July - September 2024

Fire Department Updates

Chief’s Message

During the autumn season, it’s important to reflect on a busy and active summer for the Roseville Fire Department. We had the opportunity to host three Friday’s with Firefighters this summer. Thank you to everyone that came out and enjoyed these events with us. It is so uplifting and exciting to see the continued participation and support for this community event. We will be back with three more in summer 2025.

Our call volume continues to be at record levels. The Fire Department is currently 10% ahead of this same point last year, putting us on track for yet another record call volume year. We continue to work to meet the 911 and emergency demand of the community, but it is critically important that we work with the City on future options and opportunities to expand and increase our staffing to better meet the demands and expectations of the community. You can review more data of our call volume at the end of this report.

The National Fire Protection Association's annual fire prevention week occurred at the beginning of October. This year’s message and focus is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” The goal of this campaign strives to educate everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home. Due to synthetic materials used in modern home furnishings and construction, materials burn hotter and faster, while also emitting toxic smoke which limits your time to escape a fire to less than 2-3 minutes; the time to exit a home has decreased significantly in the last 15 years due to modern furniture and the use of synthetic materials. The early warning from working smoke alarms could save your life.

Winter will be here before we know it. And as the temperature gets colder, it is also important to promote home fire safety around the use of space heaters. Nearly 10% of home fires are caused by heating devices. Make sure to keep portable heaters at least three feet from anything combustible and turn these heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep. Stay safe (and warm) as we head into the cooler months of 2024.

Community Outreach

Fridays with Firefighters

Our 2024 Fridays with Firefighters events were extremely well attended yet again! We are so thankful to have so many residents come out and learn more about the fire department during their busy summers.

We want to thank all of the special guests that also visited this year including Roseville Police Department, Allina Ambulance Service, Regions Hospital, Johnny Pops, Dunkin Donuts, and more!

Ashes

Numerous milestones and events occurred for and with Ashes during the third quarter. In addition to our Friday’s with Firefighters events, Ashes was able to participate in numerous other department related community events and emergency response.

In partnership with Regions EMS (who provides RFD with Medical Direction) Ashes spent time at the Minnesota State Fair visiting Regions staff who were working in the Medical Aid stations. Her visits were greatly appreciated by staff and even patients who were receiving care in the centers helping to bring some calm to the chaos of the state fair.

Ashes has been busy visiting the Roseville Area High School football games. The interaction with families and students during the games has proven to be an excellent community engagement opportunity and we look forward to other ways Ashes can visit RAHS in the future.

Ashes joined members of RFD at the annual Muscular Dystrophy Fill-The-Boot to help raise funds for MDA!

In addition to all of her “work” this year, Ashes took time to join her handlers on a trip to South Dakota, event getting a chance to visit the Mount Rushmore Monument.

Be sure to follow all of Ashes' adventures on Instagram @firedog_ashes

Notable Events

Engine Sale

In August we said good-bye to our 2009 Fire Engine, Engine-633. This apparatus was the first fire engine designed for RFD with having our department fully staffed 24 hours a day. While saying good-bye to old fire apparatus can always be bittersweet, we are excited about the new Electric Fire Engine that will be joining our fleet in 2025!

New Brighton Tanker Incident

Roseville Fire assisted the New Brighton Fire Department in July with a tanker incident. The fuel tanker truck had collided with an automobile in the intersection causing damage to the tanker which allowed a significant volume of gasoline to leak out of the tanker. Roseville Fire provided our specially designed Foam Trailer to provide protection for firefighters and nearby buildings.

Garage Fire

On September 3rd Roseville Fire responded to a report of a detached garage fire. Upon arrival crews found a 1 story detached garage well involved (greater than 80%) in fire. The detached garage fire had extended some to the home (approximately 10 feet away).

Crews on the exterior were able to bring the garage fire under control in about 15 minutes. Roseville was assisted by Maplewood, Lake Johanna, and Little Canada.

Photos taken by Capital City Fire

Good Samaritans help during Car Fire

In early September Roseville Fire were called to a car fire on 35W during a busy morning commute. There was a civilian trapped in the burning vehicle and fortunately bystanders and a state trooper were able to get to the car and pull the driver out before any further injury. Once the fire department made it on the scene the fire was extinguished and the vehicle was clear of other passengers. Thank you to State Trooper Yang and the other Good Samaritans who helped the driver.

Vehicle vs. Train

In September a truck had a run in with a train off of County Rd C and Cleveland Ave. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the event, however it is a reminder to always use extra caution near train tracks. Even if the lights aren't flashing, always remember to look before crossing tracks, and only cross at designated crossings.

State Fair Bus Fire

During the MN State Fair Roseville is a central location for a number of State Fair Park and Ride lots. This causes a significant increase in automobile and bus traffic, this year one of these busses ended up catching fire near the Waters Edge building in Roseville. Quick action by Roseville Firefighters stopped the fire reducing damage to the bus and preventing injuries of riders.

Severe Storms

Summers in Minnesota usually bring strong storms, and this year was no different. During late summer Roseville experienced a significant storm event after two waves of storms rolled through the area. The department responded to a number of calls, and one call in particular involved a large tree falling through the roof of an apartment garage. Thankfully no one was inside at the time and there were no injuries. But these events remind us to be prepared for all different types of weather emergencies in our state.