Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, July 24, 2008

Pulaski fire chief dies in accident at station

PULASKI, Wis. (AP) — Pulaski Tri-County Fire Chief Frank Wichlacz died Wednesday after an out-of-control pickup crushed him between a garage door and a parked water tanker as firefighters returned from a fire, police said.

“We cannot yet determine if the accident is a result of a mechanical error or human error,” police Chief Randal Dunford said.

A firefighter was moving a GMC pickup that was blocking a bay door where one of the department’s tankers needed to be parked, the police chief said.

“The vehicle accelerated out of control as the fireman was moving it, striking the bay door,” Dunford said. “Wichlacz just happened to be walking between the bay door and a parked tanker inside the fire station.”

The accident happened about 6:30 a.m. as Wichlacz and other members of the department were cleaning equipment after responding to a fire in northeast Wisconsin’s Shawano County early Wednesday.

Wichlacz, 76, has been a member of the Tri-County Fire Department since July 1957 and chief since December 1985.

Wichlacz “loved the fire department. That’s what he did. That was it,” firefighter Brian Killinger said.

Assistant Fire Chief James Styczynski said his department was in shock and won’t respond to any calls for at least 24 hours. Any calls will be covered by neighboring departments, he said.

Wichlacz was named a Green Bay Press-Gazette Everyday Hero in December, when he was 75.

The fire department had 39 firefighters in 2007.

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