By Sharon Verbeten
For over 40 years, Pro-Tec Fire Services has existed to do what no one hopes they have to do — save lives.
The company, which recently relocated from Green Bay to Appleton, provides contracted aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) services to airports and other related venues.
“We’re one of the best kept secrets in Northeast Wisconsin,” says Bill Hershman, president of Pro-Tec. “We deal in the world of aircraft emergencies. It’s a good thing that people don’t know who we are or are seeing us on a regular basis.”
Some airport customers want Pro-Tec to be visible, as it makes them feel safe, Hershman says. Others prefer the big green or yellow fire trucks be less obvious to customers.
Using a fleet and equipment owned by the respective clients, Pro-Tec team members use their rescue training to help airports and airfields maintain operational readiness and meet federal regulations.
The company, which employs more than 300 workers, was founded in 1974 by local real estate titan Norm Watermolen and remains a family business. Its first contract was with Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport; today, Pro-Tec serves 23 sites in 14 states and two Canadian provinces.
“We sort of evolved,” says Hershman, noting the company also provides some security services as well as stress debriefing and mental health services in case of catastrophic events.
In addition to small and mid-sized airports, Pro-Tec serves private companies such as Boeing (in Illinois and Texas) and military sites including Mojave Air and Space Port in California, the country’s first inland space port.
One of its clients, the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust, began looking for other ARFF providers during the pandemic to minimize expenditures due to decreased passenger traffic and revenue loss.
According to Shawn Chittum, Tulsa’s director of operations, “Pro-Tec was selected to provide ARFF services for the airport at a significant cost reduction at the same level of service; (they have) been able to integrate into the airport as an asset and provide additional services and training to our tenants to help them operate more efficiently.”
While there are ARFF competitors nationwide, Hershman says being a small, family-owned business that provides those kinds of services sets it apart. “That’s what makes us special; it’s all we do.”
Pro-Tec’s employees are constantly training for emergencies and offering support to airport staff.
“Every site we operate at is different. We take a significant amount of time in training,” Hershman says. “They have to understand the intricacies of each location and must have knowledge of all the different aircraft.”
The company — which in this region also serves Appleton International Airport — is focused on growing naturally.
“We’re always looking to expand,” Hershman says. “At the same time, we do not consider ourselves an overly aggressive growth company; it’s more organic growth.”
But as the company has grown, Hershman says it needed more workspace. This fall, it moved into a new 5,000-square-foot building on College Avenue in Appleton.
“We felt being more centrally located in the Valley helps us recruit better from as far south as Oshkosh or Fond du Lac,” he adds.
protecfire.com
