Interview with a Firefighter and Station 2 – Edina’s New Firehouse!

Edina Fire Department’s Station 2 Dedication was held on October 30^th with demonstrations, activities, and opportunities to meet paramedics, firefighters, police officers, 911 dispatchers, and other community partners – providing the community with a chance to learn more about fire safety in a fun and interactive way.

If you missed the event, fear not! We’ve reached out to EFD for some fire safety tips as well as a sneak peek into the work they do!

Matt Seveland is a firefighter/paramedic who is currently working as a fire inspector with the City of Edina.  He has 15 years of experience and has worked for the Edina Fire Department for the past 3 years.  In addition to inspections, he is also a member of MN Task Force 1 and the Edina SOT (Special Operations Team).

First, the serious questions:

What is the most common cause of household fires?

• Cooking is still the leading cause of unwanted fires in our city, state, and nation.

What are some simple things people can do to avoid starting a fire in their apartment?

• Pay attention!  Turn the heat down when things start to smoke on the stovetop.
• Don’t use the oven as a storage space
• Keep the cooking area clear (often people store things on or in a stove and either turn on the wrong burner or start the oven without checking).
• Turn handles towards the back to keep kids from knocking things over.

What is the first thing someone should do if they smell smoke or notice a fire in their home?

• Get out, stay out, and call 911.
• If there is smoke, immediately leave and close all doors behind you. 

What is the first thing someone should do when they hear the fire/smoke alarm in their building?

• Same thing.  Get out, stay out, and call 911

What is the most helpful information to give to 911 when calling about a fire?

• Know the address
• Don’t assume anything, just report what you know

What do firefighters do when there aren’t any fires to be put out?

• Every day starts with preparing every truck for service.  Every truck is run, and every piece of equipment is checked.
• Training!  We generally train for 2-3 hours each shift.
• Cleaning. We are responsible for all maintenance and cleaning of our buildings and equipment. 
• Cooking, we are responsible for our own food
• Exercise, we must be in top physical condition to accomplish our jobs.
• Once these are completed, we spend time team building (movies, games, hobbies, etc.)

What other services does EFD provide?

• Edina Fire also runs the ambulance service in our city, meaning each firefighter is also a highly trained paramedic (we can do everything a doctor or nurse can do, but we do it in people’s homes, in public spaces, and in the back of moving vehicles)
• Edina Fire is a part of Task Force 1, Minnesota’s response team for technical rescue (structural collapse, trench collapse, confined space and tower rescue)
• We provide SWAT medics for our city’s SWAT team operations
• Edina also provides fire prevention and education for everyone from Pre-K to senior groups.
• The fire prevention group at Edina Fire is also responsible for fire and life safety inspections on all commercial and large residential buildings in the city.
• We also support ECMO.  A group that offers heart/lung bypass in a vehicle capable of operating wherever it parks.  This is the only vehicle of its kind in the country.

What is the hardest thing about being a firefighter?

• It is a physically and mentally demanding job requiring continuous training and unrelenting focus during unpredictable situations
• Working 24-hour shifts means sacrificing a lot of time with our families.  It is common to work holidays and miss birthdays of our loved ones.  This is a burden often carried by our families as well as ourselves.

How do you handle high pressure or emergency situations?

• Everyone is a little different.  Excellent training helps lay a foundation that we all rely on when things get tricky.

How do you cope with the emotional toll of your job?

• As a shift we work and live as a family and look out for each other.  The city has also provided a counselor that helps us process things right at our stations and even rides along with us on calls.

Do you ever feel scared?

• All of us have different experiences… but all of us have had scary moments. 

What is something the public often misunderstands about firefighting?

• 99% of the time we are not fighting fires but responding to other calls for service such as medical alarms, fire alarms, CO or gas calls, behavioral crisis, car accidents, and many others.
• Learning never stops. Every time we master a part of our jobs, the world shifts and we must adapt to new threats. (EV’s, solar arrays, legal considerations, etc.)

Now the fun stuff!

How heavy is your equipment?

• Basic gear: 75lbs
• Tools and equipment: add 40-80lbs
• Then we need to be capable of working with that weight

How do you decide who gets to drive the truck?

• We switch positions each shift.  One day we may work in the back of the ambulance and take care of the sick and injured, and the next we may drive the engine. 
• Every one of us is trained to do almost every job

How tall is your tallest ladder?

• Tower 90 extends up to 100 feet

How long is your longest hose?

• Most come in 50 ft sections.  We can extend larger hoses over longer distances (1000 feet or more)

Do you eat at the firehouse? If so, who does the cooking? What are the best and worst meals you’ve had?

• We buy and prepare our own meals.  The engine crew generally prepares dinner, and we all split the cost.  Some of our firefighters were previously professional chefs so the food is often incredible!

Has there ever been an accidental fire at the firehouse?

• We have burned food and set off our smoke detectors many times, but nothing major.  Other cities have lost fire houses due to fires (generally cooking related).  It is understandable, as we get calls unpredictably, and must drop everything and go when calls come in.

What’s the funniest or strangest situation you have been called to?

• Too many to count.  I’ve fought fire in -50 degrees, and responded to natural disasters, rescued people from unimaginable terrors, celebrated new life and seen a lot of death.  The next call could always be the strangest.
• We laugh often.  Humor is a great way to deal with crazy situations.

What’s the best thing about being a firefighter?

• Working with incredible people in indescribable situations.  There’s nothing else like it.