ESD_Abderhalden_16Sep241
D. DANIEL LICHT
From:William AbderhaldenIII <william.abderhalden@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, September 16, 2024 4:36 PM
To:D. DANIEL LICHT
Subject:Support for Fire Station
Hi Dan,
I am sending this message to support the development of the Otsego Fire Station. As a chief fire officer with over 21
years in the fire services and the former chair of the Otsego Public Safety Commission, I am concerned that a city of over
20,000 residents still has no fire protection features positioned within city limits. Our contracted services were always a
short-term solution and were never meant to be eternally sustainable. The needs and demands of our city will begin to
overtax our supporting communities, and they will leave these contracts as they struggle to support their communities.
More and more departments are losing members and cannot recruit new ones.
The responsibility to provide infrastructure to the City of Otsego rests solely on the elected officials in Otsego. I don't
vote for Albertville, Rogers, or Elk River city councils to develop fire protection and public safety in our community, but I
do vote for our council members. It is alarming that this seems to be hinging on one misguided politician with a loud,
vocal minority disrupting the process.
While one council member may feel that there is no legal obligation to provide fire protection, there is a moral and
ethical obligation to provide it, and fire service legal experts will warn that cities can still be held liable for negligence
when an effort is not made to meet industry standards.
I urge the remaining four council members to fulfill their civic obligation to their residents and provide the level of safety
expected, regardless of what the vocal minority says.
Respectfully,
William Abderhalden
7669 Padgett Ave NE
Otsego, MN 55330
Cell: (612) 430-5825