EDEN PRAIRIE FIRE DEPARTMENT
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
E XCELLENCE P RIDE F AMILY D EDICATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS STATIONS....................................................................................4 MESSAGE FROM THE FIRE CHIEF.................................5
MISSION We lead and strive to minimize risk, increase safety, and improve the quality of life in our community through education, code compliance, and emergency response.
DEAPRTMENT OVERVIEW & ORG CHART...........6-7 HISTORY..................................................................................8-9 FIRE SUPPRESSION........................................................10-11 TECHNICAL OPERATIONS..........................................12-13 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES........................14-15 SPECIAL OPERATIONS.................................................16-17 FIRE INSPECTIONS & INVESTIGATIONS.............18-19 FIRE PREVENTION & PUBLIC EDUCATION.....20-21 BUILDING INSPECTIONS...........................................22-23 RECRUITS...........................................................................24-25
VALUES Collaboration Integrity Relationships Innovation Performance
TRAINING...........................................................................26-27 COMMUNICATIONS CENTER..................................28-29 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT..................................30-31 2021 DEPLOYMENT.......................................................32-33 SUPPORT GROUPS.............................................................34 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS...............................................35 PROMOTIONS & YEARS OF SERVICE........................36 RETIREMENTS........................................................................37 WE ARE EPFD.................................................................38-39 3
Eden Prairie Fire Department
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
STATIONS
Station 1 14800 Scenic Heights Rd. Engine 12, Quint 11 Personnel: 9 FT Career, 1 PT Admin Assistant, 1 Captain, 3 Lieutenants, 20 PT Duty Crew
Station 2 12100 Sunnybrook Rd. Engines 21 & 22 Personnel: 1 Captain, 3 Lieutenants, 19 PT Duty Crew
Station 3 7350 Eden Prairie Rd. Engines 31 & 32 Personnel: 1 Captain, 3 Lieutenants, 23 PT Duty Crew
Station 4
Station 2 is nestled in the busiest "quadrant" of the City which includes single family homes, multifamily apartments, senior living, Eden Prairie Center mall, and other commercial establishments.
Station 3 resides across from the popular Round Lake Park and within walking distance to the Community Center & Eden Prairie High School. It is the oldest active station in Eden Prairie.
Station 4 is the newest of the four Stations. Station 4 is also home to the Cities back up emergency operations center (EOC).
17920 Linwood Ct. Engine 41, Tower 41 Personnel: 1 Captain, 3 Lieutenants, 22 PT Duty Crew
Eden Prairie Fire Department
Station 1 serves as the departments headquarters as well as the main hub. It also serves as the Hennepin EMS paramedic ambulance service station. The Station 1 service area is the largest of the City's four stations and responds to the most incidents.
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MESSAGE FROM MESSAGE FROMTHE THE CHIEF FIRE CHIEF It is my pleasure to share the Eden Prairie Fire Department (EPFD) 2021 Annual Report with you. This past year has been an incredible year of change and growth for the EPFD, and while this report captures many data points and several accomplishments, there is so much more to celebrate, and much more is planned for the years ahead. The EPFD is a combination Fire Department utilizing full time staff and part time staff (Duty Crew firefighters) for our service delivery. The EPFD continues to place great focus on community risk reduction, including building code inspections, fire and life safety code inspections, fire prevention education, plan review, pre-planning, and public relations with our skilled and cutting-edge building inspections and fire inspections teams. The technical operations division continues to provide innovative solutions to our communications and security needs throughout the City. While the contents of the Annual Report focus on details and data from the Fire Department’s programs, projects, and performance, it is the people we serve and the people providing the service who are at the heart of the mission. I can’t say enough thanks to our people! We are very fortunate to have such a supportive community, supportive City staff, and supportive elected officials, which allow us to provide exceptional service delivery to our community. Thank you for your ongoing encouragement and support of the EPFD. I am proud to serve the City of Eden Prairie and lead this incredible team of dedicated men and women. As we reflect on the accomplishments of 2021, we continue to be focused on what is yet to come for the EPFD and the outstanding community we serve.
Scott Gerber, Fire Chief
Eden Prairie Fire Department
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DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION
The Eden Prairie Fire Department (EPFD) has existed as a fire department within the State of Minnesota since 1967. The Fire Department is one of six core service areas that comprise Eden Prairie's City government operations. Eden Prairie is located in close proximity to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area providing a perfect balance of small town feel and big city amenities. The Fire Department has an Insurance Services Office rating of three (3). The population of Eden Prairie is over 64,000 and it is home to more than 2,800 businesses. Eden Prairie is home to one public school system and three private schools. The Eden Prairie Fire Department's service area is approximately 36 square miles and consists of a mix of residential, business and industrial areas. The primary services provided by the Eden Prairie Fire Department include: Fire Suppression, First Response Basic Life Support (BLS), Emergency Medical Services, Community Risk Reduction, Fire Prevention and Inspections, Fire Investigations, Training, Hazardous Materials "Operations Level" Response, Special Rescue (Marine and Technical) and Technical Operations.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide residents, elected and appointed officials, and any other interested parties a concise summary of what the Eden Prairie Fire Department has accomplished in 2021.
SCOPE
This annual report contains information about the emergency responses, training, personnel and non-emergency activities undertaken by the EPFD from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2021. The report summarizes these activities using the best available information at the time of the report's compilation. Eden Prairie Fire Department 6
DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION Kara Thompson Administrative Assistant Scott Gerber Fire Chief
Ward Parker Assistant Fire Chief, Operations
Mark Vandenberghe, Captain 6, Technical Operations Bernie de Hoog, EMS Coordinator Cori Wallis, Quartermaster Rob Cross, Tools Coordinator
Kurt Buchanan Assistant Fire Chief, Training & Prevention
Kim Cox, Captain 5, Training Jeff Carrane, Inspector 1 Patrick Maynard, Inspector 2 Justin Johnson, Inspector 3 Jason Albers, Inspector 4
4 Captains 12 Lieutenants 94 Part-Time Duty Crew Firefighters
Rik Berkbigler Assistant Fire Chief, Emergency Management
Kevin Schmeig Building Official
Wendell Stockwell, Building Inspector Tim Fadden, Building Inspector Mike Uttenhove, Building Inspector Terry Enstad, Building Inspector Ken Kragness, Plan Reviewer John Nelsen, Plan Reviewer Lisa Morrill, Building Insp Tech II Riley Lundeen, Building Insp Tech I
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HISTORY March 16, 1967: The Eden Prairie Village Council votes to establish a volunteer fire department. Ray Mitchell and 20 members made up the initial group. April 1, 1968: The department places into service its first fire apparatus. The truck was purchased with funds donated from the Eden Prairie Lions Club. January 23, 1975: The department places into service a tanker truck. This unit allows the department to transport water more effectively to a fire scene. September 28, 1978: During remodel work at the Mitchell Road Fire Station some building material caught fire, giving the department a new record response time to a fire. December 21, 1983: After 17 years serving as Chief of department, Ray Mitchell steps down and returns to the rank of Firefighter. Ron Johnson is appointed as his replacement. October 8, 1988: The newly remodeled Station 3 and the brand new Station 2 are open for business. The former station on Technology and Flying Cloud Drive is decommissioned. March 13, 1990: Spencer Conrad is voted in as the department's third Fire Chief. January 11, 1994: While under construction, the Eden Prairie water tower catches fire. According to Asst. Chief Mike Rogers the fire was sparked by a welder's torch.
June 17, 1999: The new (and current) Station 1 is opened. The previous location on Mitchell Road was demolished to make way for the new freeway on-ramp. This station serves as the department headquarters today. September 5, 2002: George F. Esbensen is appointed as the City's first full-time Fire Chief. March 3, 2007: Eden Prairie's fourth fire station is opened at Dell Road and Linwood Ct. October 1, 2012: Duty Crews are established and members of the department are now scheduling their time on duty. Their presence is still needed for larger incidents but the majority of the calls are handled by those at the station. The first shift began at 0500. December 3, 2015: Quint 11 is placed into service and responds on its first run (Motor Vehicle Accident). The Quint is a first-of-its-kind apparatus for Eden Prairie and provides more versatility when responding to incidents.
March 16, 2017: The department kicked off its 50 years of service celebration. Current and retired firefighters gathered at Fire Station 1 to celebrate the event. April 1, 2019: After the retirement of former Chief Esbensen, Chief Scott Gerber was hired as the fifth Fire Chief of Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie Fire Department 9
FIRE SUPPRESSION
2,909 CALLS FOR SERVICE
Suppression calls include structure fires, car fires, fire alarms, water flow alarms, smoke scares, in-flight emergencies and industrial accidents.
2021 CALL CATEGORIES
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YEARLY CALLS FOR SERVICE COMPARISON
CALLS FOR SERVICE BY CATEGORY
CALLS FOR SERVICE BY TYPE
2,868
Duty Crew Calls All Calls Duty Crew calls are paged to staff on duty at the fire stations. Calls labeled as 'ALL' are paged to the entire department and include calls such as structure fires and water and aircraft incidents.
Photo by Quick Response Films
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TECHNICAL OPERATIONS The Fire Department provides technical operations with security systems for City buildings, radio tower and microwave maintenance, dispatch console support and maintenance, and mobile and portable radio support for public safety and public service users in the City. Staff members also provide support to other agencies. Photo by Quick Response Films
Photo by Quick Response Films
TECHNOLOGY 2021, we made it! The new year brought phrases like “the new normal” and “staffing shortages.” The technical operations area was not immune to the changes taking place. As we started trying to get back to the way things were, we were met with equipment shortages, time delays and resource staffing issues. Timelines were pushed and projects delayed but we were able to make progress toward our goals. We ended the year getting our projects completed or nearly completed (minus a few still delayed pieces of equipment). The first quarter included updates to the fleet map of both police and fire Motorola radios. The overhaul included channel updates, additions and the completion of phase I of the additional encryption channels in the majority of radios we support. This will help protect all of our public safety employees and partners as we move forward. Technology operations projects included the upgrade of the camera systems for all four fire stations. Better quality, additional views and increased scalability are just a few benefits of the upgrade, but most important was the increased safety for our staff, guests, equipment and buildings. In addition to the upgrades at the fire stations, Homeward Hills Park and Riley-Jacques Barn had projects that started late in the year to add new card reader and camera systems. Software changes included upgrades to New World and CrewForce. Several of the updates brought some much-needed functionality enhancements to the platforms. 2022 will bring some additional tools to allow us to have the information we need when we need it. On the infrastructure side of things, the addition of fiber to several City buildings allowed for significant network speed increase. This allowed technology operations to add redundant connections and increase throughput for the various systems we support. This will also set the stage for more improvements in 2022. Eden Prairie Fire Department 13
Emergency Medical Service calls include medical emergencies, vehicle crashes and other life-threatening conditions. EPFD works collaboratively with the Eden Prairie Police Department and Hennepin Healthcare EMS to provide these patients experiencing medical conditions with the best possible care. This call area also includes responses where firefighter(s) provided critical patient care with the paramedics in the ambulance while en route to a hospital.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES CALLS FOR SERVICE BY TYPE
Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO Emergency Medical Service Response (EMS) is a core component of our service delivery. Our EMS system in the City is a tiered and collaborative response which includes the Eden Prairie Fire Department, Eden Prairie Police Department and Hennepin HealthCare EMS. Police officers and firefighters provide “first responder” services to assure timely and effective patient care in time of need.
Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
Fire Department staff are trained as emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians or paramedics. The knowledge and skills of the firefighters, police officers and paramedics, along with the state-ofthe-art equipment we have at EPFD allow for timely and effective lifesaving procedures to be started quickly and continued while en route to a local healthcare facility.
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EPFD provides first response capabilities for hazardous materials incidents. EPFD works with the State system for hazardous materials response, which includes the Hopkins Fire Department as our Chemical Assessment Team.
WATER & ICE RESCUE EPFD provides first response rescue capabilities for all types of water and icerelated incidents. EPFD utilizes two boats, specialized technology, ropes and cold-water rescue suits.
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FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT EPFD provides preventive fire and life-safety inspections at the airport in collaboration with the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) staff and businesses on site. Emergency response to unplanned events at the airport occurs with a unified and collaborative team.
TECHNICAL RESCUE EPFD provides first-response capabilities for technical rescue incidents. EPFD works with the State system for technical rescue response, which includes the Edina Fire Department and Task Force 1.
Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
Any coordinated team includes staff from the Police Department, Hennepin HealthCare EMS, MAC and other agencies as needed. Additionally, the City has a Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission which meets quarterly. The Fire Chief serves as the City staff liaison for the commission.
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FIRE INSPECTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS The Fire Prevention Division is responsible for conducting fire code inspections of all existing businesses, single-family/multifamily rental properties and hazardous materials occupancies within the City. In addition, the fire inspectors are responsible for building life-safety reviews, fire code evaluations, permit and licensing oversight, and field inspections for all new commercial and rental properties. Kitchen hood and duct grease removal, hood system maintenance and kitchen fire protection system operation are all components of the division's regular, routine fire inspection program. These inspections are conducted during non-business hours in restaurants, schools and corporate cafeterias. In 2021, fire inspection safety remained a priority for our customers and inspectors, with the continued use of COVID precautions and offering alternative low or no-contact inspection processes.
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98% save rate for sprinkled occupancies
47% save rate for unsprinkled occupancies
FIRE INSPECTION SAFETY
There are approximately 10,000 existing occupancies in Eden Prairie that require fire and life safety inspections on regular intervals. Looking across the skyline, Eden Prairie residents will notice the continued development of additional housing and commercial space. These additions have and will continue to add to the fire inspections activities of the department.
WE EXPECT that 2022 will bring an additional 350 rental units to our City. For our fire inspection capabilities to keep up with the forecasted rental housing growth, the Fire Prevention Division remains focused on applying new electronic technologies and work processes to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of our ongoing inspections program. An electronic, paperless inspection process was piloted in 2021 and will be implemented in 2022.
CODE ENFORCEMENT
While code enforcement primarily maintains quality of life standards, it also plays an important role in the early identification of unsafe entry and exit points, maintaining access for emergencies, identifying exterior hazards, reducing public health hazards, and ensuring compliance with the building and fire code. The Fire Department is responsible for enforcing ordinance requirements throughout the City. The Fire Prevention Division and the Building Inspections Division work closely with Community Development and other departments to collaboratively define solutions that meet the needs of the customer and the overall safety of the community. The community is currently classified as an ISO 3 city, which means your home is less likely to be severely damaged or destroyed by fire and may be cheaper to insure. Communities are scored on how well-equipped the City's Fire Department is to extinguish fires in that community. Eden Prairie Fire Department
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FIRE PREVENTION & PUBLIC EDUCATION The Fire Department believes the best fire is a fire that is prevented. Throughout 2021, the department's prevention and inspections division continued to offer opportunities for the community to learn about fire safety and community risk reduction. As COVID restrictions eased, Fire Department events such as the Citywide Open House, fire extinguisher, and life-safety education events for community groups and businesses were again offered with safety precautions in place. A modified July 4th event took place over three days and the new Harvest to Halloween event was well-attended.
Safety Camp
returned in a modified fashion, which enabled youth education, while providing reduced attendee exposure to COVID. The fire inspections staff remain engaged with our schools on fire prevention education. As we have progressed through the waves of COVID, fire prevention education methods of delivery have been adjusted to reduce risk to the public and our staff. Eden Prairie Fire Department
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As we have progressed through the waves of COVID, public relations events and station tours have been adjusted and limited to reduce the exposure to the public and our staff. The fire inspection staff remains engaged with our schools on fire prevention education.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
BUILDING INSPECTIONS The Building Inspections Division performs public safety functions by ensuring that construction which occurs within the City of Eden Prairie conforms to various state and local and fire codes. The purpose of these codes is to provide safeguards for life, limb, health, property and public welfare by ensuring that buildings are constructed and maintained safely in accordance with these codes.
VALUATION
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2021 INSPECTIONS
ePERMITS AND eSCHEDULING
2021 ISSUED PERMITS
To better serve our customers and improve efficiency, we continue to implement eServices. Currently we offer ePermits and eScheduling which allows our customers to receive many types of permits and schedule inspections online. In 2022 we plan to fully implement ePlan Review services.
In Eden Prairie, we strive to minimize any potential negative impacts of the fire code and/or code enforcement by working with contractors and owners to achieve code compliance, not against them. The division’s primary activities (services) include plan review, on-site inspections, approvals for occupancy, permit issuance, collection of fees and providing information to the public.
RECRUITS In 2021, seven recruit firefighters were hired. We were fortunate in 2021 to hire six of these recruit firefighters with current MN State Firefighter Certifications and firefighter experience. These experienced recruit firefighters were not required to attend the full academy and are following a modified program to graduation. The remaining recruit firefighter is attending the full academy. The seven new recruit firefighters are on track to graduate in May 2022.
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Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
THE FUTURE OF EPFD Training for our new firefighters remains the cornerstone of an effective career. Our recruit firefighters are trained in fire suppression, medical and special rescue skills. The training is conducted through our regional recruit academy which takes place primarily at the South Metro Public Safety Training Facility. This recruit academy curriculum is taught by instructors from participating area fire departments who have recruit firefighters participating in this Academy. Specific training includes Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Operations, Emergency Medical Training (which includes certification as an Emergency Medical Technician or Emergency Medical Responder), active shooter response and safe emergency vehicle operations. Recruit training is conducted twice a week and lasts approximately 10 months. After earning the required certifications and upon graduation, Eden Prairie recruits will have completed over 280 hours of training.
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TRAINING
12,348
TRAINING HOURS
117
The Eden Prairie Fire Department takes great pride in its firefighter training programs for recruits to veteran firefighters. Training remains the backbone of the department with a focus on firefighter confidence and competence.
AVERAGE HOURS PER FIREFIGHTER Our department’s training program provides opportunity and flexibility to meet the ever-changing needs of the organization and its members. Firefighters are provided opportunities to train weekly as a department, train during their shifts, and pursue additional outside training to increase knowledge and hone their firefighting, medical, hazardous materials and special response skills.
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Live Burn Training with Chaska Fire
For this specific training exercise, firefighters were paired up. This drill encompasses effective communications. On one end of the radio, the firefighter has the detailed assembly information and on the other radio, a firefighter has the pieces to assemble. Directions are provided over the radio on how to build the Lego® set. This is a timed drill and we introduce distractions to the firefighter trying to communicate the stepby-step instructions.
During the year, firefighter training returned to group in-person training. Firefighters received training needed to remain proficient with roadway safety, fire suppression, occupant rescue, hazardous materials management and emergency medical skills. Additionally, firefighters received training on topics that affect the
fire service across all regions and ranks, including firefighter wellness, understanding psychological trauma, nutrition, the value of sleep and cancer awareness. The Training Division ensures that training content aligns with the requirements for our firefighters to retain their Minnesota State Certifications and Licensing.
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER DISPATCH The City of Eden Prairie operates its own Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), also known as a dispatch center. All 911 calls made in Eden Prairie are sent directly to the dispatch center, allowing for enhanced, personalized customer service. The Eden Prairie dispatchers answer emergency and nonemergency calls, make sound decisions for successful emergency management, and formulate a line of questioning to effectively prioritize and dispatch resources to the public. They ensure responder safety through accurately documenting information obtained, disseminating relevant facts, and maintaining the status of firefighters and police officers while on call.
In 2021, the Dispatch Center created
for 51,147 Calls Service 19,863 911 Calls 31,212
Received
(82 of those were text-to-911)
Answered
Administrative Phone Calls
All dispatchers are trained to effectively maneuver through several different systems to perform all facets of the position: utilizing Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone technology, participating in the Matrix Allied Radio for Emergency Response (ARMER) and knowledgeably accessing numerous criminal justice related databases. Eden Prairie dispatchers also serve as liaisons between the public and the various departments of the City, serving as the primary contact for various departments after hours, on weekends and on holidays.
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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ALL-HAZARD APPROACH The City of Eden Prairie has adopted the all-hazard approach to emergency management and crisis response. The Fire Department serves at point for the coordination of the emergency management system. City preparedness as well as overall community preparedness are cornerstones to our system. In 2021, the emergency management system continued coordination for the COVID-19 Pandemic, and other major emergencies in the community. The Fire Department and the City are committed to promoting a culture of resilience and to ensuring that everything possible has been done to prevent, mitigate and manage a catastrophic event.
2021 HIGHLIGHTS New Emergency Operations Plan was prepared and approved. Managed COVID point of distribution for two vaccine rounds (January/ February) in conjunction with Eden Prairie Schools, Hennepin Healthcare and the Minnesota Department of Health. Participating agencies included Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, MAC Fire and some CERT personnel. New Citywide emergency notification service — Smart911 — was deployed.
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The Fire Chief also serves as the City's Emergency Management Director and is responsible for: Overall accuracy and readiness of emergency operations plan Ensuring the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is functional and ready to be utilized Defining and updating the City’s hazard mitigation plan Training personnel in the incident command system Coordinating emergency management efforts with the South Region and Hennepin County Emergency Management
OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS Outdoor warning sirens are used as part of an overall comprehensive warning and notification system. Eden Prairie has 17 sirens which are placed strategically throughout the community and are tested regularly by City staff for proper operation. When outdoor warning sirens sound, they are for real emergencies and are designed to warn people who are OUTDOORS to seek immediate shelter. They are not designed to warn people who are indoors. The siren sound is always the same, regardless of the type of emergency. If the sirens sound, DO NOT call 911 to ask what’s going on. Seek shelter and turn on the TV, radio or other device for information. Testing of outdoor warning sirens takes place on the first Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. Eden Prairie Fire Department 31
DEPLOYMENT 2021 LOUISIANA
Twenty-two firefighters from Minnesota, including five from Eden Prairie, were deployed to southern Louisiana for three weeks to help with hurricane Ida recovery. The mission started out with supporting structural firefighting. During the deployment the mission expanded to debris clearing and damage assessment. During the deployment a Massachusetts Task Force was assigned to our group which brought the team to 29 firefighters. Minnesota Task Force 1 deployed Sept. 7, 2021. The trip was 1,100 miles down to the rally point in the City of Thibodaux. Base camp was on the campus of Nicolls State University. Throughout the deployment task force members deployed to fire stations throughout southern Louisiana and worked 24 72-hour shifts.
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While deployed to fire stations task force members worked multiple structure fires, automobile accidents, medicals as well as debris clearing of hundreds of homes. Everyday was a new adventure with mission sets sometimes changing by the minute. Our task force was able to adapt and make changes on the fly which was a great assistance to the Incident Management Team (IMT) running the Hurricane Ida recovery. En route to provide debris removal, the IMT team called and asked if we could handle a damage assessment of local fire stations. The team quickly reorganized and within 10 hours provided the IMT and Louisiana State Fire Marshals Office (LSFM) with a detailed damage report of over 60 fire stations. The Ohio State IMT team as well as the LSFM Office recognized MN Task Force 1's accomplishments in the detailed reporting of the conditions of the local fire stations. They stated the MN Task Force save hundreds of hours of work and sped up the recovery for local fire stations by months. The Ohio IMT team was also going to use the MN Task Force as the template on how to do damage assessment in their training. We could not have deployed without the support from our EPFD members who were willing to pick up open shifts and regularly check in with deployed team members' families.
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SUPPORT GROUPS AUXILIARY CHAPLAINS The Fire Department works with the Police Department to support a volunteer chaplain program that provides emotional and spiritual care to community members and public safety responders. Chaplains take turns wearing a pager and being on call for the public safety system.
The Eden Prairie Fire Department Auxiliary provides a network of support for Fire Department personnel and their families to offer assistance in times of need or loss, and to recognize times for celebration. The goal of the Auxiliary is to offer support and encouragement as a unified group regardless of station, tenure or status. The Auxiliary actively avails their services to assist in EPFD events, programs or individual needs as requested.
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)
Community engagement in the emergency management process reinforces resiliency and readiness. One effective method of reinforcing this engagement is by supporting CERT. CERT is a group of highly motivated volunteers who are advocates and resources in the event of an emergency incident. These individuals go through an extensive training program and meet throughout the year to maintain their skills. The Fire Department coordinates the CERT group to secure resources, assist with training and to provide oversight. This program has over 40 members to help increase involvement in neighborhood activities.
2021 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OPERATIONS
Ballistic gear and communications equipment in place Truck committee formed and actively working on new truck design Upgrade cameras at all four fire stations New SCBA (air packs, bottles and masks) equipment purchased and put into service 4 new gas monitors purchased and deployed on all front line trucks
TRAINING Fire officer development is a component of our fire officer training curriculum Training Captain Kim Cox assumed the responsibility for managing the South Metro Recruit Fire Academy A Fast Track Recruit Firefighter process was implemented for experienced duty crew firefighter hires Emergency Medical Responder Training and Certification added to the core recruit curriculum
Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
INSPECTIONS 2,387 Fire Inspections completed ePermit process implemented for Hazardous Materials Storage and Use permits MobileEyes, electronic inspection software, was trialed and purchased, full integration is planned for mid-2022 Photo by West Metro Fire Photography
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PROMOTIONS & YEARS OF SERVICE PROMOTIONS
PATRICK MAYNARD — LIEUTENANT/INSPECTOR, STATION 1 BEN CHAPIN — LIEUTENANT, STATION 2
5 YEARS
15 YEARS
DAN BIRD, STATION 3 AARON DAVIS, STATION 2 BLAKE JOHNSON, STATION 4 PAUL RAUKAR, STATION 2 SARAH ROQUE, STATION 2 MATHEW STULZ, STATION 3 CORI WALLIS, STATION 4
10 YEARS COLIN HARER, STATION 1 ERIC S HAYES, STATION 3 JUSTIN SCHRAM, STATION 2 KFIR SHETRIT, STATION 3
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RIK BERKBIGLER, STATION 1 JEFF HERRIG, STATION 4 TONY LAURSEN, STATION 2 WILL ZAFFT, STATION 1
20 YEARS ERIC MEINERS, STATION 2 RICK THOMPSON, STATION 3
DUTY HONOR COURAGE
2021 RETIREES May You Be Proud Of The Work You Have Done The Person You Are And The Difference
YOU HAVE MADE BADGE
257
FIREFIGHTER JUSTIN ANDERSON
BADGE
175
FIREFIGHTER RICK THOMPSON
BADGE
271
FIREFIGHTER STEPHEN BRANHAM
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WE ARE EPFD
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14800 SCENIC HEIGHTS RD EDEN PRAIRIE, MN 55344 952-949-8361 EDENPRAIRIE.ORG/FIRE