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Summer 2023 Lake Elmo Public Safety Recreational Fires and Open Burning Permits Recreational fires continue to be a great way to gather and enjoy the summer weather in Lake Elmo. Hosting a recreational fire on your property comes with a certain level of responsibility. Be a good neighbor and consider the wind speed and direction of smoke before starting the fire. Consider knocking on your neighbor’s door to let them know ahead of time that you will be burning. This drastically reduces the number of nuisance calls made to 911 regarding smoke. Keep the size of the fire to a limited 3x3x3. Three feet wide, three feet tall, and nothing larger than three inches in diameter is to be burned. Remember, recreational fires do not include burning leaves or yard waste! If the fire gets out of hand don’t wait or hesitate, call 911 immediately. Open burning permits are required for large scale burning. Permits are issued only after an inspection is performed on site to ensure safe practices are being followed. City Ordinance only permits the burning of dead/diseased vegetation, bee hives, ground thawing, and prairie restoration. A variance can be issued for special burning, such as storm debris. More information can be found on the City of Lake Elmo website, under Public Safety > Fire Department > Open Burning. Fire Department Staffing and Operations Changes Your Lake Elmo Fire Department is excited to continue transitioning toward a fully staffed combination fire department of career and paid-on-call staff. Four new shift firefighters will start late summer 2023 and join our two existing career firefighters. With the addition of four new staff, the six firefighters will work in pairs of two, and spend 24 hours on duty per shift. Additionally, a paid-on-call firefighter will be eligible to work alongside the career staff to complement our response as part of the duty crew. This will allow your fire department the opportunity to have a predictable initial response of three, on duty and ready to respond, firefighters. In instances of large scale incidents the remaining paid-on-call staff will be called back to duty from work or home. With the anticipated operational switch to the new central Fire Station / City Center this summer, the fire department will be adjusting its response operations to a single station. The central station will signify the closure of the City’s original 1957 downtown fire station (Station 1) and Fire Station 2 on Jamaca Avenue North. Residents will not be impacted by response times to either location. Keeping in mind that for its entire operation, Fire Station 2 has been served by paid-on-call firefighters. Response times were dependent on an unpredictable number of responders. With the addition of a primarily career based staffing model, and having responders available in the new station 24/7, the response time to the former Fire Station 2 area will decrease. This is based on the amount of time saved by firefighters not having to report to the fire station from home for an emergency. Paid-On-Call (POC) Firefighter Hiring The Lake Elmo Fire Department will continue to support our organizational structure of a combination fire department with paid-on-call (POC) firefighters working with career staff. POC firefighters are everyday people who most often have other full time jobs, and are looking to give back to their community. POC firefighters are provided with education and maintain all the necessary certifications to support our agency. They are paid per hour for their time and all training, uniforms, and equipment is provided. POC firefighters will work alongside our career staff to complete the standard response company of three on duty personnel. Day, evening, and overnight shift options will be available. We anticipate kicking off our recruitment process in late summer of 2023. Check back on the City’s website, Facebook, and other job information sites for more details. Interested persons may contact Chief Kalis to be placed on a job interest email list. The Lake Elmo Fire Department 2022 Annual Report is available for download on the fire department tab on the City’s website: www.lakeelmo.org