Jamison N. Kampmeyer dedicated his life and career to service. He joined the Colby Volunteer Fire Department on February 7‚ 2002‚ as a part-time firefighter and quickly became active in all areas of the fire department‚ furthering his education to become an EMT. Jamison participated in doing fire inspections in the community‚ and was active in the fire prevention programs put on at local schools. Jamison showed natural leadership skills at crash scenes and major fire scenes‚ taking on leadership roles for entry teams into fires‚ rope rescue‚ and other technical rescue incidents. In doing so‚ Jamison quickly obtained the respect of all the officers on the department and was promoted to lieutenant. At the time of his death‚ Jamison was on the list for promotion to captain.

Jamison took the fire department’s mission statement seriously and led by example. He was always one of the first to enter the hot zones and a very active participant in all debriefings. By nature‚ he was always working on ways to improve response and make scenes safer for everyone involved.

Knowing he aspired to serve his community further‚ Jamison made the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement. He attended the Recruit Academy at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau and was hired by the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department on April 26‚ 2004. In addition to his normal duties as a deputy sheriff‚ Jamison was a member of the S.W.A.T. Entry Team‚ S.W.A.T. Team Medic‚ Honor Guard‚ and trainer for C.P.R. and Defense and Arrest Tactics. Jamison was also a field training officer‚ tutoring and mentoring the newly hired deputies. He became an adjunct instructor at NTC for the Basic Recruit Academy and other criminal justice programs. He was next on the department’s eligibility list for detective and was posthumously promoted to detective.

On March 4‚ 2012‚ Jamison died while combating a fire at the Abbotsford Theater when the roof collapsed on him‚ and he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Those who knew Jamison are lucky to have been touched by his dry sense of humor‚ which was always followed by his bright smile. He was deeply dedicated to his family‚ having married his high school sweetheart‚ Amy. Jamison was proud to have bought a farm where he could still immerse himself in his rural farm upbringing.

Jamison is survived by his wife of 10 years‚ Amy‚ and three sons‚ Jack (7)‚ Henry (3)‚ and Miles (1). Jamison embodied the spirit of giving in both his professional and personal life. Jamison leaves a legacy as a dedicated public servant and true hero who touched the lives of many. He is greatly missed and will never be forgotten.