When new Fire Chief Peter Fletty was starting out with the city's fire department, he thought he'd eventually move back to Eau Claire.
Fletty, 47, grew up in Eau Claire and it's where most of his family still lives. But firefighter jobs were difficult to get 25 years ago, and the Marshfield Fire Department made him an offer. He said he thought he'd stay until he could get a job closer to home.
That was in December 1997, and Fletty has remained with the Marshfield Fire Department since. He became deputy chief for fire prevention in 2017, and served as interim fire chief during retired Chief Scott Owen's leave of absence from the department and since Owen's retirement at the end of 2021. On March 25, he was sworn in as the department's new chief.