Bill Bouma, the South Shore Fire Department's first-ever chief, has died. Bouma retired Oct. 4, 2012, after serving as the first chief of South Shore following the merger of the Sturtevant Fire Department and the Mount Pleasant Fire Department, which he had also been chief of.
Among his achievements was establishing MABAS (the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) in Wisconsin, allowing fire departments to more easily call for help from neighboring departments. The South Shore Fire Department announced Bouma's passing Sunday evening. He had been battling multiple cancers.