Dodge County Emergency Response Team

2/27/10 - A Slinger man was seriously injured in a one-vehicle accident in the Town of Hustisford late Friday afternoon. The Dodge County Sheriffs Department says Richard Justmann lost control of the straight truck he was driving on County DJ, just north of State Highway 60, around 5:20pm. The truck went into a counter-clockwise spin, through the oncoming traffic lane and into the ditch. The truck then went airborne, struck a power pole and came to rest with the power lines lying across the top of the truck. Justmann was ejected from the vehicle and was flown from the scene by Flight For Life to Froedtert Hospital. The roadway was closed and local residents were without power for about six hours. The accident remains under investigation by the Dodge County Crash Investigation Team.

DCERT was requested to assist Beaver Dam Police Department on January 18th for a gas main break on Warren Street. A utility crew severed the line while working on a project in the area. The TIM unit truck responded as well and DCERT was on scene for about an hour providing perimeter control while the leak was secured. Thanks to those who were able to respond.

1/19/10 - Five houses were evacuated in Beaver Dam after construction crews hit a gas line near the hospital yesterday morning. It happened around 9:40am on Warren Street. The hospital was not affected though access to the medical offices along Warren Street was hampered. Alliant Energy responded right away but the utility was not immediately able to shut off the leak. The scene was cleared at 12:40pm and residents were allowed to return to their homes.

DCERT units 908, 919, and 921 are shown deployed on Hwy 175 in Theresa for detour and outer perimeter control.

THERESA — A 47-year-old Theresa man remains in custody following a six-hour standoff Friday afternoon with the Dodge County SWAT Team.

The man’s wife called the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department around 10:20 a.m. on New Year’s Day and reported her husband had come home drunk and was damaging property. He demanded the woman and two young men at the 117 Mayville St. residence immediately leave, according to a Sheriff’s Department press release.

The man threatened to harm any law enforcement officer who responded to the call, and insinuated that if he saw any officers he would shoot them and himself, said Lt. Trace Frost.

The Dodge County SWAT team surrounded the property, and the Emergency Response Team set up a traffic detour that shut down Highway 175, the main highway through the village.

The man was taken into custody at 4:22 p.m. when he exited the house. There were no injuries and no shots fired, Frost said.

There were guns in the house, but the suspect never displayed them and emerged from the house unarmed, Frost stated.

Also responding to the scene were members of the Theresa Police Department, EMS, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Dodge County Emergency Response Team.

The 47-year-old is expected to be charged with disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property, according to Frost.

12/31/09 - DCERT members responded to two traffic accidents on New Year's Eve. At 4 pm, while working on the TIM truck, three DCERT members responded to a nearby two vehicle head-on collision on Hwy 33 at Fabisch Rd. A buffer zone and flagging operations were established with the cooperation of BDFD to keep traffic moving through the scene with one lane operation. Members were on scene for about one hour while the accident was cleared.

At the same time, DCERT was requested by Dodge Sheriff to respond for a semi rollover on Hwy 89 and Dallman Road. DCERT handled traffic control at the scene while the trailer was uprighted for removal. Thanks to all who assisted.

Juneau Man Killed in Accident (Courtesy WBEV Radio website)

12/16/09 - One Juneau man was killed and another injured after their minivan struck the trailer portion of a semi in the town of Emmet last night. Authorities say 56-year-old John Richards was driving east on Highway CW around 6:30 when he collided with a tractor trailer rig that was being backed into a driveway. Richards was eventually taken by Flight for Life to Froedert Hospital where he passed away just before midnight. His passenger, 34-year-old Wilbur Uttke of Juneau, was taken to the Watertown Hospital. The driver of the semi, 57-year-old John Kopas of Watertown, was uninjured. Richards is the 16th traffic fatality in Dodge County this year.

*DCERT responded to this incident to detour traffic while the Wisconsin State Patrol and Dodge County Sheriff's Department investigated.*

Several members of Dodge County Emergency Response Team recently received certification from Flight for Life air ambulance to establish Landing Zones. Members attended training at Flight for Life's Fond du Lac facility in October and those certified received official patches to affix to their DCERT jackets. This allows DCERT to assist other agencies that normally provide this service should the need arise. Thank you to the members who attended and for those members who are interested in future classes, please contact Paul - 922 to make your request for updates on this program.

COLUMBUS -- Things were slowly getting back to normal in this city after explosions and a fire inside a chemical storage building Monday night prompted an emergency evacuation of residents and the shutdown of two highways near the company.

Firefighters remained at the scene at Columbus Chemical Industries mid-Tuesday morning, but only one hot spot remained inside.

One of the main concerns was chemical exposure from the smoke Monday night into Tuesday, but Columbus emergency management director Gerald Sallamann said there were zero reports of a negative health impact.

"We made a decision last night to allow the fire to burn out and monitor the levels of chemicals in the air," Sallamann said at a news conference in Columbus Tuesday morning. "All monitoring has shown chemicals to be below federal standards, posing no threat to humans and animals."

U.S. 151 north of Columbus remained closed in both directions Tuesday morning, but Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls said the highways in the area that had been shut down by the blaze were "getting close" to being reopened, but as of 11:45 a.m., the highways were still closed and motorists had to use detour routes.

Eight to 10 homes near the Columbus Chemical Industries complex were still without power.

Residents from about 15 of the 65 homes that were voluntarily evacuated Monday night near the plant were being allowed to return to their homes late Tuesday morning.

"The evacuation was purely precautionary," Sallamann said.

Steve Quandt, executive vice president for Columbus Chemical Industries, addressed the media on behalf of the Sheard family, founders of the firm in 1976.

"They are disappointed and very apologetic to all the families that were inconvenienced," Quandt said.

The fire was confined to one of six buildings on the grounds. No damage estimate has been given. Quandt said the company expects to open soon, and no layoffs are expected.

"We have a team of investigators from the company, but the team hasn't been inside yet," Quandt said. "But the only loss is to property, and property can be replaced."

Several firefighters were slightly injured early on fighting the blaze that broke out about 8 p.m., but there were no other injuries.

Nineteen first responders and firefighters were taken to Columbus Hospital to be decontaminated, and two vehicles were also decontaminated.

Officials closed 151 from its intersection with Wisconsin 60 in downtown Columbus to County S about two and a half miles away. Columbus, with about 4,850 people, is about 40 miles northeast of Madison.

Besides 151, Wisconsin 73 is also closed. Temkin Road, where the company is located, runs along Wisconsin 73, just south of the 151/73 intersection. Motorists were redirected to Wisconsin 16 and 60 in Columbus as a detour.

Officials said 144 people from 65 residences within a half-mile of the fire evacuated, some as a result of officials going door to door asking residents to leave. People in Beaver Dam, 10 miles away, received Reverse 911 calls telling them to stay inside.

At least 150 firefighters and others from 11 fire departments responded to the fire, as well as area hazardous materials teams and National Guard members from Madison, who tried to gauge wind direction to determine where a plume might blow.

Tom Godar, a spokesman for Columbus Chemicals, said the company handled petroleum-based chemicals including hydrochloric and sulfuric acid and other high-purity chemicals and mineral acids.

"While this is very unfortunate, we don't have any information as to what started the fire," he said.

The fire was confined to a 15,000-square-foot warehouse, Godar said, at the company's location at N4335 Temkin Road about a mile from downtown Columbus and just over the Dodge County line.

An emergency shelter was set up at the Columbus Senior Center, 125 N. Dickason Blvd. At around 10 p.m. about 20 residents were in line to be checked in, some in their pajamas and with their pets. But many other evacuees stayed with family or friends or in area hotels.

Jim Neuman, who has lived a block from the site since 1991, said he smelled burning plastic around 7:30 p.m. and not long after heard about four big explosions. After the arrival of the first fire trucks, he heard more explosions.

"The fire trucks had just arrived and then they had an explosion. There was some force there," he said, adding that he saw a door or drum fly into the air in one of the explosions.

He said he would stay at a local motel with his two dogs.

Cheryl Hoffman, who lives about a half-block from the company, said she saw an explosion from the side of the building. "The roof went off and there was debris in the air. It was just crazy," she said.

John Edwards, who has lived near the plant for 30 years and has worked part time at the plant for six weeks, said everything seemed normal when he left work around 4 p.m.

The explosions "sounded like thunder, a long clap of thunder," he said.

An automated fire alarm alerted the 911 center at 8:04 p.m., officials said, and the first firefighters were there seven minutes later.

Godar said Columbus Chemical employs 55 people in Columbus and has been in business for 30 years. The company, which also has a location in Phoenix, Ariz., serves the pharmaceutical, semiconductor and electronics industries, among others, its Web site said.