ERFD yearend report for 2019ELK RIVER
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Personnel on scene of semi rollover
2019
YEAR END REPORT
1
ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
From the Chief’s Desk
Greetings,
This 2019 Year End Report is intended to show what the Elk River Fire Department (ERFD) has
accomplished through our service to the community and hopefully provide a better understanding
of what we do. The calendar year of 2019 brought many changes to the ERFD. In addition to my
start as the new Fire Chief, three members were promoted from Lieutenant to Captain (Mark Lees,
Joe Libor Sr., and Joe Evenson). Three new members graduated from our Elk River Fire Academy
(Jena Murray, Gordon Myette, and Jake DeMarre). I am proud to announce they have completed
their probation and are officially Elk River firefighters after their badge-pinning ceremony in
February.
We also saw the addition of a Fire Auxiliary, run by the significant others and relatives of our
firefighters formed to help offer additional support to the department and community. They have
been involved in fundraising, event planning, public education, and the “Fill a Fire Truck Toy
Drive.” I foresee this group being a tremendous asset for us in the future. There were also some big
projects completed in 2019, a remodel of the kitchen at Station 1 and the design of the new Tender
1 which supplies 3,000 gallons of water to areas with no hydrants. In addition, there was the
retirement of three dedicated members; Steve Dittbenner-40 yrs., Keith Thorson-23 yrs., and Tim
Marchiafava-17 yrs. Their service and commitment to the community is greatly appreciated.
The ERFD has consistently been one of the busiest fire departments in the Northwest Suburbs. In
2019, ERFD members responded to a total of 497 calls for service to in our fire service area (Elk
River, Otsego, and Big Lake Township) including mutual-aid response to surrounding jurisdictions.
While the number of emergency calls is typically the focal point of fire department reports, it only
accounts for a small fraction of the hours put in by our members serving the community to support
our fire department. An incredible amount of time is spent every year for mandated training, public
education, community events, inspections/pre-planning, equipment checks, committees,
fundraising, and administrative duties.
The 2019 year brought an end to an era, going forward we will be working proactively to develop a
strategic plan that will help plan for challenges, growth and opportunities that we will see over the
next decade. I would like to personally thank the Mayor and Council, City Administrator, and all the
city employees for their support and patience as I find my footing in this new role. It is my pleasure
and honor to be part of such an amazing team and I look forward to working together to provide
the best services for our community that will provide for a safer and more resilient city.
Please enjoy the report and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Very respectfully,
Mark D. Dickinson
Elk River Fire Chief & Director of Emergency Management
mdickinson@elkrivermn.gov
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Emergency Responses
The ERFD received a total of 497 calls for service in 2019. The pie chart above breaks down the
497 incidents into categories based on the National Fire Incident Reporting Systems (NFIRS).
Category #1 (Fires) are generally what most people think of when they picture a fire department
response. This includes all structural, vehicle, wild land, cooking, rubbish, and mutual aid.
Category #2 (Alarms) includes all fire alarms responded to where no fire was found upon arrival.
Category #3 (Hazardous Materials) pertains to incidents involving hazardous materials leak, spill or
release (i.e. Natural Gas, Carbon Monoxide).
Category #4 (Vehicle Accidents) involves a response to motorized vehicle accidents that include
both injured and non-injured victims. Extrication of victims from vehicles is an advanced skill that is
often needed.
Category 5 (False alarms) includes all fire alarms responded to where no fire was found upon arrival
or we were cancelled by dispatch enroute.
Category 6 (Agency assists) refers to responding to an incident to assist another agency (i.e.
ambulance, law enforcement, and utilities for downed power lines).
Category 7 (Technical Rescue) includes all special rescue incidents (i.e. rope rescue, water rescue,
confined space, trench rescue).
All categories are divided further for more detail on the following pages.
24%
22%
20%
18%
10% 5%
1% 2019 Total Incidents - 497
Fires (118)
Alarms (110)
Hazardous Materials (100)
Vehicle Accidents (89)
False Alarms (50)
Agency Assists (27)
Tech Rescue (3)
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Emergency Responses
20
16
7
13 13
49
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Fires
60
44
6
Fire Alarm Smoke
Detector
Activation
Sprinkler
Activation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Alarms
53
5
42
Natural Gas Fuel Spill Carbon
Monoxide
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Hazardous Materials
75
14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Injuries No Injuries
Motor Vehicle Accidents
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Emergency Responses
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
No assistance needed
False Alarms
20
3 4
0
5
10
15
20
25
Medical Law
Enforcemnt
Utilities
Agency Assist
1
2
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Rope Rescue Water Rescue
Technical Rescue
78%
21%
1%
Emergency Response
by Jurisdiction
Elk River (385)Otsego (105)
Big Lake Twp (7)
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Monthly Response to Service Calls for Day and Night
The graph represents the difference between the amount of calls for service between day and night.
As you can see, calls for service during the daytime are close to twice the amount for night, this is
important data as we must ensure adequate staffing during the day. This may seem inconsequential,
but with a paid-on-call fire service, this means our responders are also at work during these busy
hours and this presents a challenge.
The other part of the graph represents the “Duty Officer Only” calls for service and is broken down
between day and night responses. A Duty Officer Only call is used for non-emergency incidents
which usually involve sending a fire department representative to investigate or assist a victim. This
saves on unnecessary use of the fire apparatus and personnel.
33
29
24
28
20
31
16
20
16
18
16
21
17
13
10
12
14
12
11
12
14
7
9 9
6
7
6
3
1
7
2
6
4 4
2
3
1
3
5
0
1
4 4
3
1
5
4
3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0600-1800 1800-0600 DO 0600-1800 DO 1800-0600
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Emergency Responses – Otsego
22%
4%
11%
18%
20%
16%
8%
1%
Alarms (23)
Assist - Law Enforcement (4)
Motor Vehicle Accidents (12)
Dispatched & Cancelled (19)
Fires (21)
Hazardous Materials (17)
Medical Assist (8)
Tech Rescue Call (1)
2019 Total Incidents - 105
0
2
4
6
8
10
Cooking
(Contained)
Grass Fire Mutual Aid Other Structure
Fire
Vehicle Fire
Fires
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Crash w/Injuries Crash w/o Injuries Assist EMS Lift Assist
Crashes & Medicals
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Alarm - Carbon
Monoxide
Fire Smoke
Det/Activation )
Sprinkler
Activation
Alarms
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Assist - Law
Enforcement
Dispatched &
Cancelled
Fuel Spill Gas Leak Tech Rescue Call
Other
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Department Training
Training is the backbone of any fire department; it produces a well-prepared cadre and increases the
efficiency of emergency operations. It also instills proper execution that reduces injuries and assists
with keeping our firefighters safe. The ERFD commits a significant number of hours every year
towards delivering quality training. In 2019, the ERFD planned and delivered 240 hours of training
for our firefighters, to support and maintain their knowledge, skills, and abilities that covered
numerous types of emergency response. The eleven core training initiatives we strive to meet for
our members include:
1. Health and safety
2. Command & Control
3. Fire ground Strategy & Tactics
4. Fire Suppression
5. Respiratory Protection (SCBA)
6. Water Deployment
7. Special Technical Rescue
8. Incident Command
9. Emergency Medical Response
10. Hazardous Materials
11. Professional Development.
Every member is required to meet a minimum of
50% of all department training in addition to all
state and federal requirements for licensing and
certifications.
In addition to internal training, members also
participate in numerous outside training hours as
part of their professional development.
Some members have additional training and
certification that they initiated to stay current with
new techniques and tactics.
Fire Departments across the country have had to
expand to an ‘all-hazard response organization’ to
meet the changing needs of communities.
Firefighters today are highly trained emergency
responders who provide emergency responders
who provide quality service to those in need.
Auto stabilization and extrication training
ERFD training burn with Big Lake Fire
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Community Outreach
Firefighter Kreuser and Police Sergeant Windels read to children on our Open House Day at
the Elk River Library.
The ERFD takes pride in giving back to the community through public education, public relations,
and providing information through social media. These areas offer opportunities to provide service
to the community as a whole with the goal of creating a safer and more resilient community. Our
public education programs include presentations to all ages on fire safety and severe weather. We
even utilize an escape house to demonstrate the importance of having an escape plan which has
proven to be very popular. Numerous smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and educational
materials are distributed at events.
Fire Prevention Specialist Jeff Smith continuously strives to make an appearance in every school
during Fire Prevention Week every October. Personnel and fire apparatus are participate in events
throughout the year. This outreach is beneficial to increase public awareness about their local fire
department.
In 2019, our Community Outreach Program conducted 65 public safety and education
seminars throughout the area including: fire station tours, public events and an open house
resulting in contact with over 4,100 children and over 1,000 adults. Another resource we utilize
for community outreach is social media. This is a valuable tool allowing us to share potentially life-
saving information to many people. In 2019, we had 142 social media posts reaching 554,702
people within and beyond our community.
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Health and Life Safety Inspections
The most effective means to protect the health and safety of residents, businesses, visitors, and
firefighters are programs focused on ensuring the basic health and life safety codes and state laws are
followed. Most of these inspections are preventative and redundant to ensure simple measures,
mandated by law, are followed to protecting an unsuspecting renter, employee, visitor or public
safety official from grave danger.
The costs of the health and life safety inspection programs are offset by the licensing or permit fees
attributed to the particular inspections so those incurring the cost are paying their fair share.
Rental Property Inspections
Our Rental Dwelling Program continues to grow. In 2019, we licensed 374 single family homes, 63
apartments and 6 multi-family units. Pursuant to passing an inspection for health and live safety
issues, the department issues annual rental licenses for all single-family, multi-family and apartment
buildings.
Of the 443 licenses issued, 382 were renewals and 61 were new. Last year’s activity was an increase
from 2018 which totaled 411 rental licenses. Revenue generated through rental permitting changed
increased to $67,716 in 2019 (up from $54,156 in 2018).
Commercial Inspections
Like rental property inspections, commercial inspections are scheduled based on facility use and
potential risk. The intent is to reduce risks in the Elk River community and surrounding jurisdictions
in our response area. Commercial buildings frequently have tenant and operational use changes
which may impact the need for additional fire code-related safety or alarm systems or basic repair or
cleaning. Further, an inspection will help fire department staff identify and annotate unique facility
use or layout designs that may hinder first responders in the event of an emergency.
Plan Review/Inspections
New construction, rehabilitation and expansion and expansion plans are carefully reviewed to ensure
building emergency exiting, fire suppression; smoke/CO2 alarms, emergency responder access, and
building design meet the NAFDA fire code which has been adopted by the city council. Following
plan review, inspections are made to ensure construction follows the approved architectural and
engineering plans.
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Emergency Management
We were very fortunate to not have any disasters affect our community in 2019, yet we were still
busy planning, surveying, and assisting other communities with large-scale incidents that require
emergency management support.
Early last winter during a very cold stretch of temperatures, our emergency management director
responded to the Township of Baldwin per the request of the Sherburne County Emergency
Management Team to assist with handling a large gas outage that affected over 200 homes.
The potential for spring flooding was high and later in the year we were again requested by
Sherburne County Emergency Management to assist with a large-area search for a missing child.
Both incidents concluded
successfully and led to a
stronger relationship between
our two emergency
management divisions. In
addition to these incidents, we
collaborated on training with
Elk River Utilities that
included a review of their
Emergency Operations Plan
and started the process of
working on a Mitigation
Action Chart that will assist with potential grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security for projects that will keep our city’s infrastructure and citizens safe from natural and
manmade disasters.
2019 Flooding of the Elk River
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ELK RIVER FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019
YEAR END REPORT
Conclusion
The Elk River Fire Department is busy planning and preparing for 2020. We are always looking for
ways to improve the services we provide to our community and surrounding jurisdictions. Mutual-
aid agreements and contracts are under review as our contract for service in the City of Otsego
requires renegotiation at the conclusion of this year. A five-year strategic plan is a high priority
taking into consideration what our needs will be for the next several years and beyond, as well as
focusing on our strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. As the fire chief and a resident of Elk River,
it is my top priority to keep our firefighters, residents, and visitors safe. Through high quality
training we will keep our firefighters safe from injury during emergency responses and utilize a
public education, community outreach, and risk reduction program to create a safer and more
resilient community.
As we strive to stay on the leading edge of technology, we have improved our recordkeeping and
scheduling systems and are looking into a different Records Management System. Paperless systems
provide more user-friendly and efficient ways to track and report our activities, both in emergency
scenarios and for required certifications and licenses. Our department also completed testing on all
the fire hoses in our inventory as well as our self-contained breathing apparatus equipment.
We had our inaugural fundraiser collaboration with Elk River Municipal Liquors last summer and it
was a huge success for both departments. We were able to raise more than $5,000 for our
department which was used to purchase thermal imaging cameras for our fire officer vehicles. This
lifesaving equipment will assist in finding victims during fires, water rescue and searches as well as
help our officers find the location of a fire before the crews arrive, resulting in safer operations. We
were also the recipient of a community grant from our local Walmart for $5,000, which will be used
to purchase a long-needed turnout gear dryer for Station 2.
In closing, we would like to thank the members of the Elk River Fire Department and their families
for their dedication and commitment to our community. We feel very fortunate to have a City
Council and Administration that supports our mission to deliver the highest quality emergency
services possible, now and into the future.
Sincerely,
Fire Administration