The city of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its new, state-of-the-art Fire Station 2, marking a major milestone in the city’s commitment to public safety, the city said in a social media post.

Mayor Hollies Winston, Fire Chief Shawn Conway, former Council Member and retired Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis firefighter Terry Parks, City Manager Jay Stroebel, executives from Kraus Anderson and CNH Architects, and other city leaders gathered alongside community partners to commemorate the start of construction.

The new station will feature modern safety upgrades, enhanced emergency response capabilities, and community-focused design elements that will serve as an anchor for Brooklyn Park’s continued growth and preparedness.

It is strategically designed to reduce response times, ensuring firefighters can reach people in need more quickly and efficiently. It will include advanced decontamination areas, clean zones, and hold/cold zone layouts to reduce risks, while protecting the health and well-being of every employee. This new station is also the start of ensuring all BPFD stations support our full-time career department model.

Through youth engagement, meeting spaces and open house opportunities, residents can spend more time with firefighters and learn more about the vital role they play in keeping Brooklyn Park safe.

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The engine and apparatus manufacturers can offer more information on what to expect for EPA-compliant engines scheduled for 2027. Every apparatus manufacturer could have different approaches to working around new engine configurations. Here’s information you should ask your manufacturers for.
Brought to you by our friends at Rescue Intellitech and TheFireStore.

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Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow

In recent conversations and presentations, I have noticed a recurring topic. Simply put, the fire service has a messaging problem. It is an issue we all experience, but perhaps it has not been framed in that particular wording.

It was the topic of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) President Jim Pauley’s keynote address at its Annual Conference & Expo this past June. The origin of this topic stems from a lawsuit that says that if an authority having jurisdiction adopts an NFPA standard and it becomes law, then that standard must be made available at no cost.

On the surface, this might seem like common sense. But departments must realize that the standards are not developed cost-free. For example, although NFPA technical committee members volunteer their time to develop the standards, there are costs in finalizing the work and making sure the formatting, wording, etc. are consistent with other possibly related standards. This is the job of paid NFPA personnel, referred to as technical committee staff liaisons.

Now, imagine if all our NFPA standards were developed by government bureaucrats. What a nightmare that would be, as the process would be even more cumbersome, more outdated, and infiltrated with toxic political agendas. Admittedly, the NFPA does have a messaging problem, and particularly with the fire service. We have all heard the spin on the acronym NFPA—not for practical application. The messaging is minimal and not particularly relatable to the fire service.

When we look at research and science-based information to help us improve as a service, often it will be rejected if it does not fit the traditional norms. Is this a messaging problem? Maybe. Historically, most fire service research has been published to impress peer reviewers, not the fire service. Thankfully, under the leadership of Dr. Sara Jahnke’s Science to the Station organization, this is being overcome. Summaries are written in “firefighter-ese.” And, researchers are starting to include firefighters in their research more than ever.

From a safety and health perspective, messaging is a particular challenge, as it is compounded by social media “influencers.” They have a habit of shooting down safety initiatives, as they have the false assumption that safety prevents a firefighter from being a firefighter. If you follow these influencers, try to learn about their credentials and where they get their mindset. Are they speaking at fire service conferences? What is the basis of their positions? Do they get out of the shadow of their own fire station to gain a grasp of the overall fire service? As long as we live in our silos, we will have a messaging problem.

Most departments struggle with messaging to their stakeholders. As I was writing this column, a friend forwarded me a master plan for a metro department that was written by a consulting team. The plan revealed mass shortcomings in staffing, response times, number of stations, condition of stations, and fleet. And, this was in a rapidly growing metro area. How sad, and how much of a risk to the community is that? Had the fire department been properly messaging, it would likely not have been in this position. Are consultants better messengers? Probably not, as this situation is probably a trust issue among the department, the city governance, and the public.

Perhaps the most compelling proof of a messaging problem can be found in reviewing our line-of-duty-death (LODD) reports. In more than 95% of the cases, the death is not a unique cause. The causes continue to repeat. And, they are A

The Missouri Department of Public Safety invites volunteer fire departments with annual operating budgets of $50,000 or less to apply now for state grants of up to $15,000 for the purchase of firefighting equipment. Eligible expenses include firefighter turnout gear, hand tools, chainsaws, interoperable radio equipment and wildland protective clothing. There is a 5% local cash match, which means for equipment costing $15,789.47, the local match share would be $789.47 and the state share of 95% would be $15,000. 

“We are extremely appreciative of the dedicated volunteer firefighters who selflessly dedicate themselves to protecting their communities,” Governor Mike Kehoe said. “We’ve made almost $1.5 million in state funding available to help support volunteer agencies with smaller budgets to help them invest in protective clothing and other equipment so that their firefighters can more effectively and safely respond to fires and other emergencies.”

“Our Missouri Division of Fire Safety estimates there are over 300 small, largely rural, fire departments that would be eligible for these $15,000 grants,” Department of Public Safety Director Mark James said. “This grant was designed to provide an opportunity for these departments to acquire some of the most useful equipment that they determine will best equip the specific needs of their firefighters.” 

A total of $1,455,000 in state funding is available for the program. The projected performance period for the grant is Dec. 15, 2025 to May 15, 2026. This funding opportunity will close when eligible applications have been received to fulfill the available funding.

Eligible applicants include fire departments as defined in Section 320.200(3) RSMo as an agency or organization that provides fire suppression and related activities, including, but not limited to, fire prevention, rescue, emergency medical services, hazardous material response, or special operation to a population within a fixed and legally recorded geographical area.  

Applications will only be accepted through the Missouri Department of Public Safety online WebGrants System: https://dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/dpsgrants/vfdg.php. DPS is the grant administrator.  

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