Burlington’s Mayor Hefty steps away from Rescue Squad
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
When Jeannie Hefty’s husband died in 1985 – leaving her with four children, including a 5-month-old, to raise on her own – the last thing on her mind was how she could reach out and help others.
It’s not that she didn’t have a heart for community service, rather she was more concerned about the well-being of her young family.
However, a few days later, when more than 1,000 people turned out for her husband’s funeral, Hefty couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling gratitude for the community.
“When you see something like that it gets you thinking,” Hefty, who is now Burlington’s mayor, said last week.
After taking a year allow her family to stabilize after the loss of husband and father Warren Hefty at age 36, Jeannie Hefty began wondering how to repay the community that had been so good to her.
“I thought, ‘What do I want to do that will help my kids and myself going forward,’” Hefty said.
That something turned out to be two stints and 20 years total as a volunteer member of the Burlington Rescue Squad. Her service stood out as a tribute to her husband, who spent 15 years on the squad before his death. She was also a pioneer as the first woman member of the squad and then its first woman officer.
But Hefty said it was never about breaking down barriers – although she’s glad she did. For her, it was about service to the community.
“I did not go in to prove anything,” she said. “It was simply to serve.”
Stepping down
That arc of service came a full circle earlier this month when Hefty officially retired from the Rescue Squad.
Any hopes of stepping away quietly were dashed Aug. 8 when members of squad hosted a retirement ceremony that included members of Hefty’s family and a proclamation honoring her service from Gov. Scott Walker (hand-delivered by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos).
“It was very emotional,” Hefty said Friday. “I did not know all that was coming.”
The moment caught Hefty off-guard and had her teary-eyed and choked up on multiple occasions. She said she turned her back to the crowd momentarily to compose herself before she could express her thanks.
“For 30 days I’ve been struggling to keep my cool about addressing the squad,” she said, noting that she also saw some tears among her fellow squad members.
Hefty’s message to her fellow squad members:
“I’m not walking away.
“I’m going to be an advocate for volunteerism,” she added, noting the growing need for community volunteers for fire and rescue services throughout the area. “I know what the departments are going through.
“I told (squad members), ‘I will always be here with you when we have an incident or a disaster in our community.’”
Rescue Squad Chief Brian Zwiebel said he hopes Hefty’s service is an inspiration for others.
“I wish more people would look at it and say, ‘See what she did for the community. I could do that, too.’”
To read the full story, including information on the physical limitation that led to Hefty’s decision, see the Aug. 16 copy of the Burlington Standard Press.
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