Fire Chief Cole reviews 2024 annual report; department highlights training, smoke-alarm outreach

Fire Chief Cole told the Little Falls City Council the Little Falls Fire Department responded to 210 calls for service in 2024, up from 95 calls in 2023.

Cole summarized 2024 accomplishments and training gains and said the department hosted advanced courses — fire instructor, fire officer and fire apparatus operator — for about 15 local firefighters and personnel from neighboring departments. “Those were January through April, and they're fully funded by the MBFDE,” Cole said, and the department now has nearly half its members certified at those higher levels.

Cole described a first-time partnership with the Red Cross to install smoke alarms. “We visited approximately 55 homes and installed upwards of a 20 smoke alarms,” Cole said, and added that Ace Hardware donated additional alarms. He said the Red Cross continues to supply alarms and that the department has made additional follow-up installations since the event.

On emergency management, Cole said the city finalized its emergency operations plan in 2024 and began implementation with tabletop exercises for department heads and first-line supervisors. He said the city recently hosted an “MIMS 300” training paid for with public-health grant funds and opened to outside agencies, and that exercises will continue to build preparedness across departments.

Council members asked about the department’s ice-rescue equipment; Cole described a lightweight rescue raft (colloquially called a “banana boat”) the department uses to reach people on unstable ice and recounted a prior rescue where responders used that equipment after a kayaker capsized south of town.

The presentation was informational; no council action was taken. Council members thanked Cole and offered no formal direction beyond accepting the report as presented.