09.b1 2023 Fire Chief Annual Report
Scandia Fire & Rescue
15040 Scandia Trail North
Scandia, MN 55073
Fire Chief Annual Report
2023
The fire department had another busy year in 2023. Below is a chart of the last 20
years of incident totals and the percentage change from the previous year.
National Fire Incident Reporting System Data
2023 = 312 = -4.9% 2018 = 227 = +5.1% 2013 = 207 = -3.7% 2008 = 188 = +1.1%
2022 = 328 = +13.1% 2017 = 216 = +8% 2012 = 215 = +8.6% 2007 = 186 = +0.5%
2021 = 290 = +15.1% 2016 = 200 = -7.8% 2011 = 198 = -12% 2006 = 185 = -11.5%
2020 = 252 = +11.5% 2015 = 217 = +16% 2010 = 225 =+15.4% 2005 = 209 = +25.9%
2019 = 226 = -0.4% 2014 = 187 = -9.7% 2009 = 195 = +3.7% 2004 = 166 = 0
Average of +4.4% / Increase Since 2004 +88%
The department did see a slight decline in call volume for 2023, but did see an increase in
paid hours of 581 hours (2023 = 6,400, 2022 = 5819) meaning we had more serious and longer
calls in 2023, with that said we are still running 56% higher than our 200 annual call volume
average pre-COVID. Again, this year we do not see any reasoning for this increase call volume.
COVID-19 has decreased in severity again in 2023, but we now have other illnesses to deal
with also, like RSV. We are still working under a more restrictive operating procedure than we
were pre-pandemic. We started wearing masks during patient contact again and disinfecting gear
after each use. This procedure protects our crews and staffing levels for the community. It
appears that for the foreseeable future this mask need will need to be used during the winter
months.
I have attached a few documents with the breakdown of our 2023 calls for your review.
• The Call by Type sheet shows a breakdown by type of call and the percentage each
type was. Type is defined by the national records basic type categorizes.
• The Calls by District shows calls to other communities. The calls to other
communities were for Contract coverage, Auto-Aid or Mutual Aid. The Other
designation is for areas outside our direct neighboring communities.
• The Calls by time of day is a report showing what times calls are received. As you can
see there is no time that is drastically different than others. You can also see that most
calls are between 9am and 11pm.
• The Calls by day of week is another report we use to try to see trends. Here again we
see no day that is dramatically higher than the others.
• The Alarm by Month shows a breakdown by month to help see trends in the future.
You can see that summer is busy, but there are high call months through-out the year.
• The Aid Given or Received Report
• The Average Response by District
This year we had 5 large structure fires in our primary service area. We also responded to 4
fires in Forest Lake, 1 fire in Hugo, 1 fire in Stillwater and 1 fire in Shafer.
We did have 4 new members start during 2023, Paul Foss, Kevin Gonzales & Mike Rosenthal
all started June 1st and Wesley Giddings started June 8th. We have the 4 members that were hired
in June and 2 from the 2022 hiring that started their EMT certification class, this class has an
estimated completion at the end of February with the certification test during March. Also, Zach
Caldwell & Mark Michalski have completed their probation and both the FF2 & EMT certifications.
Brent Gross & Steven Stefano have completed their probation and FF@ training and are currently
working on their EMT Certification.
• I have attached a “years of service” worksheet to show where our department stands.
Members with less than 2 years have limited abilities on scene. Members with less
than 5 years can do more, but are still limited due to the lack of experience. Members
with 5-20 years have the experience needed on the department and are the members
we look at for promotion to officer/leadership rolls. Lastly there are the members
with 20 years or more, these members are our leaders and hold a lot of knowledge,
but they are also able to retire at any time.
We are fully staffed this year. We currently have 30 active members with 1 out on medical
leave. We have proven that the department is strong and able to work well as a team to achieve
our goals.
Our 2023 budget ended the year 11.8% over budget amount per unadjusted December
numbers from Colleen. They show the fire department over budget by $38,847.66 but it also
shows $12k for the relief and as stated earlier our payroll hours were up 10%. I did have to make
some adjustments to our purchasing due to the high increase in call volume and the dramatic
increase in product costs to stay as close to budget as possible.
Here is a list of some of the projects that were completed this year and also some items of note.
• We hired 4 new members, this brings our roster to 30 members, what we consider
full staff for the first time in many years.
• Personnel files reviewed and updated. Files for our current members were reviewed
and updated.
• Created new SOG’s & reviewed existing SOG’s
• Attended county meetings including Fire improvement, Washington County Chief’s &
Capital City regional meetings.
• The back-up generator install is complete and in operation. It works so well that some
did not realize that the power was out in town, as everything at the fire/PW building
was working like normal.
• Had a very successful Fire Prevention and Safe Halloween. In 2023.
• In October we dedicated the Firefighter Memorial in front of the fire station. We had a
lot of great feedback and appreciation for completing this project.
• We ordered a replacement Boat, Utility truck and tender this year. The boat and
utility should arrive in 2024, the tender is estimated for late 2025.
• I worked with May township and renewed our fire contract for 3 years.
• We had 4 members receive honorary lifetime membership from the Minnesota State
Fire Department Association. Peter Nora, Bill Havener, Mike Hinz & Bill Boyd.
• Adopted new wage increase for the department
• Peter Nora achieved 40 years of service with the fire department
• Replaced expansion joints on the fire/PW building
• Added CO monitoring system to both equipment bays to comply with OSHA standards
• Purchased Dive team equipment with grants and funds from the lion's and relief
association.
• Worked with city staff to create the budget for 2024
• Worked with MHealth and Deputies to discuss an increase in calls to small group
homes in our area
In closing I want to say that if it was not for the incredible team, we have within the fire
department and the support of the city staff and council, we would not have the well-respected fire
department that we currently have.
I have also scheduled M Health District Chief Kevin Kane to attend your February 20th
council meeting to give you an update on their service for the last year. MHealth provides
ambulance service for a majority of our city.
If you see a firefighter thank them for the great job they are doing.
Thank You
Chief Mike Hinz
2023 Call Type Report
Basic Incident Type Code And Description (FD1.21) Total Incidents Total Incidents Percent of Incidents
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 1 - Fire
100 - Fire, other 1 0.32%
111 - Building fire 13 4.17%
131 - Passenger vehicle fire 3 0.96%
141 - Forest, woods or wildland fire 2 0.64%
142 - Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 4 1.28%
151 - Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire 1 0.32%
162 - Outside equipment fire 1 0.32%
171 - Cultivated grain or crop fire 2 0.64%
Total: 27 Total: 8.65%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 2 - Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, Overheat (No Fire)
221 - Overpressure rupture of air or gas pipe/pipeline 1 0.32%
251 - Excessive heat, scorch burns with no ignition 1 0.32%
Total: 2 Total: 0.64%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 3 - Rescue & Emergency Medical Service Incident
3009 - Person Down 1 0.32%
311 - Medical assist, assist EMS crew 13 4.17%
321 - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 128 41.03%
322 - Motor vehicle accident with injuries 15 4.81%
324 - Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 12 3.85%
361 - Swimming/recreational water areas rescue 1 0.32%
365 - Watercraft rescue 2 0.64%
381 - Rescue or EMS standby 10 3.21%
Total: 182 Total: 58.33%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 4 - Hazardous Condition (No Fire)
412 - Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 7 2.24%
421 - Chemical hazard (no spill or leak) 1 0.32%
424 - Carbon monoxide incident 1 0.32%
441 - Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn 2 0.64%
442 - Overheated motor 1 0.32%
444 - Power line down 9 2.88%
445 - Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 3 0.96%
Total: 24 Total: 7.69%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 5 - Service Call
551 - Assist police or other governmental agency 1 0.32%
553 - Public service 1 0.32%
554 - Assist invalid 11 3.53%
Total: 13 Total: 4.17%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 6 - Good Intent Call
611 - Dispatched and cancelled en route 31 9.94%
622 - No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 7 2.24%
631 - Authorized controlled burning 6 1.92%
651 - Smoke scare, odor of smoke 2 0.64%
652 - Steam, vapor, fog or dust thought to be smoke 2 0.64%
Total: 48 Total: 15.38%
Incident Type Category (FD1.21): 7 - False Alarm & False Call
731 - Sprinkler activation due to malfunction 1 0.32%
733 - Smoke detector activation due to malfunction 1 0.32%
734 - Heat detector activation due to malfunction 1 0.32%
735 - Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 1 0.32%
736 - CO detector activation due to malfunction 2 0.64%
740 - Unintentional transmission of alarm, other 1 0.32%
743 - Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional 2 0.64%
744 - Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 1 0.32%
745 - Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 5 1.60%
746 - Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO 1 0.32%
Total: 16 Total: 5.13%
Total: 312 Total: 100.00%
2023 Calls By District
Incident Type No of Calls
District: (None)
Building fire 2
Cultivated grain or crop fire 1
Rescue or EMS standby 2
Dispatched and cancelled en route 6
Total: 11
District: Forest Lake
Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 2
Building fire 3
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 1
Dispatched and cancelled en route 1
Total: 7
District: Hugo
Building fire 1
Total: 1
District: Marine
Building fire 1
Total: 1
District: May Township
Building fire 1
Forest, woods or wildland fire 1
Passenger vehicle fire 1
Overpressure rupture of air or gas pipe/pipeline 1
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 12
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 1
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 4
Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 4
Person Down 1
Power line down 1
Dispatched and cancelled en route 4
No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 3
Total: 34
District: Other
Swimming/recreational water areas rescue 1
Watercraft rescue 2
Dispatched and cancelled en route 3
Total: 6
District: Scandia
Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 2
Building fire 4
Cultivated grain or crop fire 1
Fire, other 1
Forest, woods or wildland fire 1
Outside equipment fire 1
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire 1
Passenger vehicle fire 2
Incident Type No of Calls
Excessive heat, scorch burns with no ignition 1
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 116
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 12
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 11
Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 8
Rescue or EMS standby 8
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 3
Carbon monoxide incident 1
Chemical hazard (no spill or leak) 1
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 6
Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn 2
Overheated motor 1
Power line down 8
Assist invalid 11
Assist police or other governmental agency 1
Public service 1
Authorized controlled burning 6
Dispatched and cancelled en route 17
No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 4
Smoke scare, odor of smoke 2
Steam, vapor, fog or dust thought to be smoke 2
Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 5
Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 1
Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO 1
CO detector activation due to malfunction 2
Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 1
Heat detector activation due to malfunction 1
Smoke detector activation due to malfunction 1
Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional 2
Sprinkler activation due to malfunction 1
Unintentional transmission of alarm, other 1
Total: 251
District: Shafer
Building fire 1
Total: 1
Total: 312
2023 Aid Given or Received
Basic Aid Given To Fire Department Name Basic Aid Received From Fire Department
Name
Basic Incident Date
Time
Incident
Automatic aid given
FOREST LAKE 02/03/2023 13:35:28 SCF2300035
FOREST LAKE 02/17/2023 12:07:44 SCF2300039
FOREST LAKE 06/20/2023 09:34:25 SCF2300134
STILLWATER 06/27/2023 22:25:05 SCF2300141
HUGO 08/03/2023 16:10:39 SCF2300175
MARINE ON ST CROIX 09/03/2023 17:08:24 SCF2300205
FOREST LAKE 09/21/2023 19:52:49 SCF2300218
FOREST LAKE 11/09/2023 11:37:45 SCF2300273
Count: 8
Automatic aid received
MARINE ON ST CROIX 02/25/2023 10:25:39 SCF2300045
HUGO, MARINE ON ST CROIX, FOREST LAKE 03/31/2023 17:38:41 SCF2300064
HUGO, MARINE ON ST CROIX 08/31/2023 13:32:00 SCF2300201
FOREST LAKE, MARINE ON ST CROIX 12/02/2023 04:43:55 SCF2300289
Count: 4
Mutual aid given
01/22/2023 02:52:44 SCF2300022
HUGO 03/10/2023 21:09:26 SCF2300052
SHAFER-FRANCONIA 07/26/2023 15:50:00 SCF2300167
WHITE BEAR LAKE RESCUE 08/02/2023 20:39:45 SCF2300174
Hudson WI 10/03/2023 09:39:18 SCF2300228
Hudson WI 10/09/2023 17:57:21 SCF2300237
STILLWATER 10/25/2023 11:02:47 SCF2300253
FOREST LAKE 11/09/2023 09:25:49 SCF2300271
FOREST LAKE 11/19/2023 12:20:00 SCF2300279
Count: 9
Mutual aid received
MARINE ON ST CROIX 07/05/2023 21:49:44 SCF2300147
MARINE ON ST CROIX 09/21/2023 20:33:53 SCF2300219
Count: 2
Total Aid Count: 23
2023 Average Response Time by District
Basic Incident Zone/District
Number
Total
Alarms
Average Dispatch to
Arrival
Scandia 251 12:16
Marine 1 14:24
May Township 34 15:40
Other 1 11 15:47
Forest Lake 7 18:35
Shafer 1 20:00
Hugo 1 20:19
Other 2 6 41:42
312
Examples of standard Drive time from station to location This is the reason
for an additional station
Veterans Camp 11 min 7.9 miles
Obrien Park 6 min 3.8 miles
Eko Backen 10 min 6.5 miles
Manning & 155th 12 min 9.2 miles
2023 Calls By Time Of Day
Basic Incident One-Hour Range Of Day 24 Number of Incidents
00:00:00 - 00:59:59 10
01:00:00 - 01:59:59 6
02:00:00 - 02:59:59 8
03:00:00 - 03:59:59 8
04:00:00 - 04:59:59 9
05:00:00 - 05:59:59 5
06:00:00 - 06:59:59 8
07:00:00 - 07:59:59 10
08:00:00 - 08:59:59 11
09:00:00 - 09:59:59 20
10:00:00 - 10:59:59 12
11:00:00 - 11:59:59 17
12:00:00 - 12:59:59 24
13:00:00 - 13:59:59 17
14:00:00 - 14:59:59 14
15:00:00 - 15:59:59 11
16:00:00 - 16:59:59 23
17:00:00 - 17:59:59 22
18:00:00 - 18:59:59 16
19:00:00 - 19:59:59 14
20:00:00 - 20:59:59 19
21:00:00 - 21:59:59 8
22:00:00 - 22:59:59 14
23:00:00 - 23:59:59 6
Total: 312
Calls By Day of The Week
Day of Week Number of Incidents
01 - Sunday 45
02 - Monday 47
03 - Tuesday 48
04 - Wednesday 42
05 - Thursday 38
06 - Friday 47
07 - Saturday 45
Total: 312
Calls By Month
Basic Incident Month Name Number of Incidents
April 31
August 29
December 25
February 16
January 30
July 28
June 29
March 17
May 20
November 24
October 39
September 24
Total: 312
Scandia Fire Department Years of service
Firefighter Name Fire Department
Start Date
Years of Service as of:
1/1/2024
Nick Bancks 6/1/2020 3 years, 7 months
Bill Boyd 05/01/00 23 years, 8 months
Zach Caldwell 06/01/22 1 years, 7 months
Jeff Firkus 06/01/21 2 years, 7 months
Paul Foss 06/01/23 0 years, 7 months
Mike Frank 06/01/12 11 years, 7 months
Wesley Giddings 06/08/23 0 years, 6 months
Kevin Gonzales 06/01/23 0 years, 7 months
Steven Greenhow 06/01/19 4 years, 7 months
Brent Gross 06/01/22 1 years, 7 months
Bill Havener 09/01/88 35 years, 4 months
Mike Hinz 01/01/93 31 years, 0 months
Shaun Holtgreve 11/01/17 6 years, 2 months
Ben Horner 12/01/20 3 years, 1 months
Jeremy Johnson 11/01/17 6 years, 2 months
Adriane Krager 6/1/2017 & 5/6/21 5 years, 7 months
Travis Loeffler 06/01/13 10 years, 7 months
Chris Majeski 06/25/07 16 years, 6 months
Ben McCarty 06/01/14 9 years, 7 months
Adam Meyers 06/01/16 7 years, 7 months
Mark Michalski 11/01/22 1 years, 2 months
Peter Nora 04/01/83 40 years, 9 months
Matthew O'Brien 06/01/21 2 years, 7 months
Tim O'Neill 06/01/20 3 years, 7 months
Mike Rosenthal 06/01/23 0 years, 7 months
Allen Rydeen 06/25/07 16 years, 6 months
Eric Rydeen 06/01/12 11 years, 7 months
Ian Skarja 07/01/10 13 years, 6 months
Steven Stefano 06/01/22 1 years, 7 months
Nick Vannelli 06/01/19 4 years, 7 months