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Shakopee is hiring a new fire chief and reorganizing parts of its Fire Department after a report identified <br />earing deficiencies with management, training and staffing levels and a consultant labeled it the <br />"worst department" they had seen in nearly two decades of consulting. <br />The report, from consulting firm Citygate Associates, was shared with the Shakopee City Council in <br />February. It was prompted by a request from interim Fire Chief Mike Scott, who was hired by Shakopee <br />'from the Eagan Fire Department, and made the report a condition of <br />in July 2023 after retiring as chief <br />his employment. <br />Among the findings: problems that dated back years, prompted by a management culture that <br />"exemplified ad hoc decisions, favoritism, no quality assurance [and] no annual operations or training <br />plan." <br />Many programs were "missing, weak or not in compliance with state regulations." The training program <br />didn't comply with industry best practices or state and federal law and firefighters' attendance at <br />trainings was mostly optional, with no audit of who completed what. <br />"To say I was shocked was probably an understatement when I was told that there was no real <br />training program and that ���e �n.�eren't training fin state standards;" said ShakopPP City <br />Administrator Bill Reynolds, who called the department's training lapses "unconscionable." <br />•Shakopee fire chief retires after city investigation_ into allecLed misconduct <br />Reynolds said it was clear that leadership has been lacking in the department for a long time, and <br />the city is moving quickly to select a new fire chief as soon as June. <br />"We're going to bring in a leader with strong values, <br />experience with larger departments," Reynolds said. <br />who knows the fire service and who has <br />