Ryan Bunker Jr is Hired as New LCO Fire Chief

By Joe Morey News Editor

Ryan Bunker Jr was recently hired as the new chief of the LCO Volunteer Fire Department, after coming on board at the department as a fire fighter just over year ago in April of 2023. Bunker said he worked hard to become the best firefighter he could be, and it showed, as the LCO Tribal Governing Board (TGB) chose him from a pool of candidates.

Bunker, who grew up in the New Post community, earned his state certification at the Fire Fighter I level and completed the Emergency Medical Responder course at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University all while working full-time, being a full-time student at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

He said after doing all that, he spent what little time he had left with this family.

“When I joined the fire department, I was enrolled in Entry Level Fire Fighter, a state funded course offered by Northwood Tech hosted in the area locally,” Bunker said. “This is free education, and I didn't have to travel! Having this opportunity was incredibly helpful to my development as a firefighter. Additionally, the instructor was a fire chief for a neighboring department, so not only was I able to gain professional training, but I was also building a relationship with a partner of ours. This made us more effective on the fire ground.”

Bunker said he joined the fire service because he cares about his community.

“Growing up, I often heard there's nothing to do here. Well, I found plenty to do at the fire department,” Bunker said. “There's always something to learn and skills to train as a firefighter, and we're there for people on possibly the worst day of their life.”

Bunker said the department is looking for members of the community to join the team. If you're interested in joining or would like more information, please feel free to send him an email at ryan.bunker-jr@lco-nsn.gov.