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East Bethel fire chief reports 55 calls, staffing moves and community events
Summary
The fire chief told the council the department ran 55 calls in the month (40 medicals), fought grass and vehicle fires, completed a water rescue, is filling officer positions with external panels assisting interviews, and is scheduling community events including a Santa parade and tree lighting.
Fire Chief (speaker 2) briefed the council on Nov. 24 that the department responded to 55 calls last month, 40 of which were medicals. The chief said medical calls ranged from false alarms to unconscious‑person responses, and that the department handled multiple grass fires (an approximate 8‑acre fire at an abandoned dump site and a 5‑acre backyard fire), a vehicle fire near the Kwik Trip on Sand Hill Parkway and a water rescue involving a capsized boat.
The chief summarized internal staffing work: duty crew has entered its second month; officer positions (district chiefs, captains and a senior firefighter) were posted and the district‑chief interviews will be conducted by a three‑chief outside panel in December, with secondary interviews to follow. “The deputy chief and the panel will be conducting the captain and senior firefighter interviews,” he said.
He also described community engagement and infrastructure projects: a flooring project at Station 3 began the week of the meeting with completion expected the following Wednesday, and the department will support a Santa parade on Dec. 13 and the city tree lighting on Dec. 5. District Chief Leshinski ran a CPR and bleeding class for 10 scouts pursuing a merit badge, the chief said.
Council members asked about application numbers for open positions; the chief said there were two applicants each for district‑chief and captain openings, and two for the senior‑firefighter posting, with applications closing that night.
The chief framed other actions — such as mutual‑aid coordination with Forest Lake and future formal agreements — as part of ongoing interagency work rather than immediate policy changes. The council did not take formal action on staffing at the Nov. 24 meeting; the update was informational.
