by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Sometimes zeros mean good news, as the row after row of zeroes show in the annual Sartell Fire Department report presented to the City Council at its April 8 meeting.
In 2018, there were no intentionally set fires; there were no fire fatalities; there were no injuries from smoke inhalation; no fractures, no falls, no firefighters injured.
Fire Chief Jim Sattler outlined the highly detailed written report for the council. Last year, the fire department answered 161 calls, including 13 in Le Sauk Township and two mutual-aid requests (one in St. Cloud, one in St. Joseph). The number of calls showed an increase of 29 percent from 2017.
The calls to the fire department included only 15 percent for actual fires. The others included requests for help at rescues, vehicle accidents and emergency-medical situations; hazardous-condition calls, service calls, false alarms and good-intent calls (calls when people are concerned about the possibility of a fire such as when they smell smoke).
An average of 20 firefighters showed up per call of the 30-member department.
The total property loss for 2018 was $425,000 from three structure fires and one vehicle fire. The most major fire was the total loss of a garage/gas station structure at 5 Riverside Ave. S., a property loss of an estimated $347,000.
Sattler noted because of many firefighter retirements in the past four years, about half the personnel have fewer than seven years of experience, but the good news is the average experience of all members totals about 10 years, Sattler added. He also said the newer, younger members are adding new energies and talents to the force.
Training was again a high priority in 2018, he said, with more than 1,900 hours of training provided by various state agencies and even one presented by the Mayo Clinic.
In 2018, there was a strengthened effort to protect firefighters from the hazards of exposure to potentially cancer-causing chemicals at fire scenes. Last year, a new policy was initiated requiring firefighters to take off their turn-out gear right at the fire scene after fighting the fire. The gear is then placed in plastic bags so toxic contaminants cannot be left in vehicles, homes or the fire station. The contaminated gear is washed in special washers.
During last year, the department participated in many community events, including the Chamber of Commerce Showcase, National Night Out, SummerFest, Salvation Army bell-ringing, escorting athletes as they leave for tournaments and helping residents replace smoke-detector batteries.
Currently, the department is working on acquiring a new platform truck and will make a recommendation to the City Council soon.
In 2018, fire department personnel spent a lot of time giving input during the planning of the new fire station for which ground was recently broken. Sattler told the council he and all the firefighters are looking forward to celebrating the department’s 100th birthday in the new fire/police building when it opens along Pinecone Road S. in 2020.
