By Patricia Bogumil
The Village of Waterford hosted a ceremony Monday evening at the Village Hall for the swearing-in of its new Fire Chief, Richard Mueller.
The event was held before a standing-room-only crowd of former and current co-workers and officials. On hand was a strong, supportive presence of top brass and rank-and-file emergency service workers from around the area.
Mueller, with his wife and children present, took the oath of office from Village Clerk Carrie Orlovsky; his new badge was pinned to his uniform by John Dahms, a retired chief with the City of Brookfield who heads up the fire services training program at Gateway Technical College.
Mark Schaefer, president of the village’s Fire and Police Commission, noted that many people had devoted a lot of work to the task of selecting and interviewing candidates for the new Fire Chief position.
“I believe we ended up with the best one,” Schaefer said.
In his remarks, Mueller told the crowd that throughout the interview process he asked over and over again what people sought from their new chief.
“I’d always get the same answer: ‘We want leadership,’ and every time it made me smile, because that’s what I want,” Mueller said.
Mueller said he will provide the leadership needed to make the Village’s great organization grow: thinking like a leader as well as acting, talking and looking like one.
In turn, Mueller asks that leadership qualities also be demonstrated by other people on their jobs, working quickly and confidently and being just “the nicest people on the planet.”
He led a round of applause for outgoing Fire Chief Rick Huening, a 10-year member of the department who has served as Chief for about 18 months.
Huening received a plaque thanking him for his leadership, integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice, and by leading by example.
Background
Mueller lives with his family in Tichigan. He retired last year from the City of West Allis Fire Department and has held positions of battalion chief, captain and firefighter since 1982.
He is currently employed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2009, assisting with disaster planning responsibilities under the National Incident Management System.
Mueller also teaches learning and leadership courses, fire certification classes and workshops at Waukesha County Technical College and Gateway Technical College.
The Village is very excited to welcome Mueller as a new member of the team, said Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald before the ceremony.
Mueller’s fire services experience will assist the Village as it implements a new organizational structure for the fire and rescue department, she explained.
And Mueller’s hands-on training and leadership in the National Incident Management System will help the Village create an even better emergency management plan, she said.
Employment agreement
According to his employment contract, Mueller will serve as the Village’s part-time Fire Chief for two years, beginning Feb. 24, 2014.
The annual salary pays $37,908 for 27 hours of work per week, subject to adjustments at the discretion of the Village Board.
The position offers the same fringe benefits as other regular part-time exempt employees of the Village. He is not eligible to participate in the Village’s Pension Trust.
Among the position’s stated duties, Mueller will lead and direct the day-to-day operations of the Village’s Fire and Rescue Department; supervise personnel; oversee training and leadership; prepare grant applications; and command major fires and emergency calls, acting as a firefighter or EMS staffer.
The employment contract notes that if the Village decides to create and fill a different, full-time Fire Chief position (whether by selecting Mueller or another applicant), the current position of part-time Fire Chief will immediately be eliminated.
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