Train for the job
Create practical, affordable opportunities for firefighters to sharpen the skills that matter when conditions are at their worst.
Who we are
Built on the job. Carried by the brotherhood.
Brew City F.O.O.L.S. brings firefighters together to train, trade hard-earned lessons, serve our neighbors, and keep the best traditions of the fire service moving forward.
Firefighters helping firefightersOur chapter
One idea, passed around the kitchen table.
In 2009, Milwaukee Fire Department Lieutenant Tom McMenamin saw a need for firefighters across Southeastern Wisconsin to have more chances to learn from one another.
The idea was simple: get people who care about the craft in the same room, leave rank and ego at the door, and pass useful knowledge from one firefighter to the next. Probies, veterans, officers, career members, and volunteers all have something to teach and something left to learn.
That is still the work. Brew City organizes practical training, builds relationships across department lines, and lends time or support when firefighters, families, or the community need it. We are not here to turn the job into a sales pitch. We are here to leave it better than we found it.
2009Chapter established
All ranksOne shared table
Local rootsSoutheastern Wisconsin
What we are here to do
Keep the craft sharp and the crew strong.
Brotherhood is a verb. It looks like making time to train, sharing the lesson you had to learn the hard way, checking on the person beside you, and showing up when help is needed.
Strengthen the crew
Bring firefighters from every rank and department to one table where experience is shared, questions are welcome, and nobody has to pretend they know it all.
Serve beyond the station
Show up for firefighters, their families, and the communities around us with time, support, and a willingness to lend a hand.
Train it. Share it. Carry it forward.Part of something larger
What does “Leatherhead” mean?
The Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society began in Central Florida in 1995 around a shared respect for the brotherhood, heritage, and responsibility of the fire service.
A leather helmet is an old symbol of that tradition, but the values are what matter. You do not need to own one to belong. Being a Leatherhead means taking the job seriously, taking care of brother and sister firefighters, and never forgetting those who came before us.
Visit FOOLS InternationalThe words we carry
More than acronyms.
These phrases have traveled through the F.O.O.L.S. for years. Each one is a short reminder of how we train, how we treat one another, and what we owe the fire service.
01FTM / PTB
For the Men. Protect the Brothers.
The historic call to look after every brother and sister firefighter and put the crew ahead of yourself.
02EGH
Everybody Goes Home
Train, read, ask questions, and share what works so more firefighters finish the shift safely.
03RFB
Remember Fallen Brothers
Honor those who gave everything by carrying their names, lessons, and service forward.
04KTF
Keep the Faith
Protect your belief in the job, the people beside you, and the standards worth defending.
05DTRT
Do the Right Thing
Choose the honest and responsible course, especially when it asks more of you than the easy one.
06DPT
Duty. Pride. Tradition.
Do the work, take pride in doing it well, and pass the fire service forward stronger than you found it.
Duty. Pride. Tradition.
The job is bigger than any one of us.
Learn what you can. Teach what you know. Take care of the people beside you. Remember the ones who came before. Then leave something worth carrying forward.
There is room at the table