Fire department unveils new-look badges

There’s a change in the uniform badges of the Saukville Fire Department that may go unnoticed by many people but is of great importance to the members, according to Fire Chief Thad Trinkod.

“When I first arrived in December, I asked the entire Saukville Fire Department membership what their vision for the department was,” Trinko said.

“I asked them to voice their concerns, their goals and suggestions for change and forward movement.”

A common thread was for a new department patch, to replace the yellow cross patch that has been on uniforms since the late 1980s. It replaced a blue patch, which was the department’s first.

The blue patch became part of the department’s uniform in the late 1960s, Trinko said. Before that, firefighters had the words “Saukville Fire Department” embroidered in red across the front of their white shirts.

The embroidery was done by a wife of one of the firefighters, Trinko said.

A committee of seven department members worked together to come up with the new patch, which incorporates at its center a “flowing swish” used in the Village of Saukville logo and representing the Milwaukee River.

The new patch was chosen from three designs “by an overwhelming majority” of the entire department membership in a vote, Trinko said. 

Trinko said the committee believed the new patch “better portrays the identify of the Saukville Fire Department” and “is part of a natural progression.”

“We are very happy with the finished patch and believe it not only represents our department and village quite well, it looks very professional,” he said.