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Anoka County accepts donation of 40 fire‑suppression units from Anoka Masonic Lodge
Summary
At a county board meeting commissioners unanimously accepted 40 single‑use fire suppression tool (FST) units valued at about $38,000 donated by the Anoka Masonic Lodge for use by the sheriff’s office.
The Anoka County Board of Commissioners on March 11 accepted a donation of 40 fire‑suppression tool (FST) units valued at $38,000 from the Anoka Masonic Lodge, the board heard during its meeting.
The donation, part of a Minnesota Grand Lodge and Minnesota Masonic Charities Fire Safety Initiative, was introduced by Commissioner Brasstead, who serves as the board’s lead on public safety, and described at the meeting as intended for direct use by the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office. The board adopted resolution 2025‑33 to accept the gift by unanimous voice vote.
The sheriff, Brad Wise, told commissioners the units are being issued to deputies rather than to fire departments because many of the communities the sheriff’s office patrols rely on paid‑on‑call fire departments and deputies are often first on scene. “Currently, we carry fire extinguishers,” Wise said. He said the FST units can be deployed to suppress a fire before firefighters arrive and lower risks to staff.
Greg Vokavan of the Anoka Masonic Lodge described the technology as an aerosolized, potassium‑based agent that separates fuel from oxygen without depleting oxygen in the space or corroding electronics. He said the program has been distributed statewide through Minnesota Masonic Charities and the Grand Lodge and that a Washington County deputy deployed a donated unit in a house fire, saving the structure and two pets.
James Surratt, master of the Anoka Lodge, said the lodge previously donated FST units to the Anoka Police Department and to local fire departments and invited commissioners to a donation event when a date is set. Vokavan and other lodge members answered technical questions at the meeting about the FSTs’ one‑time use, 15‑year shelf life and storage limits in very cold temperatures.
Commissioners asked about shelf life and deployment. Vokavan said the units are single‑use (“one and done”), and later added the manufacturer rates the battery and unit life at approximately 15 years. The board expressed appreciation for the gift and voted to accept the donation unanimously.
The resolution lists the sheriff’s office as the recipient of the donation. Board members and lodge representatives said the lodge intends further phases of distribution to other Anoka County cities and departments in the future.
