History Of Patches and Logo

On Thursday, June 16, 2016, at 7 pm Asst Chief Brian Haydysch passed away. 
Chief Haydysch was a member of Stoddard Bergen Fire Department for 41 years. He joined the department at age 18. During this time, Brian has served almost every Officer Position on the department including Trustee, Secretary, Fire Lieutenant, 1st Responder Lieutenant, Captain, Second Assistant Chief and his current position, Assistant Chief. 
Brian’s training is vast and detailed. His training includes State Certified - Fire Fighter II, Haz-Mat Technician, Vehicle Extrication Technician, Water & Ice Rescue, Rope Rescue and Wild Land Fire Fighting. Brian’s knowledge of emergency services runs very deep. Brian’s father also was a long-running member of the department and served as Assistant Fire Chief before he retired. Brian’s years of experience benefit the community and people he has helped. 
In 1982 Brian and four other members of the department saw the need for medical care for the community before an ambulance arrived. They did many fundraisers to purchase the equipment and training for the department to be one of the 1st organizations to have – First Responders/Fire Departments in the State of Wisconsin. 
Over the years Brian has served on countless committees for the department for equipment and vehicle purchases along with chair and co-chair positions for fundraiser events like the “Annual Big Walleye Tournament”.
Brian always had a calm and organized diligence about him. His vast experience in firefighting and responding to emergencies made him a valuable asset for a positive outcome in any event. During the Flood and Landslides of 2007 in Stoddard, our department of 30 responded to over 40 emergencies in less than 48hrs. Brian and 1 other firefighter remained at the station to prioritize, answer phone calls and dispatch trucks to the calls. Because of the overwhelming calls, Vernon County was not able to communicate with our department via radio.
During this time Brian and another 1st responder delivered a baby on the station apron. The mother and father were unable to drive to La Crosse due to a home that had slid off the bluff and was blocking State Hwy35.
Brian was a Special Warden for the DNR for 14 years, a police officer for 6 years for the Village of Stoddard in the early 80’s. Since 1983 Brian has been a Mail Carrier for the US Postal Service. Brian was also an instructor he has taught Hazard Material for Western Wisconsin Technical College, Boater Safety for Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and 100’s of in-house training for the Stoddard-Bergen Fire Department and other neighboring communities.