Firefighter poses for photo in front of every fire department in Minnesota – all 775

VIDEO/PHOTO: Firefighters are used to getting to their destinations in a hurry. Hubie Widmer took 10 years to complete his quest. “I said, ‘You know, I want to get my picture taken in front of every fire department in the state,’” Hubie said. In March, the Watertown firefighter completed his task. Over a decade, Hubie visited 775 fire departments – as best as he can tell relying on state records – every fire department in Minnesota. “We kind of didn't think it was ever going to get done,” Denice Widmer, Hubie’s wife, said with a laugh. Denice traveled with Hubie on most of his trips, crossing off towns on a 20-page list and photographing her husband in front of the fire stations they visited. The pictures Denice took of her husband fill 14 photo albums. “We’ve basically been to every town in the state of Minnesota.” Hubie says.
KARE-TV NBC 11 Minneapolis

Windom Masons donate fire suppression tools to local fire departments

PHOTO: Prudence Lodge 97 of Windom donated two fire suppression tools to the Windom and Mountain Lake fire departments on Friday evening during Windom’s raffle at its annual dance at the Windom Ice Arena and Mountain Lake’s burger feed fundraiser for its high school prom. About the size of a lunchbox, the devices are used in a small room where there is a fire. When the pin is pulled from the device, an aerosol is released that suppresses the flames and lowers the room’s temperature by 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit within 35 seconds of being placed in the burning room. Prudence Lodge 97 secretary Al Peterson said that the cost for such a device is being split into four parts. He said that helping local firefighters was a cause chosen by the Masonic lodge’s grandmaster in recent years and by other Masonic lodges in nearby states.
The Globe - Metered Site

New bill would help fund fire districts in Minnesota

A new bill is looking to change how fire districts in Minnesota are funded. Unlike municipal fire departments, regional fire districts do not receive state or federal funding. Instead, they rely entirely on local taxes to fund fire and EMS services. According to Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Jesse Buhs, his district provides smaller communities with services they might otherwise lack. “When you take away the municipal boundaries, you can look at what’s best for an entire region,” Buhs said. “You can find efficiencies, you can find a way to collaborate and combine your staff and your equipment to make it a more effective, more capable response.” A proposed bill in the Minnesota legislature would give fire districts access to state funding.
KBJR-TV NBC 6 Duluth

Third annual Rochester Fire Department’s Women’s Expo inspires girls and women to consider a career in firefighting

The third annual Rochester Fire Department’s Women’s Expo is happening on Sunday, May 19 at the Olmsted County Public Training Center. It’s a chance for women and girls to get up close and personal with firefighting and see if the career is for them. The deadline to register was Sunday, May 5, but registration is already full. This is exciting, because it shows a growing interest in the job. If you missed out on registering, you can still come watch the expo. Women and girls 16 and up attending the expo will rotate through 5 stations and get hands-on experience rappelling from a 3-story tower, extricating a car, climbing a 110-foot tall aerial ladder, doing search and rescue, and using a hose to put out a fire. Mandee Marx is one of five female firefighters on RFD. Prior to that, she was the very first woman firefighter in the Byron Fire Department.
KIMT-TV CBS 3 Mason City

Battle of the Badges ax-throwing contest to benefit families of fallen Burnsville first responders

Police officers and firefighters are once again facing off in a charity event to raise money for the families of the fallen first responders of Burnsville. Paul Elmstrand, 27, and Matthew Ruge, 27, and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, died in the line of duty on Feb. 18, fatally shot while responding to a domestic incident in this suburban community in Dakota County. The gunman, a convicted felon who died by suicide, was barricaded in a home with seven children from his family. His longtime girlfriend has since been indicted for straw purchasing the firearms used in the killings. In February, all proceeds from the annual Guns-N-Hoses Hockey Charity Classic went to benefit the families of the first responders. This time, police officers and firefighters from Eagan and Burnsville will compete in an ax-throwing event at Tuesday’s Battle of the Badges.
Twin Cities Pioneer Press