Stanley Fire Chief Korey Hagenson always knew he wanted to be a fire fighter. With his dad, two uncles and two cousins in fire service, it was natural for him to follow suit. In 2007, He became a probationary fire fighter before he even graduated high school. 2009 was a busy year for Chief Hagenson. He graduated from Stanley Boyd High School, took Firefighter 1 and Hazmat Ops classes, and completed his EMR certification, all in the same year.  After graduation, he went on to Chippewa Valley Technical College where he received his degree in Automotive Maintenance Tech and worked at Stanley Truck Sales from 2009-2015. In 2018, he began his journey to become an officer on the Stanley Fire Department and on January 29, 2019, he became the Fire Chief for the Stanley Fire Department. The most enjoyable part of Chief Hagenson’s job is connecting to the people. “I love helping people and trying to make their worst day of their life just a little bit better. I grew up watching my dad doing it and I always wanted to be just like my hero,” Hagenson remarks.

Working on the fire department, Chief Hagenson faces many hard challenges. When asked what his biggest challenge was, he answers, “Getting everything up to date and getting our EMR’s back in service in late 2018.  As a department we have come a long way in the last five years. I am still trying to overcome a big challenge in trying to show the city council the need for a full time Chief. Right now, we are trying to get Stanley, Thorp and Boyd to join in as one district.”

Chief Hagenson grew up in Stanley, Wisconsin with his mom, Barb, his dad, Kenny and his brother, Tyler. He met the love of his life, Cindy Potaczek, while he was a junior in high school and they were married in 2014. In 2016, their daughter, Kylie was born, and they added their second daughter, Kendall, in 2018. Chief Hagenson and his family currently live in Stanley and love making their community better and better every year. “I have lived in Stanley my entire life. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon, “Chief Hagenson remarks.  “I love how much the community is willing to help out. When the tornado happened, just to see how much everyone came together to help.”  The support of members of the Stanley community is a highlight of living in this small town. “Another big thing is the support from Martino’s Pizza every year,” he continues. “It’s great to see everyone come out and donate to the department. I will always thank Ron (Haas) for all he does for us on that day in October.”

Chief Hagenson enjoys building vehicles. Together with his wife, they built a 1995 Ranger and are currently building a 1985 Ford Ranger. The Hagenson family loves going to car shows with the mini trucks they build, and they try to visit as many as they can. “My kids love sweeping the floor in my shop and helping mom and dad build our next mini truck,” Hagenson points out.  Family time is important in the Hagenson family and varies from fishing, playing in the snow and building snow forts, to just spending time playing together. One of Chief Hagenson’s favorite vacations was traveling to Iron Mountain with his wife, Cindy, and the quality time they were able to spend together.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Chief Hagenson’s favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers. His favorite tv shows are Roadkill on motor trend and Vise Grip Garage on YouTube.

Chief Hagenson has been inspired by many people throughout his life.  One big inspiration was his dad, Kenny Hagenson, who is now his current assistant Fire Chief. Another very big inspiration is his wife, Cindy. “She helps me get through the bad calls,” Chief Hagenson reveals. “All of my (family) members are a very big inspiration. To have them help me with the work that I can’t always get done and for sticking with me with what happened in the past.” The best advice he’s ever received is, “Just keep pushing and keep your head down and push if you know what’s right. Believe in yourself.”

Interested in joining the Stanley Fire Department? Contact Fire Chief Korey Hagenson for more information at 715-644-5564. Make a difference today!