Milwaukee's outgoing fire chief reflects on his tenure; 'work that matters'
MILWAUKEE - It is the end of an era for the Milwaukee Fire Department. Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing will retire at the end of October -- and he sat down with FOX6 News to talk about his tenure in Brew City.
This is not the first time Rohlfing has retired. But the outgoing fire chief is confident it will be the last.
"You look at what you've accomplished, and you look at what's ahead, and something inside just tells you, my time is over," Rohlfing said.
Rohlfing started his career in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska where he served 25 years and retired. But he went right back to work -- not ready to walk away from a job he loved.
Outgoing Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing
"You're doing work that matters," Rohlfing said.
After a quick stop in South Dakota, Rohlfing headed to Milwaukee to be the first chief ever hired from outside of the department.
Over the last decade, Chief Rohlfing is proud to have developed a wellness program -- addressing the physical and mental health of his firefighters. It is a program the chief and his team would lean on after the February mass shooting at Miller Brewing.
"That was a pretty tough day. You know those things happen all over the country and then all of a sudden it's in your city and you're on the scene," Rohlfing said.
The most difficult day of Rohlfing's career...
"We used to believe we are just tougher than everybody else and pretty soon you learn, we're really not tougher than anyone else," Rohlfing said.
Outgoing Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing
Heartache comes with the job. But for Rohlfing, helping on the worst day of someone's life is humbling. As is promoting the men and women who will serve Milwaukee long after his time as chief is done.
"You realize we have some really great folks and the future of our department is in good shape," Rohlfing said.
When Rohlfing leaves his post at the end of the month, he leaves with his head held high -- a final retirement without regret.
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"I want to leave a ripple. I hope that they say I did a good job, that I made a difference, and that I left the department better than I found it," Rohlfing said.
Chief Rohlfing is headed home to Omaha to spend time with his family. He has named Aaron Lipski Acting Chief.
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Milwaukee's fire chief announces retirement after 10 years on job
Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing announced his retirement in a news release issued on Friday afternoon, Sept. 25.
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