Retiring Assistant Fire Chief Has Strong Greenfield Roots

If someone were ever to make a Trivial Pursuit game about Greenfield, Steve Bauer’s name would likely be the answer to a question or two.

One trivia card could read, “Name the starting quarterback and defensive back for Greenfield High School’s 1976 Parkland Conference football championship team, one of few league titles in school history?”

Another could say, “This member of the fire department was one of the city’s original paramedics.”

And a third might go like this: “This firefighter credits his older brother Garry for getting him to join the Greenfield Fire Department and turn in a career of 32 years.”

Assistant Chief Steve Bauer, one of six members of the department honored Tuesday at during a , is as Greenfield as it gets.

“I grew up in Greenfield. I moved here in 1967,” Bauer said. “My parents still live in the city and I attend church in Greenfield. I pretty much knew I’d spend my whole career here.”

Bauer, 53, graduated from in 1977 and enjoyed the stories his brother would tell him about various calls Garry went out on as a member of the Greenfield Fire Department. From there, Steve was hooked.

He took his firefighter test with the City of Milwaukee’s department around the same time he did so with Greenfield, and received job offers from both departments within weeks of each other.

Bauer, who has been the assistant chief for seven years, was one of the original 12 firefighter/paramedics when the department went from basic life support services to advanced life support in 1987, a major step forward for the city.

“That really changed the medical part and the care we could offer to our city was greatly enhanced,” Bauer said. “That was certain a major change for the better.”

Fire Chief Jon Cohn praised Bauer, , for his hard work and dedication and his efforts with the department’s fire prevention education division and its emergency medical services units.

“A lot of what he’s done hasn’t been terribly flashy or glamorous but he really is responsible for the safety, prevention and education of our citizens and our children,” Cohn said. “Though he functions a lot in the background, he does a great job and will be missed.”

Bauer, who will work for a fire sprinkler company upon retirement, bragged about his skills at sheepshead, H-O-R-S-E and ping-pong, talents he honed working 24-hour shifts for 20 years before becoming deputy chief in 2000. The people he played those games with will be something he misses dearly.

“There’s a camaraderie that you build up when you work with the same people for so long,” Bauer said.

“What I tried to instill in the younger guys was this is still one of the best jobs in the world and you shouldn’t forget that fact,” he said. “We do and see things that most people never will, as far as the emergency scenes and the variety of daily calls we get to help people.”