Milwaukee police, firefighters take steps to deal with brutal cold

Jan. 28--Milwaukee police officer Robert Matheus has been walking his Brady St. beat since 2009.

He kept on walking Tuesday, despite the bone-chilling subzero weather that gripped Milwaukee and forced the closure of schools, businesses and some government offices.

This winter is on pace to be the 17th coldest in the region, and while many people have heeded weather warnings and stayed indoors during the polar vortex conditions, others -- including police officers, firefighters and other public safety officials -- remained on duty.

A gas main break on Milwaukee's north side was among the many calls that brought Milwaukee firefighters into the elements.

The department has learned from earlier cold snaps and slightly altered its procedures, Deputy Chief Terry Lintonen said Tuesday.

The department will immediately send a fourth piece of equipment, usually an engine, to all fire calls instead of the usual three pieces of equipment and rotate crews more frequently so both the firefighters and equipment can warm up.

Dispatchers also immediately send for a private ambulance in addition to the paramedic unit for all emergency medical calls, Lintonen said.

"This weather is just so hard on equipment and it's hard on the individuals, as well," he said.

The gas main break in the 5700 block of N. 70th St. led to the evacuation of eight homes that had the presence of natural gas in their basements. With the ground frozen five feet deep, it took We Energies crews three hours to dig to find the problem.

"What they're doing is harder and more dangerous," Engine 9 Capt. Mike Bongiorno said, motioning to the We Energies workers.

The fire department was on standby, in case the natural gas ignited, with a ladder truck at one end of the street and an engine -- with 500 gallons of water in its tank -- at the other. To prevent the engine's equipment from freezing, Battalion Chief Richard Kaiser rotated engine companies every hour.

"The good news is that we train and we expect this, but there are still challenges in front of us that we have to adapt to," Kaiser said.

Milwaukee police officers also are prepared for the cold. Matheus, who has been with the department for more than 24 years, usually rides a bicycle in the summer in the east side neighborhood.

In the winter, Matheus dons extra layers, pulls a fleece scarf up to his nose and secures a fuzzy, old-school police hat on his head before he walks the beat.

"It's not the coolest of hats, but it's very, very warm," he said.

He usually walks from the District 1 station in downtown Milwaukee to Brady St., but on Tuesday the subzero temperatures prompted his supervisor to insist he drive a squad car up to the street.

"He's incredible, like clockwork. If I see him walking up and offer him a ride, he doesn't take it," said Michael Glorioso, general manager of Glorioso's Italian Market, one of the businesses on Brady St.

For his part, Matheus said he doesn't mind the cold. He prefers walking the beat where he can build relationships with business owners and residents who help him solve crimes, like last year when a series of nuisance drug properties on Cambridge Ave. were shut down.

"I talk to them about any problems they have and if any suspicious people have been hanging around," he said.

"And we talk about the weather."

Twitter: twitter.com/aluthern

Copyright 2014 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel