Dennis Brion was recognized by several organizations for his 50 years of service to the Mondovi Fire Department at the MFD’s recent banquet. Pictured, Brion, center, accepted a plaque from the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs’ Association to honor him for his dedication, presented by Lisle Korner, left, president of the WSFCA, and MFD Chief Steve Anderson, right.Having served as the city’s fire chief from 1989 through the end of 2014, Dennis Brion, left, was the MFD crew’s pick for the annual Firefighter of the Year Award as presented by current MFD Chief Steve Anderson, right.

Brion retires after 50 years of dedicated service to MFD

Annual banquet recognizes longtime fire chief’s commitment with numerous awards
It’s been a real privilege doing this for the city and being a part of this, serving the community as fire chief." ~Dennis Brion

 

by Beth Kraft

 

Few will ever understand the time commitment, knowledge base, and devotion it takes to effectively run a community fire department, but Dennis Brion does.

The Mondovi native has served the Mondovi Fire Department since shortly after celebrating his 18th birthday in 1964 and led the MFD for the past 26 years as fire chief.

During his time with the department, Brion helped upgrade equipment and added new vehicles, completing various grants to help fund those purchases, kick-started incentive programs and fundraisers, was instrumental in getting Buffalo County involved in the mutual aid box alarm system (MABAS), and assisted with countless major fires and emergencies in and around the Mondovi area.

Several months ago Brion decided 2014 would be his last as MFD Chief, closing out 50 years of active service with the department on Dec. 31.

“It was a hard decision to make, but it was time—time to get on and do some other things in life,” said Brion of choosing to retire.

For his years of service to the City of Mondovi and surrounding communities, Brion was recognized with several awards from various entities at the MFD’s annual banquet, held Jan. 31. Framed letters from the State of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Firefighters’ Association and the City of Mondovi as well as plaques from the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs’ Association and the MFD were handed to Brion that night to thank him for the five decades he spent with the department.

Brion was also presented with the 2014 Firefighter of the Year Award—a fitting end to his active career considering that the longtime chief started the annual awards program in 1992.

“It’s a great honor—I was very surprised,” said Brion of being voted by his fellow firefighters to receive the annual MFD award. “It really means a lot when the crew decides it.

“They heaped six plaques on me that night. I’m going to have to build onto the house to hang them all up,” Brion joked.

Though incredibly modest about his many accomplishments over the years, Brion admits the time and effort required to serve as fire chief the way he defines the position were getting difficult to match.

“Physically I can’t do the things that need to be done anymore,” said Brion. “I could stay on as chief and continue administratively, but I’m not that kind of chief.”

Sticking close to town in case a call came in was also important to Brion. The department can get a bit short-handed on weekends, he said, making it a bit difficult to take vacations, but being available to go on as many fire runs as possible was a must for the hands-on chief.

“As chief, I just felt like I needed to be there,” Brion explained. “I didn’t go to fires because there was a fire, I went to fires because these guys were out there busting their butts. I had to be there because I was responsible for them.”

The fact that Brion worked just blocks from his desk at the MFD for many years also made him a go-to as chief. He operated the former Mondovi TV & Appliance store downtown for 38 years along with his brother, Richard Brion, making him available for most calls.

“There are times when it’s totally demanding and there are times where it’s been real slack,” he said, noting it’s virtually impossible to gauge the hours he spent on MFD duties each week.

“It’s been a real privilege doing this for the city and being a part of this, serving the community as fire chief,” Brion added.

 

Evolving firefighting needs demand equipment upgrades

Glancing around the MFD garage today, things look a lot different than they did when Brion first joined the department soon after he graduated from Mondovi High School in 1964.

At that time, the MFD fleet consisted of just two pumper trucks that rolled off the assembly line before or shortly after World War II. 

“At that time when the whistle blew, there was a fire,” said Brion. “Now we do anything and everything where help is needed.”

Back in the ‘60s, water needs were met with help from Brion’s father, a department member who often used his milk truck to haul water for fires until he suffered a stroke.

Brion then quit tech school to take over his father’s milk route.

“Then [the MFD] needed the truck, so they made me a member,” Brion explained.

Brion continued to serve as a member until 1968 when he took a leave of absence for four years to serve in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician.

After his return to the MFD in 1973, Brion quickly moved up the ranks. He was promoted to captain in 1978, then became deputy chief in 1982 and assistant chief in ‘84 before being elected fire chief in 1989.

Though he was somewhat involuntarily pulled into firefighting action Brion quickly came to enjoy the camaraderie that came with being a part of the MFD, drawing him to stick with it all these years.

“You’re a part of a big family—the guys are your family so you become a part of it and it becomes a part of you. Plus they kept re-electing me,” he grinned.

Brion’s extensive knowledge of the department’s equipment, which now includes seven vehicles, also drove him to continue leadership of the department.

“One of my biggest passions here is the equipment,” said the former chief, who shouldered as many of the regular vehicle maintenance duties as possible. “I know the equipment inside and out.”

Brion’s most recent equipment acquisition, a 2013 Spartan tanker/pumper combination, effectively replaced two aging vehicles and elevated the Mondovi Fire Department’s capabilities to a whole new level.

“That was a big deal,” nodded Brion. “That truck was built with our territory in mind.”

With a huge, 253-square mile fire district to care for, the demand on Mondovi firefighters is great.

“There are not a lot of departments real close, so our need for water and for the proper equipment to do the job was answered by that truck,” Brion continued. “Water supply is our biggest challenge.”

The new truck is also part of the reason Brion held off on retiring until now. Arranging funding for the vehicle and weighing in on countless components, like a top-of-the-line compressed air foam system (CAFS), to help design the truck was a project over two years in the making.

Brion also wrote multiple FEMA grants and in 1991 helped start the MFD’s annual open house and pancake breakfast fundraiser to help obtain other types of equipment for the MFD as firefighting needs expanded.

“Just donations alone that people give us and the fundraisers that we do, people respond very well to those things,” Brion said. “We’ve bought a lot of great equipment with that money.” 

A Polaris 6x6 ATV, grain bin rescue and ice rescue equipment are just a few of the new items Brion has worked to bring to the MFD with help from the city and community.

“All of the changes over the years in training and equipment basically has all been aimed at firefighter safety—that’s always been our priority number one,” he added.

 

Interaction with crew will be missed

Throughout Brion’s tenure, consistency within the department has been key to its success. MFD officers have remained virtually the same since he became chief, Brion pointed out.

“It’s been really great to have those guys available all those years,” he said of secretary/treasurer David Weiss, a 44-year MFD member, Art Peuse, who served as first assistant until he retired last year, and longtime second assistant Steve Anderson, who was chosen to succeed Brion as fire chief.

The dedication and teamwork of his crew is also something he will miss.

“The biggest part of this is the interaction with the crew—that’s going to be hard to walk away from that,” said Brion. “This has been an outstanding crew. During my time as chief I wouldn’t have traded this crew for any other.”

Brion may have hung up his hat as MFD Chief, but he plans to remain a member in an advisory capacity to help with the transition.

“There’s always a shortage of firemen and there’s always need for more help, so I’ll be glad to come in,” he said, though noting Anderson, a 35-year MFD member, is “very capable” of leading the department’s 32 firefighters going forward.

In his newfound free time, Brion plans to take the opportunity to travel with his wife, Mary, and do a little fishing. He will also continue to operate his business, Mondovi TV Sales and Service, out of his home.

Now married for 46 years, Dennis and Mary have three adult children, Tony, Kirk, and Kayla, three grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. Dennis is also a member of the church council and serves as an elder at Zion Lutheran Church in Mondovi.

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