Jim Ponkauskas will retire as Janesville fire chief on May 31.
KYLIE BALK YAATENEN/KBALKYAATENEN@GAZETTEXTRA.COM
JANESVILLE — Jim Ponkauskas knew, at age 5, sitting in a fire truck on a call with his dad, that fire service was what he wanted to do with his life.
Pankauskas, who retires as Janesville fire chief on May 31, said his father worked nights at the General Motors plant in Janesville and was a volunteer firefighter in Orfordville. His mother worked mornings at Panoramic, Inc. in Janesville.
He would stay with his dad in the morning, but if his dad had to go on a call he stayed with a neighbor. One day, the neighbor wasn’t home.
His dad put him up front in the truck and they went to work.
Ponkauskas began his career in the fire service in 1988 as a firefighter/EMT for the Orfordville Fire Protection District, where he served as fire chief for 13 of his 26 years as a department member. He joined the Janesville department in 1994 as a firefighter/paramedic.
During his tenure, he has held the position of firefighter, firefighter/paramedic, motor pump operator, lieutenant, acting captain, shift commander and deputy fire chief.
In 2021, the police and fire commission selected him to serve as Janesville’s 38th fire chief. He said it had always been a career goal.
There have been challenges, such as making sure that his staff has everything they need to serve the community.
“It’s a balancing act sometimes, making sure that we are funding training and education so that everyone is prepared when we get the call to help somebody,” he said.
There are positives too, like getting to know the people he works with.
“With the hours we work sometimes you see the people at the station more than your own family,” he said. “So, you get really close with the people you work with, the station becomes your second home.”
He said constantly learning has been a fulfilling part of the job, through taking public safety classes, renewing certifications or new programming.
At the helm, Ponkauskas has been responsible for all services provided by the department including fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention, and other emergency and non-emergency requests for assistance from the public.
Ponkauskas manages these services with the support of key staff members and with the cooperation of other city agencies.
During his years with the city, he has seen many changes in the fire service. In 2016, Ponkauskas was the project manager responsible for overseeing the construction of the city’s central fire station.
Along with city administration, he worked through implementing the fifth paramedic ambulance in 2022. One of his many milestone projects was when the fire department administration and Janesville Firefighters Local 580 partnered to obtain grant funding and develop the department’s new physical and cancer screening program.
He said that there are a lot of chemicals in buildings when they burn that firefighters are exposed to. He said that being able to work with the union to get the program started was important to him.
He also said that he is looking forward to catching up with projects at home and working on maintaining his lawn. He said that he also plans on taking trips and spending more time with his family.
He said a goal has been to leave the department better than he found it; he feels he has done that. He said that he has full confidence in new Fire Chief Ryan Murphy to continue the forward momentum of the fire department.
Ponkauskas said that he thanks his dad, Ronnie Nelson and Art Johnson for inspiring him to keep going and showing him what it means to be a firefighter. He also thanks the community for and the city for 30 years.
“You’re really here to serve them; we don’t ever really look for praise, we don’t want to be acknowledged or anything like that,” he said. “But I just have to thank the community that I served for 30 years.”
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