions— just phenomenal. I only wish I could have gotten here sooner. But everything happens for a reason."