Long Lake Fire Department

Q: As a driver, what should I do when an emergency service vehicle approaches with red lights and sirens?

A: When an emergency vehicle approaches with red lights and sirens, drivers should yield the right-of-way to the vehicle by pulling as far to the right as possible and bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.
When drivers do not slow down or pull over, they pose danger and will delay the response time of the ambulance, fire truck, or squad car to the emergency.

Q: How do I draw up an escape plan for my home?

A:

• Install a smoke detector on every level of the home and outside of sleeping areas. Make sure that every family member knows what detectors sound like and what they should do in case of an emergency.
• Test smoke detectors monthly.
• Replace batteries in battery operated detectors once a year. Vacuum detectors periodically.
• Know two ways out of every room. No one should ever go back into a smoke filled or burning building.
• Pick a meeting place outside of the home where your family will gather in case of an emergency.
• Sleep with bedroom doors closed.
• Purchase escape ladders for second and third story windows. Make sure bedroom windows open easily.
• Make sure that house address is displayed on house and garage and is clearly visible from the street.

Q: If a member of my family is disabled, how can we prepare for their safety during an emergency?

A: Establish a well-defined escape plan that includes identifying someone who will take care of the disabled family member in an emergency. Make sure that people who are confined to a wheelchair have immediate access to their wheelchair should an emergency occur. Provide information to Fire Department on anyone who may have difficulty evacuating the home during an emergency. This information will be entered into the 9-1-1 dispatch system. Keep a list of all medications needed by family members on the refrigerator.

Q: Do I need to put a smoke detector in every room? How many do I need?

A: Smoke Detectors should be placed outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms.
New construction requires smoke detectors to be placed in every bedroom. For more information, contact the Fire Chief at 952-473-9701.

Q: How often do smoke detectors need to be tested?

A: Test smoke detectors monthly, change their batteries once a year, and vacuum them periodically.

Q:What kind of fire extinguisher should I buy for my home or garage?

A: Homeowners should buy an extinguisher that can handle class A-B-C fires. They should be designed to extinguish fires that usually occur in homes; including wood, paper, flammable liquids and electrical fires.

Q: Do you recommend purchasing a carbon monoxide detector for my home? What should I do if I suspect CO is present?

A: Having a working CO detector is the only way to detect dangerous levels of CO in your home. Ideally you should have one CO detector for every level of your home. Make sure to place a CO detector outside of sleeping areas.

Features to look for:

• The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) symbol. This symbol means that the detector has met the recommended safety standards of the American National Standards Institute. CO detectors manufactured after October 1995. These detectors comply with improved safety standards.
• CO detectors with an audible alarm.
• AC/DC powered detectors. This type of detector will provide coverage during a power outage.
• CO detectors that have a digital readout. This will allow you to determine how you should respond. A high readout requires immediate evacuation of the home and possibly medical attention. A lower reading gives you the opportunity to contact your utility company.

Q: How do you become a Long Lake firefighter?

A: INTERESTED IN BECOMING A FIREFIGHTER?  NOW HIRING! Any person of good character and standing shall be eligible for membership on the Long Lake Fire Department, provided that individual is not under the age of 18 years.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent, no specialized training required
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• All applicants / members must hold a valid MN Driver’s License
• Must pass background investigation, physical examination, and physical ability test
• One of the following eligibility / suitability requirements must be met:
  A. Individual lives within a 10 minute legal drive time of either Long Lake Fire Stations;
  B. Individual lives within a 2 mile radius of either Long Lake Fire Stations; and/or
  C. Individual works within the contract area and has a signed release statement from employer stating the individual will be available to respond to calls during normal working hours.

For additional information regarding the Long Lake Fire Department and application requirements, please contact  Fire Chief Shane Gardner at shane.gardner@longlakefire.org.

Application forms are posted below for your convenience; however, an application packet may also be picked up at Long Lake City Hall.

• Application for City Employment
• Long Lake Fire Department Addendum to Application

Completed application materials should be returned to Long Lake City Hall, Attn: James Van Eyll. If returning by mail, City Hall’s address is 450 Virginia Avenue, PO Box 606, Long Lake, MN 55356.

Q: I want to have a recreational fire. What do I need to do?
Long Lake Residents – Residential Burn Permits are not required for recreational fires. Open burning is allowed at Long Lake residences without a permit, provided these regulations are met:

• Only small fires are allowed (maximum 3-foot diameter by 3-foot height) that are contained in a non-combustible chimnea, outdoor fireplace, fire pit, or other approved method.
• If burning in a container, all openings in the container must be covered with wire mesh or other screening materials that will prevent the passage of sparks and embers.
• Recreational fires must be kept at least 25 feet from all structures, and may not be within 50 feet of an occupied neighboring residence.
• Fires must be constantly attended, and fire extinguishing equipment such as buckets, shovels, garden hoses or a fire extinguisher should be readily available for use.
• The burning of yard waste, leaves, garbage or other rubbish is prohibited, unless specifically authorized by the Fire Department.
• Prohibited burning materials are refuse, leaves, oils, rubber, plastics, building materials, painted materials, and chemically treated materials such as railroad ties, treated lumber, composite shingles, tar paper, insulation, composition board, sheetrock, wiring, paint, hazardous or industrial solid waste.

All other open burning requires a permit from the Long Lake Fire Department. For information on fire pits and burning requirements or restrictions, please call the Fire Department at 952.473.9701.

Orono Residents click here

Medina Residents – You can get the form online or at the Police Department, 2052 County Road 24, northwest entrance. They are free for residents and you must have one so we are aware of the fire. Non-residents’ permits are $15.00 each. If you chose to fill out the permit at home, you must return it to the Police Department.

Q: What other responsibilities do firefighters have other than fighting fires?

A: Firefighting actually represents a relatively small portion of the work of a typical fire department in today’s world. The number of residential and commercial fires has steadily decreased over the years due to a variety of factors including improvements in construction, a greater public awareness of the risk factors leading to fires and a significant reduction in smoking nationwide.

Fires, however, are only some of the emergencies to which the Long Lake Fire Department responds. Seventy percent of the Fire Department’s emergency responses are, in fact, calls for medical aid, including illness/accidents at home and work, injuries resulting from vehicle accidents and other medical trauma in our coverage area. Other calls for emergency response involve hazardous materials releases, response to fire alarms and other calls for public assistance.

Firefighters also spend quite a bit of time maintaining equipment, doing routine public safety inspections for businesses, training for all types of emergency responses and filling out the reports and paperwork associated with these activities.

Q: Why did you chop that big hole in my roof? The fire was in the kitchen, not the attic!

A: During a fully involved structure fire, temperatures inside a structure are often 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. By cutting a hole in the roof and ventilating the building, the heat is allowed to escape through the roof thereby making it safer for firefighters to enter the building and apply water directly on the fire. This extinguishing strategy is key to stopping a structure fire quickly, and actually helps minimize damage to other rooms.