When a wave of severe storms recently struck Bemidji, overwhelming the local fire department, Chief Justin Sherwood made a crucial phone call to the State Fire Marshal (SFM) that swiftly brought necessary help. According to statements by Sherwood in the official DPS news release, the quick and efficient assistance provided by the Fire Service Support (FSS) team of SFM was akin to an expedient drive-through service, helping to quickly address the dramatic situation. "That half hour conversation helped me identify exactly what I needed. In a weird way, it was almost like going through a drive-through: you get everything you need and you’re off and running," Sherwood told the DPS.
The FSS team, acting as a vital link between the SFM and Minnesota fire departments, is on-call round the clock, ensuring they are prepared to promptly relieve any fire chief that's caught hard by crisis. "We're the support mechanism. When the phone rings from a fire chief that's getting hit hard, we literally we drop what we're doing and we take care of business," FSS team supervisor John Ehret conveyed in an interview. Within four hours of their conversation, an FSS team member was already stationed at the Bemidji Fire Department, offering targeted aid to Sherwood.
Part of the response to the storms in Bemidji involved activating the state mutual aid program, which accrued fire departments from across Minnesota to man Bemidji’s stations. This decisive action permitted Bemidji’s firefighters the time to care for their own homes and families, affected by the harsh weather, without neglecting their community’s safety. Ehret emphasized the importance of pre-established relationships like those he had with Chief Sherwood and within the Minnesota fire service, especially during high-stress events, in a statement provided to the DPS. "If you don't have a relationship with somebody before, it becomes difficult when they're underneath tremendous amounts of stress," Ehret says.
Chief Sherwood echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the crucial role of relationship-building in the role of a fire chief and valuing the collective web of connections that come into play during emergencies. While the recent storms called Bemidji to need external support, Sherwood notes that any part of the state could find themselves in a similar situation. "Relationship building is the key to being a fire chief," Sherwood agrees. The shared sentiment between Ehret and Sherwood underscores a broader strength within the Minnesota fire service, one that's grounded in community and readiness to support across the state. "The Minnesota fire service is really strong," Ehret added, reaffirming the network's united front in times of need.
