09.b1 Fire Chief Annual Report 2021
Scandia Fire & Rescue
15040 Scandia Trail North
Scandia, MN 55073
Fire Chief Annual Report
2021
The fire department had a very busy and unusual year in 2021. We are still working
under the looming COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic keeps evolving and our team is
continually making changes to keep up with the needs of our team and community.
We also had a call volume increase of over 15% this year. This year we had 290
emergency calls, compared to 2020, which was also a record year with 252 emergency calls
(10% increase). An interesting item of note, is we are seeing the percentages change for
medical calls. In the early 2000’s medical calls accounted for about 80% of our call volume.
Now medicals account for just under 60%. We have been seeing this trend over the last few
years.
-I have attached a few documents with the breakdown of our 2021 calls for your review.
• The Call by Type sheet shows a breakdown by type of call and the percentage each
type was. Of note is that the type 3 medical incidents are 57.6% of total calls. This was
almost 80% of our calls in the past, but has been slowly decreasing over the years.
• 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 Calls by day of week is another report we use to try to see trends.
• The Alarm by District shows calls to other communities. The calls to other
communities were for Contract coverage, Auto-Aid or Mutual Aid. The None & other
designation are for areas outside our neighboring communities.
• The basic call by type with percentages shows where our calls break down in the
national records basic type categorizes.
We did have a few more members out on quarantine this year, but we were still able to
meet the needs of the community we serve.
This year we had 2 Major house fires in our Scandia service area, after both of these fires,
we had the state fire marshal out to assist with the fire investigation. After completing both
investigations, the investigator was impressed with how well the department did containing
the fire and preserving personnel property. We also assisted Forest Lake fire with 2 major
house fires in their service area.
We did hire 4 new members in 2021. In June Jeff Firkus, Mark Fitzgerald, Will Mattheisen
and Matthew O’Brien Joined the fire department. Unfortunately, Will Mattheisen did give us
his resignation already this year. The 3 remaining members and last year’s new members
(Nick Bancks & Tim O’Neill) have started their EMT training. This training should be
complete at the end of February 2022. After that they will be allowed to take the national
certification test. Upon passing the registry test Nick & Tim will have completed all their
required initial training.
We are still operating at an under staffed level again this year. We currently have 23
active members with a goal of 30 members. The department will have to continue recruiting
5 probationary firefighters every year for the foreseeable future. We have proven that the
department is strong and able to work well as a team to achieve our goals even at reduced
staff levels. The reduced staffing levels does put extra burden on our team that is noticeable
at times.
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.
-Here is a list of some of the projects that were completed this year.
• 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 at the dispatch center,
Washington County Chief’s & Capital City regional meetings.
• We changed our medical direction and EMT refresher training from Regions EMS to
MHealth Fairview. This change will save the department $3,000 per year in the
future.
• Managed replaced roof on Fire/PW Building
• Managed replaced roof on Annex building
• Replaced Defibrillator with a new Zoll X series unit. This unit now matches the units
used by surrounding ambulance services so we can replenish items used at a scene
from the ambulance.
• Signed a new intrastate mutual aid resolution
• Replaced most of our portable radios and also replace all our truck radios with new
800Mhz radios
• Received approval from FEMA for the purchase of a back-up generator grant for the
Fire/PW building.
In closing I want to say that if it wasn’t 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.
If you see a firefighter thank them for the great job they are doing.
Thank You
Chief Mike Hinz
2021
Duty
Hours Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Goal Done Variance
Personnel Reviews 3 0 3 0 3 2 3 2 2 0 2 2 3 2 3 3 0 22 11 -11
Review Personnel files 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 24 24 0
Create SOG's 1 1 2 2 2 0
Review SOG's 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 3 -7
Create EOY summary 1 1 1 1 0
Review Pre-plans annually 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 36 0 -36
Attend county meetings 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 15 3
Preform Hose testing 12 12 0 24 24
Monthly check budget target 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 12 0
Create next year's budget 1 1 1 1 1 3 2
Computer IT - .5 hours 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 12 16 4
Equipment repair - Hours 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1.5 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 12 16.5 4.5
Work on EOP Plan 1 1 1 1 4 0 -4
Recruiting 2 2 1 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 10 12 2
EMS review 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 12 11 -1
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
170 151 -19.5
Additional Items
Work with Administrator on updating employee policy
Confirmed sever weather sirens are working Now have spread sheet
Work to hire new members, ongoing until we can reach our goal of 30 members
January February March April May
Run quarterly and annual attendance percentages
New Zoll
Attend CIP meetings
Work with state fire marshal & insurance company on fire cause
Assisted seting up for re-opening warming house
June July
Have moved our Medical direction & training from Regions to Mhealth
Created closure policy for rink/warming house
Managed Roof replacement of fire/pw & Annex buildings
August September October November December Total
Total Hours
Years of service as of
1/18/2022
Jeffrey Firkus 6/1/2021 0 years, 7 months
Mark Fitzgerald 6/1/2021 0 years, 7 months
Matthew O'Brien 6/1/2021 0 years, 7 months
Ben Horner 12/1/2020 1 years, 1 months
Nicholas Bancks 6/1/2020 1 years, 7 months
Timothy O'Neill 6/1/2020 1 years, 7 months
Steven Greenhow 6/1/2019 2 years, 7 months
Nick Vannelli 6/1/2019 2 years, 7 months
Shaun Holtgreve 11/1/2017 4 years, 2 months
Jeremy Johnson 11/1/2017 4 years, 2 months
Adriane Krager 6/1/2017 4 years, 7 months
Adam Meyers 6/1/2016 5 years, 7 months
Ben McCarty 6/1/2014 7 years, 7 months
Travis Loeffler 6/1/2013 8 years, 7 months
Michael Frank 6/1/2012 9 years, 7 months
Eric Rydeen 6/1/2012 9 years, 7 months
Ian Skarja 7/1/2010 11 years, 6 months
Chris Majeski 6/25/2007 14 years, 6 months
Allen Rydeen 6/25/2007 14 years, 6 months
William Boyd 5/1/2000 21 years, 8 months
Michael Hinz 1/1/1993 29 years, 0 months
William Havener 9/1/1988 33 years, 4 months
Peter Nora 4/1/1983 38 years, 9 months
Less than
5 years
Over 20
years
Prime
Years of
Service
Firefighter's Name Start Date
Less than
2 years
Incident Type Total Incidents Total Incidents % of Incidents
Incident Type Category: 1 - Fire
111 - Building fire 5 1.7%
131 - Passenger vehicle fire 1 0.3%
138 - Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire 1 0.3%
141 - Forest, woods or wildland fire 1 0.3%
142 - Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 2 0.7%
143 - Grass fire 4 1.4%
151 - Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire 3 1.0%
153 - Construction or demolition landfill fire 1 0.3%
160 - Special outside fire, other 1 0.3%
161 - Outside storage fire 1 0.3%
162 - Outside equipment fire 2 0.7%
171 - Cultivated grain or crop fire 1 0.3%
Total: 23 Total: 7.9%
Incident Type Category: 2 - Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, Overheat (No Fire)
213 - Steam rupture of pressure or process vessel 1 0.3%
251 - Excessive heat, scorch burns with no ignition 1 0.3%
Total: 2 Total: 0.7%
Incident Type Category: 3 - Rescue & Emergency Medical Service Incident
3009 - Person Down 2 0.7%
Incident Type Total Incidents Total Incidents % of Incidents
311 - Medical assist, assist EMS crew 80 27.6%
321 - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 61 21.0%
322 - Motor vehicle accident with injuries 7 2.4%
324 - Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 7 2.4%
341 - Search for person on land 3 1.0%
342 - Search for person in water 1 0.3%
351 - Extrication of victim(s) from building/structure 1 0.3%
360 - Water & ice-related rescue, other 1 0.3%
361 - Swimming/recreational water areas rescue 1 0.3%
381 - Rescue or EMS standby 3 1.0%
Total: 167 Total: 57.6%
Incident Type Category: 4 - Hazardous Condition (No Fire)
412 - Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 5 1.7%
424 - Carbon monoxide incident 1 0.3%
440 - Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other 1 0.3%
444 - Power line down 4 1.4%
445 - Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 2 0.7%
Total: 13 Total: 4.5%
Incident Type Category: 5 - Service Call
551 - Assist police or other governmental agency 3 1.0%
Incident Type Total Incidents Total Incidents % of Incidents
553 - Public service 1 0.3%
554 - Assist invalid 17 5.9%
571 - Cover assignment, standby, moveup 3 1.0%
Total: 24 Total: 8.3%
Incident Type Category: 6 - Good Intent Call
611 - Dispatched and cancelled en route 32 11.0%
6111 - EMS Dispatched and cancelled en route 1 0.3%
622 - No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 9 3.1%
631 - Authorized controlled burning 2 0.7%
651 - Smoke scare, odor of smoke 2 0.7%
Total: 46 Total: 15.9%
Incident Type Category: 7 - False Alarm & False Call
735 - Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 2 0.7%
740 - Unintentional transmission of alarm, other 2 0.7%
744 - Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 3 1.0%
745 - Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 2 0.7%
746 - Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO 2 0.7%
Total: 11 Total: 3.8%
Incident Type Category: 9 - Special Incident Type
900 - Special type of incident, other 4 1.4%
Incident Type Total Incidents Total Incidents % of Incidents
Total: 4 Total: 1.4%
Total: 290 Total: 100.0%
Report Filters
Basic Incident Date Time:
is between '1/1/2021' and '12/31/2021'
Agency Name:
is equal to 'SCANDIA'
Report Criteria
Incident Type (Fd1.21):
Is Not Blank
Basic Incident Type Category (FD1.21) Count by Incident Type Percent of Total Incidents
1 - Fire 23 7.93%
2 - Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, Overheat (No Fire) 2 0.69%
3 - Rescue & Emergency Medical Service Incident 167 57.59%
4 - Hazardous Condition (No Fire) 13 4.48%
5 - Service Call 24 8.28%
6 - Good Intent Call 46 15.86%
7 - False Alarm & False Call 11 3.79%
9 - Special Incident Type 4 1.38%
Total: 290 Total: 100.00%
Report Filters
Basic Incident Date Time:
is between '1/1/2021' and '12/31/2021'
Report Criteria
Agency Name:
Is Equal To SCANDIA
Basic Incident Month Name (FD1.3) Number of Incidents
January 14
February 15
March 22
April 18
May 31
June 35
July 22
August 33
September 16
October 33
November 18
December 33
Total: 290
Day of Week Number of Incidents
01 - Sunday 36
02 - Monday 37
03 - Tuesday 51
04 - Wednesday 33
05 - Thursday 36
06 - Friday 49
07 - Saturday 48
Total: 290
Incident Type No of Calls Basic Final NFIRS Code (FD1.64)
District: (None)
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 2
Assist invalid 1
Dispatched and cancelled en route 3
Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 1
Total: 7
District: Forest Lake
Brush or brush-and-grass mixture fire 2
Building fire 2
Dispatched and cancelled en route 2
Total: 6
District: Hugo
Cultivated grain or crop fire 1
Total: 1
District: May Township
Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire 1
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 5
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 9
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 1
Person Down 1
Incident Type No of Calls Basic Final NFIRS Code (FD1.64)
Rescue or EMS standby 1
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 1
Authorized controlled burning 1
Dispatched and cancelled en route 2
No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 2
Total: 24
District: Other
Dispatched and cancelled en route 2
Special type of incident, other 2
Total: 4
District: Scandia
Building fire 3
Construction or demolition landfill fire 1
Forest, woods or wildland fire 1
Grass fire 4
Outside equipment fire 2
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire 3
Outside storage fire 1
Passenger vehicle fire 1
Special outside fire, other 1
Incident Type No of Calls Basic Final NFIRS Code (FD1.64)
Excessive heat, scorch burns with no ignition 1
Steam rupture of pressure or process vessel 1
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury 56
Extrication of victim(s) from building/structure 1
Medical assist, assist EMS crew 69
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 6
Motor vehicle accident with no injuries. 7
Person Down 1
Rescue or EMS standby 2
Search for person in water 1
Search for person on land 3
Swimming/recreational water areas rescue 1
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 2
Carbon monoxide incident 1
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other 1
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 4
Power line down 4
Assist invalid 16
Assist police or other governmental agency 3
Cover assignment, standby, moveup 3
Incident Type No of Calls Basic Final NFIRS Code (FD1.64)
Public service 1
Authorized controlled burning 1
Dispatched and cancelled en route 23
EMS Dispatched and cancelled en route 1
No incident found on arrival at dispatch address 7
Smoke scare, odor of smoke 2
Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional 2
Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 2
Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO 2
Detector activation, no fire - unintentional 2
Unintentional transmission of alarm, other 2
Special type of incident, other 1
Total: 246
District: Stillwater
Water & ice-related rescue, other 1
Special type of incident, other 1
Total: 2
Total: 290
Report Filters
Incident Dates:
is between '1/1/2021' and '12/31/2021'
Fire Department:
is equal to 'SCANDIA'
Description
Incident Type for the period entered and then by Agency Selected. Shows Main Incident Category and Incident Type
Grouped by District with a count for both