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Record of Proceedings

Disciplinary Appeal Hearing for Milwaukee Fire Captain Todd Christensen - May 26, 2026

City Plan Commission — Tuesday, May 26, 2026

BodyMilwaukee, Wisconsin

SessionCity Plan Commission

DateTuesday, May 26, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 5:02:59

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Those are five-second delay.

0:01

Okay.

0:02

Good morning.

0:03

It's Tuesday, May 26th, 2026.

0:06

It's approximately 10:05 a.m.

0:11

This is a disciplinary appeal hearing in the matter of Milwaukee Fire Department member Todd Christensen addressing the Milwaukee Fire Department complaint dated February 4th, 2026.

0:22

My name is David Feiss.

0:24

I'm the hearing examiner presiding over this matter.

0:27

The fire and police commissioners who are serving on the hearing panel are on this uh hearing panel are Commissioner Chrissy Fung, Ruben Burgos, and Breeze Spencer.

0:39

I think what I'd like to do is I'm going to take appearances and then we'll go to the stipulation.

0:43

So if I could have appearances, please.

0:53

Good morning, here in Examiner Commissioner's Assistant City Attorney Catherine Hudley appearing on behalf of the fire chief lipski.

1:00

Good morning.

1:01

Prior to the initiation of the hearing today, we did have two pretrial hearings in this matter.

1:09

At the last of which, at the first of which, Mr.

1:12

Christensen indicated that he did intend to uh or wish to enter a stipulation with regards to phase one of this matter.

1:19

He subsequently attained attorney retko and a stipulation has been reached with regard to phase one of this matter at the final pretrial hearing.

1:30

I did address uh Captain Christensen to determine that his decision to enter into the stipulation with regard to phase one was made freely voluntarily and intelligently, and we did accept that, and that uh has been entered.

1:46

And so at this point, I am going to read the stipulation into the record that uh will satisfy the requirements of phase one.

1:58

After that, we'll commence the hearing with regards to phase two only.

2:03

So the stipulation reads as follows.

2:07

One, Todd A.

2:08

Christensen began employment with the department in 1999 as a firefighter and was promoted to captain on January 10th, 2024.

2:18

As a captain, appellant was in part responsible for supervising and coordinating company personnel in fire medical emergency and other emergency incidents, as well as supervising company personnel in quarters, ensuring that all members are performing their duties appropriately.

2:36

At all times relevant, he was assigned to Station 31 Blue Shift.

2:41

3.

2:42

On September 18th, 2025, Battalion Chief Jeffrey Lang was making rounds and was on his way to station 31 when he heard a call coming across the radio indicating that engine 31 and MED 15 were dispatched to a quote trouble breathing, trouble breathing unquote run.

3:03

Battalion Chief Lang decided to stop by station 31 to drop off mail, and when he arrived at station one, he discovered that engine 31 crew, including appellant, was still at quarters.

3:16

Five, later in the shift, when MED 15 was back at quarters.

3:36

Lang documented the incident in a form 105 memoranda to his superior officers.

3:44

From that report, assistant chief of administration Joshua Parrish and fire compliance officer Deanna Perez conducted an investigation to determine if the September 18th, 2025 incident was a one-time occurrence, or if it had been more frequent.

4:02

The investigation included that while appellant was captain, engine 31 failed to respond to a total of seven medical runs.

4:12

A.

4:12

At 11 44 a.m.

4:15

on March 22nd, 2025 for a sexual assault slash stun gun injury.

4:21

B.

4:22

At 6.41 p.m.

4:24

on June 8th, 2025 for an advanced life support call.

4:29

C.

4:30

At 1031 a.m.

4:32

on June 17th, 2025 for a trouble breathing call.

4:37

D, at 1125 a.m.

4:40

on July 8th, 2025 for a sick person call.

4:44

E.

4:45

At 5.09 p.m.

4:46

on August 7th, 2025 for an abdominal pain call.

4:52

F.

4:52

At 1042 a.m.

4:54

on August 16th, 2025 for a sick person under two years old call.

5:00

And G, at 10.50 a.m.

4:59

on September 18, 2025 for a trouble breathing call.

5:09

7.

5:09

During the investigation, appellant recognized that there was no reason for engine 31 or appellant should have not responded to the enumerated calls, and he admitted that he was not fulfilling his job duties as captain by allowing members under his command to not go on dispatched calls.

5:28

8.

5:29

The party stipulates that due to his actions, appellant violated MFD rules, code of contact, code of conduct, core values, guiding principles, and numbered notices, specifically a rule 1, general job distriction.

5:45

B.

5:45

Rule 6, fire captain.

5:48

Rule C Rule 6.1 command.

5:51

D.

5:52

Rule 6.2 duties.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████80%

Procedural██████████18%

Miscellaneous█2%

Summary of Proceedings

Disciplinary Appeal Hearing for Milwaukee Fire Captain Todd Christensen - May 26, 2026

The hearing was conducted by Hearing Examiner David Feiss with Commissioners Chrissy Fung, Ruben Burgos, and Breeze Spencer. The matter involved the discharge of Captain Todd Christensen for failure to respond to seven medical runs while serving as captain at Station 31 Blue Shift. The parties stipulated to Phase I, admitting violations of multiple MFD rules and just cause factors 1-5. Phase II addressed just cause factors 6 (fair and non-discriminatory application of rules) and 7 (proportionality of discipline to seriousness and service record).

Consent Calendar

None.

Public Comments & Testimony

None.

Discussion Items

Stipulation Read into Record: The parties agreed that Christensen violated 24 specific rules and that the chief could establish just cause factors 1 through 5. The only contested issues were factor 6 (whether the rules were applied fairly and without discrimination) and factor 7 (whether discharge reasonably relates to the seriousness of violations and Christensen’s service record).
Testimony of Assistant Chief Joshua Parrish: Parrish detailed the investigation, which included reviewing 30,000–40,000 data rows, interviewing personnel, and identifying that Christensen failed to respond to seven runs (March–September 2025). He stated that Christensen admitted to the violations and that the department’s trust was irrevocably broken. Parrish testified that discharge was appropriate given Christensen’s role as house captain, the frequency of the offenses, and the fact that a newer firefighter believed the behavior was normal. He noted that two other terminated members (Lieutenant Bushman and HEO Hart) were later reinstated as firefighters after appeals, but that Christensen was not offered similar terms because his union did not initiate an appeal.
Testimony of Deputy Chief Robert Hartung and Battalion Chief Joel Recklitz: Both character witnesses testified that Christensen had a long history of dedicated service and could still contribute to the department if reinstated, but both acknowledged the seriousness of the violations and the breach of trust.
Testimony of Todd Christensen: Christensen testified about his 27-year career, multiple awards, and teaching roles. He admitted to the violations and stated they stemmed from a misguided belief that the medic unit did not need his engine. He disclosed a PTSD diagnosis and argued that the termination time was changed from February 5 to February 4 to prevent him from filing a duty disability retirement application. He expressed remorse and willingness to serve in a non-emergency support role.
Closing Arguments: The city argued that discharge was necessary due to the fundamental breach of trust and that no lesser role existed that would not require emergency response. The appellant argued that the termination was discriminatory because the timeline was altered to block his disability application, and that his 27-year record and lack of prior discipline warranted a lesser penalty.

Key Outcomes

The Fire and Police Commission unanimously found that the chief met his burden by a preponderance of the evidence on both just cause factors.
The commission ruled that the rules were applied fairly and without discrimination, and that discharge reasonably relates to the seriousness of the violations given Christensen’s role, the frequency of the offenses, and the erosion of trust.
The commission upheld the permanent discharge of Captain Todd Christensen from the Milwaukee Fire Department.
The 10-day rule for issuing a written decision was waived.

Meeting Transcript

Those are five-second delay. Okay. Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 26th, 2026. It's approximately 10:05 a.m. This is a disciplinary appeal hearing in the matter of Milwaukee Fire Department member Todd Christensen addressing the Milwaukee Fire Department complaint dated February 4th, 2026. My name is David Feiss. I'm the hearing examiner presiding over this matter. The fire and police commissioners who are serving on the hearing panel are on this uh hearing panel are Commissioner Chrissy Fung, Ruben Burgos, and Breeze Spencer. I think what I'd like to do is I'm going to take appearances and then we'll go to the stipulation. So if I could have appearances, please. Good morning, here in Examiner Commissioner's Assistant City Attorney Catherine Hudley appearing on behalf of the fire chief lipski. Good morning. Prior to the initiation of the hearing today, we did have two pretrial hearings in this matter. At the last of which, at the first of which, Mr. Christensen indicated that he did intend to uh or wish to enter a stipulation with regards to phase one of this matter. He subsequently attained attorney retko and a stipulation has been reached with regard to phase one of this matter at the final pretrial hearing. I did address uh Captain Christensen to determine that his decision to enter into the stipulation with regard to phase one was made freely voluntarily and intelligently, and we did accept that, and that uh has been entered. And so at this point, I am going to read the stipulation into the record that uh will satisfy the requirements of phase one. After that, we'll commence the hearing with regards to phase two only. So the stipulation reads as follows. One, Todd A. Christensen began employment with the department in 1999 as a firefighter and was promoted to captain on January 10th, 2024. As a captain, appellant was in part responsible for supervising and coordinating company personnel in fire medical emergency and other emergency incidents, as well as supervising company personnel in quarters, ensuring that all members are performing their duties appropriately. At all times relevant, he was assigned to Station 31 Blue Shift. 3. On September 18th, 2025, Battalion Chief Jeffrey Lang was making rounds and was on his way to station 31 when he heard a call coming across the radio indicating that engine 31 and MED 15 were dispatched to a quote trouble breathing, trouble breathing unquote run. Battalion Chief Lang decided to stop by station 31 to drop off mail, and when he arrived at station one, he discovered that engine 31 crew, including appellant, was still at quarters. Five, later in the shift, when MED 15 was back at quarters. Lang documented the incident in a form 105 memoranda to his superior officers. From that report, assistant chief of administration Joshua Parrish and fire compliance officer Deanna Perez conducted an investigation to determine if the September 18th, 2025 incident was a one-time occurrence, or if it had been more frequent. The investigation included that while appellant was captain, engine 31 failed to respond to a total of seven medical runs. A. At 11 44 a.m. on March 22nd, 2025 for a sexual assault slash stun gun injury. B. At 6.41 p.m. on June 8th, 2025 for an advanced life support call. C. At 1031 a.m. on June 17th, 2025 for a trouble breathing call. D, at 1125 a.m. on July 8th, 2025 for a sick person call. E. At 5.09 p.m. on August 7th, 2025 for an abdominal pain call. F. At 1042 a.m. on August 16th, 2025 for a sick person under two years old call. And G, at 10.50 a.m.

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