January 8, 2020 – Richfield, WI – Beginning January 1, 2020, Tony Burgard assumed the position of Fire Chief for the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company after being elected in December 2019. Chief Burgard takes over for Chief John Schmitz, who retired at the end of 2019.
Chief Burgard joined the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company in October 2004 as a paid-on-call member. In March 2007 he was hired as a full-time member of the fire company.
In April,2012 he assumed the role of Training Officer, for which he coordinates, schedules, and leads training along with the assistance of our training committee. In January 2013 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
In September 2015 he became day shift supervisor, followed by Captain in January 2017, and Deputy Chief in December 2018.
Along the way, Chief Burgard was chosen as RVFC Firefighter of the Year in 2005 and 2016 and EMT of the Year in 2011.
Chief Burgard holds certifications for Firefighter 1 and 2, Driver Operator, Emergency Services Instructor, Fire Inspector, Fire Officer 1 and 2, EMT Intermediate, Hazardous Materials Technician, Badger Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) and Advanced RIT, and Incident Command System: 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800.
Chief Burgard is working towards his bachelor’s degree in Fire and Emergency Response Management through UW-Oshkosh.
He and his family reside in Richfield, Wisconsin.
