Fitchburg commission approves multiple police and fire hires, opens promotion processes

The Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission approved several personnel actions Tuesday after closed-session discussions under Wisconsin Statute 19.851(1)(c).

The commission voted to hire a career firefighter from the existing eligibility list and authorized a conditional hire for a fire-science resident intern if needed. It also approved starting a POX battalion chief hiring process for the fire department. Those motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

In police department business, the commission approved hiring Logan Brown as police captain and established a captain eligibility list that will expire in December 2027. The commission also approved hiring Michael Berry as a shift lieutenant and authorized the department to begin a sergeant promotion/hiring process. All motions were moved and seconded and passed by voice vote.

Sean Baxter, commission president, thanked candidates and department staff for participating in the hiring processes, saying the commission is confident in the abilities of those appointed and encouraged continued service to the city.

The actions stemmed from personnel matters addressed in closed session per state statute; commissioners returned to open session to record the formal votes. No roll-call vote tallies by name were recorded in the public transcript; each motion passed on a voice vote with commissioners answering “aye.”

Next steps include onboarding the approved hires and carrying out the advertised promotion processes. The newly established captain eligibility list will remain in effect through December 2027 unless otherwise modified.