2b. Fire Department 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
TO:
Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
FROM:
Gregg Geske- Fire Chief
Roger Smallbeck - 1 st Assistant Chief
Rick Rice - 2nd Assistant Chief
Mark Littfin- Fire Marshal O~
February 12,2009
DATE:
SUBJ:
Monthly City Council Update
Fire Department Overview:
Staffing is at 40 active firefighters and 2 probationary firefighters as of January 12,2009,
allocation is 45 PTE' s.
As of February 9,2009 we had responded to 52 calls for service this year down 13 from the same
time in 2008. We did not respond to any structure fires since our last council update. We are in
the process of offering probationary status to two new firefighters. These candidates have all
required training saving the fire department the cost of sending them. I will provide an update to
the use of foam in Chanhassen in response to the television news stories and print articles
recently regarding PFA's, PFC's, and the use of Class B foam.
Training: This month's training consisted of EMT and First Responder medical refresher
classes.
Fire Marshal:
Fire Prevention: Nothing new to report on at this time.
Fire Investigations: The only fire to report on was on Saturday, January 24th at 11 :36 p.m. It
was a reported structure fire with possible smoke and flames in the attic. The fire was on Church
Road approximately two blocks from Fire Station # 2. Chanhassen firefighters brought the fire
under control in a few minutes, with additional time spent on overhaul activities to ensure the
fire did not spread through the home. Excelsior Fire Department was requested to standby at the
fire scene for assistance. Upon further fire investigation it was discovered that a crack in the
fireplace mortar allowed the fire in the fireplace to spread into the structural members of the
wall. Damage was limited to a few thousand dollars.
Fire Inspections: Currents commercial projects at various stages of construction. Chanhassen
High School, Walgreens Drug store, Autobahn Motorplex, Westwood Church addition, Carver
County License Center, K. Hovnanian Town Homes, I.D.I Distributers, Snap RI.G. Building,
and Quik Trip. Weare also finishing existing school inspections. The Fire Department is also in
the final stages of contracting with the State Fire Marshal's office to conduct annual fire
inspections of all public schools within the city. Currently the State inspects all public schools
every three years. Inspection fees of$.014 per square foot of school space are passed on to the
district.
Weare currently reviewing rates that the city will be charging and submitting to the City
Manager for review and approval. We anticipate substantial savings to the Chaska School
District as well as the Minnetonka School District. Once the city's fees are approved, I will pass
on the expected savings to the Council for review.
G:\SAFETY\Fire\Council Updates\2009 City Council Updates\02122009 City Council
Update. doc