2b. Fire Chief's Update
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CHANHASSEN FIRE DEPARTMENT
P.O. Box 97 · 7610 Laredo Drive · Chanhassen, MN 55317
Bus. Phone 952-227-1200 · Minnewashta Station NO.2. Phone 952-474-7094
MEMORANDUM
FROM:
Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
Gregg Geske - Fire Chief 6!!x(
Roger Smallbeck - 15t Assistant Chief
Rick Rice - 2nd Assistant Chief
Mark Littfin - Fire Marshal
TO:
DATE:
July 17, 2008
SUBJ:
Monthly City Council update
Fire Department Overview:
Staffing is at 41 active firefighters and 3 probationary firefighters as of July 17,2008,
allocation is 45 PTE's
As of July 17, 2008 we have responded to 314 calls, up from 16 calls for the same time in
2007. We did have two structure fires both caused by lightning strikes on July 11. We
utilized mutual aid from Eden Prairie and Victoria. Both exhibited fairly light damage.
Training: This month has consisted of First In training.
Fire Marshal:
Fire Prevention: Safety camp was last week on Thursday, July 17 and from what I was
told all went well except the weather conditions required some last minute changes with
outdoor activities. Plans are also coming together for National Night Out which the Fire
Dept. participates in with numerous fire trucks visiting six different neighborhoods. Also
in the months of July and August we will be visiting a number of day care centers and
City playgrounds with fire trucks to spray water on the kids on these hot days. They love
it.
Fire Investigations: The Fire Dept. responded to two houses hit by lightning on the
evening of Friday, July 11. Fire damage was minimal on both houses; however the
firefighters did have to open up some walls and ceilings to check for fire spread. Time
spent at both fires was approximately three hours with no injuries reported. No report of
when the residents returned home. There was a large dumpster fire on Sunday, July 20 at
Lightstone on Lake Drive East. The fire was contained to the dumpster and did not
damage the building. An investigation is currently under way. There was also a car fire
on Tuesday, July 15 on Lake Drive. A preliminary fire investigation was done by the
Fire Dept. with the vehicle being turned over to the insurance company for further
examination.
Fire Inspections: Current projections are under way at various stages of construction
and planning. They include Chanhassen High School, Town and Country Town homes,
Quik Trip, Southwest Transit Station, Walgreens, Dell Professional Building, Autobahn
Motorplex, Park Nicollet re-model, Jimmy Johns, and a number of smaller remodeling
projects. No major problems have been encountered.