PHOTOS: When powerful storms ripped through Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwoodโs community in June, his fire department quickly became overwhelmed. Thatโs when he called the State Fire Marshal (SFM) division.
He got Fire Service Support (FSS) team supervisor John Ehret on the phone and knew he made the right call. โThat 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 youโre off and running,โ said Sherwood. The FSS team is the liaison between SFM and Minnesota fire departments. Theyโre available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. โWe’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,โ said Ehret.
