Crime & Safety

Waukesha Club Honors Firefighters, 10-year-old Girl

Waukesha Kiwanis Early Risers gives four people Fred Baumgart Community Service Award.

Four people – three and one very young citizen – were given the annual Fred Baumgart Community Service Award by the Waukesha Kiwanis Early Risers club on Wednesday.

According to the news release:

The Fred Baumgart Community Service Award, which was created in 1984 to honor past Fire Chief Fred Baumgart, was designed to celebrate a firefighter, who has acted above and beyond the call of duty and has shown great dedication to the community that they serve. The award is also given to outstanding members of our community

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

These civilians are being recognized because of their acts of kindness to help others in a time of need. The recipients of this award exemplify this dedication and call to service, and we are grateful for the inspiration that they provide.

Receiving this year's awards were three members of the Waukesha Fire Department;  Mike Gartzke, Steve Clementi and Bob Waldron, and one civilian, Diana Gutierrez.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Firefighter Mike Gartzke and Lt. Steve Clementi were nominated for their water rescue that after his
  • Firefighter Bob Waldron was nominated for his efforts for the Susan G. Komen for the cure, which raised more than $1,200.00 on behalf of the firefighters. 
  • Finally our youngest individual to ever receive the Fred Baumgart award was given to 10-year-old Diana Gutierrez.  Diana was babysitting when she noticed a fire outside of her apartment complex.  She filled a one-gallon bucket with water three separate times and extinguished the fire that had began melting the vinyl siding.  Her bravery and quick actions prevented this fire from spreading, which was later determined to be arson in origin. 

On behalf of the Waukesha Kiwanis Early Risers we congratulate these recipients on being great citizens of our community.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Waukesha