Wauwatosa and West Allis have a new fire chief.
Tim Sendelbach, a fire department administrator from Colorado, was named this week as the first fire chief of Milwaukee Metro Fire Rescue, the joint department that Tosa and West Allis are launching. He "will oversee the organization during a period of organizational integration and regional service expansion following the merger," the department said in a news release.
For most of the past five years, Sendelbach served as fire chief in Loveland, Colorado, until he left in March 2026 under a joint separation agreement with the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority following a personnel dispute with the agency's board.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve Milwaukee Metro Fire Rescue at this point in its development,” Sendelbach said in the Milwaukee Metro release. “The merger allows the partner departments to combine capabilities and further support frontline personnel while establishing consistent, accountable and safety focused emergency services.”