Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Department topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire department reports 1,031 calls in 2024; public commenter seeks apology over 'toxic' remark
Summary
East Bethel's fire chief presented department call totals and recognized long-serving responders; during public forum a resident said Mayor Anderson should apologize for calling a council liaison 'toxic' to the fire department.
The East Bethel Fire Department told the City Council on Jan. 27 that it responded to 1,031 calls for service in 2024, up from 962 in 2023, and that paid-on-call firefighters average about 270 hours a year on department duties including calls and training.
The fire chief said December accounted for 86 calls, including 66 medical calls, six crashes and six alarms, and that the department handled 752 medical calls and 26 fires during the year. The chief recognized several high-volume responders, naming Richard Williams as the day top responder and District Chief Wade Hoffman and Captain Kyle Howard as top nighttime responders.
During public forum, resident Miss Kimpel criticized comments she said appeared in a recent news story. Kimpel said the mayor had been quoted calling Councilmember Jim Smith “toxic to the fire department” and asked the mayor to apologize. "I truly believe that you owe Jim Smith an apology," she said, and cited a 42‑page Capstone report she described as documenting staff concerns: "84% recognized that they felt that there was a bully in the fire department" and "71% felt the department is not working as a team," she said.
Kimpel urged the mayor to recuse himself from fire‑department matters; she said Smith had acted as a liaison and had worked to resolve issues. The council acknowledged her remarks; Mayor Anderson said the comments were being listened to.
Separately, council members asked about recognition for top responders. The chief said the department will recognize top responders at the department appreciation dinner and agreed to consider certificates presented at a council meeting.
The chief also explained dispatch and response practices: Anoka County dispatch receives 911 calls and forwards information that determines fire/EMS paging; crews may be paged or a duty officer sent depending on the call details.
No formal council action on personnel or policy items for the fire department was taken at the meeting.
