Georgia-Pacific and Green Bay Metro Fire Department: seven decades of collaboration
The partnership enhanced emergency response through shared training, facility access, and a comprehensive response plan benefiting the community and workplace safety
Georgia-Pacific has maintained a decades-long relationship with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, with 75 of the company’s employees currently serving on the department’s Fire Brigade. Established 70 years ago, the volunteer brigade specializes in confined space rescues and responding to workplace emergencies, including fires and medical incidents at Georgia-Pacific’s facilities.
The partnership has grown to include collaborative training opportunities. Georgia-Pacific provides access to its 5,000-square-foot Broadway facility, enabling first responders to train in an industrial environment that mirrors real-life emergency scenarios.
“The Green Bay Fire Department values the opportunity to train and work in a controlled industrial space”, said Vaughn Edsall, security manager at Georgia-Pacific in Green Bay. “The first responders also provide much-needed training to our Fire Brigade. This mutually beneficial partnership provides value not just for Georgia-Pacific and the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, but other local fire departments in nearby communities, as we have offered our facility for training to first responder departments throughout the area”.
In addition, Georgia-Pacific and the Green Bay Metro Fire Department collaborated to develop the “Active Aggressor Response and Recovery” plan (A2R2). This comprehensive strategy includes specialized training for Georgia-Pacific employees and leadership, along with first responder organizations in the region. The plan outlines how community resources will mobilize during and after emergencies, enhancing readiness and response capabilities at Georgia-Pacific’s Green Bay facility and in the surrounding areas.
Battalion Chief Chad Bronkhorst of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department highlighted the significance of the partnership: “The Green Bay Metro Fire Department very much values Georgia-Pacific in our community. We appreciate the company’s emergency response team and look forward to continuing training in the future”.
Georgia-Pacific emphasized its commitment to supporting first responders as part of its broader focus on workplace and community safety. Through initiatives like the collaboration with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, the company contributes to training, capital improvements, and community safety advancements that benefit not only its facilities but also the wider community.
