Milwaukee Fire Department
Fire Chief Aaron D. Lipski
Aaron Lipski
Fire Chief Lipski has served the City of Milwaukee for over 25 years. Joining the Milwaukee Fire Department in 1997 (in the same recruit class as his older brother, Daniel), Lipski is a 4th generation Milwaukee Firefighter and Milwaukee resident. Prior to joining, he served for several years as an EMT-Basic with an urban private ambulance service. Lipski holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, minoring in Africology, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
Lipski has filled every rank, rising from Firefighter to Heavy Equipment Operator, then on to the company officer positions of Lieutenant and Captain. Appointed to Battalion Chief in 2010, Lipski covered operational battalions prior to being tasked with running the department’s Division of Construction and Maintenance, responsible for overseeing the department’s catalogue of facilities, all equipment and purchasing, and the entire fleet. Following this, Lipski was assigned as a Deputy Chief to the city-wide commander role. Filling this role for six and a half years, Lipski expanded the footprint and operational efficiencies of the office.
In his time as a Battalion Chief, Lipski initiated a series of familiarization exercises with all neighboring fire departments, with whom there had been very little interaction and frosty relationships for decades. As a Deputy Chief, this evolved into a positive and productive shared services initiative which now has a team of true partners across all jurisdictions throughout Milwaukee County. This initiative has been a paradigm shift in the provision of fire and EMS services for all involved.
In 2019, Lipski was promoted to Assistant Chief, overseeing the department’s Support Bureau, responsible for all budget and finance concerns, dealing with elected officials and the Fire & Police Commission, labor relations, investigations and discipline, all technical services and dispatch, as well as fleet and facilities. In late 2020, Lipski was approved to be the Acting Fire Chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department. Lipski was sworn in as the Fire Chief in June of 2021.
Lipski chairs the American Lung Association’s Local Leadership Board in Wisconsin as well as the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (MCSAP). He also sits on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Southeast Wisconsin. Happily married to his wife of 21 years, Krista, they enjoy spending time together, traveling to watch their daughter, Bella, play with her club volleyball team around the nation.
MFD members on-scene at scrapyard fire, fire truck aerial ladder is shooting water on the fire
The Milwaukee Fire Department, also known as the MFD, was established January 1, 1875. The department consists of 29 Fire Stations, 29 Engines, 8 Trucks, 12 Paramedic Units, 6 Battalion Chiefs, 2 Heavy Rescues, Dive Rescue and the Trident fireboat. The department, currently under the leadership of Chief Aaron D. Lipski, is the primary fire suppression, prevention, rescue and emergency medical service for the City of Milwaukee. The department's motto is "Courage, Integrity and Honor."
The Milwaukee Fire Department consists of around 700 firefighters, many of whom serve simultaneously as paramedics providing BLS (basic life support) and ALS (advance life support) services. The MFD was ranked third in the country for best emergency medical service by a USA Today study in 2003.
414-286-8948
https://city.milwaukee.gov/MFD
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