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Shakopee Fire Chief cites SAFER grant and 12 new firefighters as call volume climbs past 2,000
Summary
Fire Chief Simon told council 2025 saw more than 2,000 incidents (4% increase), nearly half EMS/rescue calls, adoption of NEARIS data reporting, nearly 3,800 training hours and a SAFER grant that funded 12 full-time firefighter hires to staff Station 2 around the clock.
Fire Chief Simon presented the Shakopee Fire Department's 2025 year-in-review, saying the department responded to more than 2,000 incidents in 2025, a 4% increase from 2024, and that non-fire calls (rescue and EMS) make up nearly half of the workload. He said actual fires accounted for about 5% of calls and reported a 2025 fire loss of roughly $1.1 million while protecting about $2.0 million in property value, which the chief described as an asset-preservation rate above 99%.
Chief Simon highlighted training (nearly 3,800 hours), adoption of the NEARIS national reporting system for better analytics, the addition of a dedicated water tanker (Tender 2) to serve areas without hydrants, and the SAFER grant that enabled hiring 12 full-time firefighters to staff station 2 24/7, which the chief said has improved West Side response times and the department's ability to run multiple incidents simultaneously.
Councilors asked about response-time measurement challenges due to concurrent road construction and about a battalion-chief position being implemented in 2026; the chief confirmed partial timing overlaps between late-2025 accomplishments and early-2026 staffing changes. Council praised department leadership and the shift toward full-time staffing.
