The Northland FireWire

It is with great sadness that The Northland Fire Wire announces the passing of former Grand Lake Fire Chief Dave Fremling.  Fremling died yesterday(Friday-March 8) as a result of complications of Mesothelioma.  He had served on the Grand Lake Fire Department for 28 1/2 years. Visitation will be held Monday, March 11, 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Bell Brothers Funeral Home, 601 North 56th Avenue West in Duluth.  After the visitation, a celebration of Chief Fremling’s life will be held at The Pit Stop in Proctor.

Photo courtesy of WDIO-TV, Duluth.

   In a small community, you’ll often find a firefighter who wears several “hats.”  This is the case with our March Firefighter of the Month.  This person has a number of responsibilities and belongs to several public safety organizations in his community.  He is dedicated, thoughtful and an all around nice person.

   Matt Tucel serves as Assistant Chief of the Breitung Township Fire Department.  He has been a member of the BFD for some 13 years.  And up until recently, he was a 14 year veteran of the Tower Fire Department, which is just down the road, Highway 169 in fact.  And it doesn’t stop there, Matt has been with the Tower Area Ambulance Service (TAAS) for 11 years.  He currently serves as Director of the TAAS, which in itself is a very time consuming position.

   Yes, you could say that when it comes to Public Safety, Matt is a “jack of all trades.”  He works hard with all of his departments.  He knows the importance of training and how good training keeps firefighters and EMS personnel interested in their particular organization.  I have had the opportunity to work with Matt in a number of situations and have always found him to be professional in nature, touched with a good sense of humor.

   Matt Tucel exemplifies what a volunteer is all about.  Today, across this country and across Minnesota, dedicated volunteers are needed for our fire and EMS organizations.  We all know it is getting tougher and tougher to recruit people who are willing to give their talents and time in serving their cities and townships.  If you’re looking for a “role model” for a volunteer, look at Matt Tucel of the Breitung Fire Department and Tower Area Ambulance Service.  And, it is for these reasons that I have selected Matt as our March Firefighter of the Month!  Thanks, Matt!  You have certainly “set the bar” for volunteers!

The Northland Fire Wire is seeking nominations for our Firefighter Of The Month series.  If you know of an outstanding Arrowhead Region firefighter who is deserving of such an honor, please let us know.  Send your nominations to: efdresq535@yahoo.com.  Our next honoree is for March.

February 3 – Six Iron Range fire departments were involved in fighting a fire in the City of McKinley.  The blaze was reported just before 8:30 p.m.  A home and attached garage at 2nd Avenue East and 1st Street North were destroyed.  According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is believed to be accidental.  The fire departments involved in fighting the fire in sub-zero temperatures included: McKinley, Gilbert, Biwabik Township, City of Biwabik, Fayal Township and Lakeland.  No one was home when the fire started.  No injuries were reported.

At age 61, Eric Knudson left this world way too soon.  11 years ago, Eric was diagnosed with cancer and from that time on, like a firefighter, he led an aggressive “interior attack” on his disease.  And, like any good Incident Commander, Eric also knew there was a time that perhaps the interior attack was not working and it was time to go “defensive”.  Eric made that decision last fall.  He reviewed his options, his resources and how to manage his “life” incident, just like battling a fire.  He made the decision with dignity, respect and honor. In November, the community came to honor Eric by holding a fundraiser and get together at the Biwabik Community Center.  Eric was there and was astounded by the turn-out and support he and his family received.  He talked about his decision to go “defensive” and while difficult, he knew it was the right thing to do and the best way to use his earthly resources.  On January 19, 2013, Eric’s “incident” ended and “command” was terminated. 

Eric Knudson spent 23 years on the Biwabik Fire Department and Ambulance Service.  He ended his firefighting and EMS career as Fire Chief.  During that time, he worked tirelessly to move the organization into the future and that’s not easy to do.  Like any fire chief, he agonized over difficult decisions that had to be made.  His passion for firefighting and EMS was very evident in the stories he told.  Eric loved what he was doing and felt bad that he couldn’t continue because of his health.

I selected Eric Knudson as Firefighter Of The Month because of how he managed that big incident called “Life”.  As I mentioned earlier, he ran his last 11 years just like an Incident Commander.  He knew when to conduct the “interior attack” and when to go “defensive.”  And by the way, going “defensive” is NOT a sign of defeat.  It is a way of managing your resources and options in a way that gives you the best outcome. I think Eric’s life serves as a great example for all of us, whether we are in the EMS/Fire Service or not.  There is a time to go “defensive” and Eric Knudson showed us the way on how to do it.  Thank you, Eric.  I think you have taught us all a valuable lesson in Incident Command!

Peter Makowski, Editor-The Northland Fire Wire

Hibbing fire officials said that it was a “power strip” which caused last week’s fire in the building which contained the Sportsman’s Cafe in downtown Hibbing. The power strips had been attached to eachother. The blaze was located in the second floor of the building.  Seven Iron Range fire departments were called in to fight the fire.  A number of residents were displaced. The cafe has since reopened while the bar remains closed for repairs.

January 24- Firefighters from Hibbing and several Iron Range communities were called around 10:00 a.m. to a fire in downtown Hibbing.  The fire was in the upper floors of the building, which housed the Sportsman’s Café.  Initial reports said flames and smoke were coming from second story windows.  Two people received medical treatment and media reports say about a dozen people have been displaced.  Firefighters from as far away as Virginia and Mountain Iron were called to the fire.  A total of seven fire departments were involved in the firefighting operation.  Damages were estimated around $500,000.

The Hibbing Fire Department, in cooperation with the Keewatin and Nashwauk fire departments, recently conducted a 12 hour firefighter rescue series course.  The firefighter rescue training, sometimes referred to as Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training, consisted of a three class program, with each fire department hosting a night training session.  “It is paramount for fire departments and their mutual aid counterparts to learn about and practice firefighter rescue skills,” said Hibbing Training Officer Tom Kriske and Hibbing Fire Captain Chris Petrack.  “Firefighter rescue is an important skill not only reserved for dedicated RIT groups, but for all members of fire departments.  Firefighter rescues can arise for any number of problems encountered on the fireground, and can sometimes arise before a dedicated RIT is set up and operating.”

The successful rescue of a “downed” firefighter is the result of several concurrent actions.  The process is started by firefighters quickly recognizing a dangerous situation and effectively calling a “Mayday.”  The command staff then needs to be able to react to the mayday by gaining accountability of the staff on scene, clearly identify and initiate directives to operational staff and recognizing the logistical needs at the scene.  All of this occurs while fire suppression activities are continuing.   The firefighter rescue effort includes the prompt deployment of tactical rescue priorities; like searching, locating and bringing air to the downed firefighter.  The rescue process ends when firefighters successfully complete rescue tactics and ultimately remove the downed firefighter from the hazard zone.

The Hibbing Fire Department plans to host more firefighter rescue sessions for the other mutual aid departments in the area.

Firefighters participate in RIT training conducted by the Hibbing Fire Department.

Photo submitted by the Hibbing Fire Department.

Several news media operations in northeastern Minnesota are reporting that the Babbitt fire chief has resigned amidst allegations that he is under investigation by “outside sources.”  The Northland’s News Center and the Mesabi Daily News report that Ryan Scharber has stepped down from the fire chief’s position.  City officials have said “no comment” to questions about the matter.  The Northland’s News Center did report that there is an investigation, but officials have offered no further information.