Riverside Fire District. MWC file photo by Mike Leischner
ROTHSCHILD, WI (WSAU) — A new Fire Chief has been hired for the Riverside Fire District in Rothschild and Schofield.
David Briggs will take over the department starting Tuesday, January 21st after serving as Training Division Chief for the Wausau Fire Department. Rothschild Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle says he feels fortunate to find someone with a good blend of leadership experience and local knowledge. “He’s been working [in Wausau] for more than four years, so he knows the area. That’s tremendous for us. We put a lot of weight into making sure [our next Chief] had that experience and had those relationships. So I’m excited to see what the Riverside Fire District will be able to do going forward.”
VanDeWalle says the hire also means that talks of merging the shared department into the SAFER district have cooled down for now, but he doesn’t rule out further collaboration or joint training with the neighboring district. “The merger talks have been less frequent. But as Chief Briggs comes on I’m excited to see how we can work together more. Yes, we are a standalone district but we are all one team, with one goal- to protect our residents. That’s the biggest thing.”
He feels Briggs’ connections will allow for more joint training exercises between area departments. “That benefits [The Riverside District] and everybody else in the area.”
Briggs takes over after the resignation of former Chief Rob Bowen last summer, who left amid a cloud of controversy after he was charged with one felony count of child enticement and two misdemeanors for 4th-degree sexual assault. Since then the department has had a Chief by committee set up with two Captains filling in and an interim Chief. VanDeWalle has also provided additional assistance when called upon. His first official day will be Tuesday, January 21st.
Bowen returns to court for a hearing on February 5th.
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