Rep. Snodgrass Recognizes District 52 2025 First Responder of the Year

Madison, WI – Tuesday afternoon, the Assembly voted unanimously to establish October 14th, 2025 as First Responders Appreciation Day in Wisconsin. First Responders from each Assembly District across the State were in attendance at the State Capitol to receive recognition and appreciation from the Wisconsin State Assembly. Rep. Snodgrass is pleased to recognize Captain Jake Kirchner from the Appleton Fire Department as the 2025 First Responder of the Year for AD-52.

Captain Kirchner has been a professional emergency responder in Wisconsin for 30 years, 24 of which he has served at the Appleton Fire Department. Captain Kirschner is being recognized for his efforts as a Rescue Squad Officer on Wisconsin Task Force One (WITF-1) and Urban Search and Rescue (US&R), which he has served for since 2003. In his role, Captain Kirchner has responded in-state to the Crawford County Floods and to the Didion Grain Mill explosion in Columbia Country. He has also led search and rescue efforts for out-of-state disasters such as Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Helene, and most recently to the devastating Texas Floods of 2025

Due to a scheduled training he is leading with WITF-1, Capt. Kirchner was unable to travel to Madison and is scheduled to be presented with the honor on October 27 at 9:00a.m. at Appleton at Fire Station 1.

Representative. Snodgrass released the following statement:

‘’I congratulate Captain Jake Kirchner of the Appleton Fire Department as our district’s 2025 First Responder of the Year. Capt. Kirchner was selected for his dedication to emergency rescue efforts both locally and in response to nationwide national disasters. His selfless commitment to saving lives, most recently in Texas where deadly flooding left hundreds missing, shows an above and beyond dedication to his role as a first responder of the highest caliber. Like all first responders he doesn’t do the job for the recognition, but his efforts should not go unnoticed by our community.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.