Onalaska Fire Department begins a new era as Chief Billy Hayes takes over for Don Dominick who retired at the end of June. While only his second day on the job, Hayes says the professionalism of the Onalaska firefighters hasn't changed from his visit in 2007. "I taught a class for Onalaska Fire and Rescue and I made a lot of friends here," Hayes explained. "I was very impressed by the professionalism of the organization." He begins his tenure as chief 17 hours away from his last role in Alabama. Firefighter Andrew Barnhardt worked on the hiring panel. He's excited about the new ideas Hayes brings. "Anytime a new chief comes to the area he brings a wealth of knowledge from different areas," Barnhardt said. "So he comes from a different part of the nation."