Shakopee Fire Department 2024 Year in Review

FIRE DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS

TRAINING The Training Division, led by Deputy Chief Dave Giddings, plays a crucial role in ensuring that firefighters are well prepared to handle a wide range of emergencies. It’s responsible for maintaining the competency and readiness

of the fire department’s personnel, ensuring that they are prepared to protect the community and their duties encompass: ■ Providing Initial and Ongoing Training ■ Ensuring Compliance with Standards ■ Developing and Updating Training Programs ■ Promoting Safety ■ Specialized Training

The Annual Open House is an excellent opportunity to interact with the community, feature live demonstrations, and provide family-friendly activities.

Firefighters practice EMT exercises during training.

FIRE PREVENTION AND PUBLIC EDUCATION

Fire Prevention: ■ Inspections: – Conducting inspections of commercial and residential buildings to identify and correct fire hazards. – Enforcing fire codes and regulations. ■ Plan Review: – Reviewing building plans to ensure they meet fire safety standards. ■ Hazard Assessment: – Identifying and mitigating potential fire hazards within the community. Public Education: ■ Community Outreach: – Providing educational programs to schools, businesses, and community groups on fire safety topics. – Distributing fire safety information and materials. ■ Fire Safety Training: – Teaching people how to prevent fires, how to react in case of a fire, and how to use fire extinguishers. – Promoting the importance of smoke detectors and escape plans. ■ Risk Reduction: – Working to reduce the communities risk of many hazards, not just fire, but also things like falls, and other home safety.

Under the direction of Fire Marshal Tom Pitschneider, the Fire Prevention and Public Education Division focuses on proactively reducing the occurrence and impact of fires and other emergencies. This division aims to prevent fires and other emergencies from happening in the first place and educate the public on how to stay safe in the event of an emergency. By combining proactive prevention measures with public education, we can significantly reduce the number of fires and injuries in the community. Here’s a breakdown of the division’s key functions:

Shakopee Fire Department along with Mdewakanton Public Safety responded to a fire inside an asphalt tank.

8 | Shakopee Fire Department