Lakeville recognizes new full-time firefighters; fire chief reports rising call volumes and new training

Lakeville City Council on April 21 formally recognized five full-time firefighters who completed their first-year probation and received badges, and heard the Lakeville Fire Department’s first-quarter 2025 report from Fire Chief Meyer.

Fire Chief Meyer introduced the five firefighters hired in March 2024 and described the group as instrumental in the department’s transition from an all-volunteer force to a hybrid, paid-on-call/full-time model. He named Captain Colin Hagen (A shift), Captain Zach Wise (B shift, not present), Firefighter Steven Moses, Captain Tom Ness (C shift) and Firefighter Dan Perrett and administered the oath of office.

"They played a very vital role in our transition to a hybrid department," Chief Meyer said, adding that four of the five hires were internal and one was an external candidate. Mayor and councilmembers thanked the firefighters and their families for their service.

Chief Meyer then presented the department’s first-quarter statistics and operational updates. The department responded to 886 calls in the first quarter, he said, noting a year-over-year increase. Medical calls represented roughly 65 percent of call volume. Fire incidents were 17 for the quarter; overlapping calls (multiple simultaneous incidents) numbered about 236. The report showed the department is running approximately 700 station-paged responses in the quarter tied to the staffed engine while other station coverages trend down as hybrid staffing increases.

Chief Meyer described several highlighted responses and capabilities: a multi-vehicle crash with injuries, an incident involving entangled eagles resolved with assistance from a raptor center, and vehicle stabilization and patient extraction at a residential rollover. He also described the department’s drone team deployments, a mobile trailer carrying spare air bottles and support equipment, and shared preplans with neighboring jurisdictions to improve responses at larger sites such as shopping centers.

The chief reported increased alarm-handling time by PSAP dispatchers (about 2 minutes 15–20 seconds versus a 1:30 benchmark) and said the city is monitoring the increase as new dispatchers complete training. He said the department is arriving on scene before ambulances on about 55 percent of EMS calls it attends.

Training and equipment updates included countywide active-shooter integrated response training, annual hazardous-materials drills, medical training and the addition of a cardiac monitor and EZ-IO kits on apparatus to support advanced life-saving interventions. The department also completed electric-vehicle (EV) response training this month that included a Tesla and a semi-trailer with battery examples. Chief Meyer said water and cooling remain primary tactics for EV battery thermal runaway, and recommended fire blankets and exposure protection when full extinguishment is not immediately feasible.

Recruitment and staffing: Chief Meyer said 16 full-time firefighters supported by a SAFER grant began in March, completed a joint academy and were scheduled to start 24-hour shifts the week of the report. The chief also noted ongoing design work on a new fire station and a pending ISO review report completed in January.

Councilmembers asked questions about EV response and training; Councilmember Walter thanked the chief for the briefing. The council did not take formal action on the report; it was presented for information and recognition purposes.