Noon Rotarians assembled at the Fire Hall and enjoyed box lunches provided by Double A Catering. President Ryan brought us to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four Way Test. Katie J. offered the invocation thanking the Almighty for sunshine, our meal and our firefighters. Dave J. asked the student guests from our high school to introduced themselves. They were Holden Stenstrom, a hockey player who plans to play junior hockey next year; Brent Scheuerman, a hockey player who is considering a trade school; and Quintin Kuehl, the basketball team manager and a golfer.
Bob R was not in attendance so no Rotary Minute; he did, however, enlist John M. to recognize three Paul Harris Fellow recipients. Cody O. and Tim R. received a pin and certificate for their initial Rotary Foundation $1,000 contributions and Mary P. received a pin with three sapphires to note her fourth such contribution.President Ryan reminded us of the Otter Oration on Jan. 24th and the need for more volunteers. He also indicated he would not be able to attend so a volunteer is needed to present the awards. The search for a future meeting site continues. Brian T. Would like to convene a group to discuss a new version of the Lucky Duck Derby. Let Brian know if you would like to participate.
Brags and Fines: Steve A. is celebrating the arrival of his spouse's first Social Security check and her upcoming retirement. Mary P. threw in a scooter buck. Zack S. unburdened himself for missing a few meetings.
Fire Chief Ryan Muchow, our host for the day and speaker, was introduced by Zack S. Chief Ryan introduced two Division Chiefs, Dan Lipson and Chris Harris. The Fergus Falls Fire Department was established in 1873, 153 years ago. Since then, the mission has expanded greatly from simply fighting fires to fire prevention, medical and trauma situations, hazardous material spills, vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, search and rescue and natural disasters. Currently there are 42 members with three being full-time. The service area is 144 square miles, including the townships of Aurdal, Buse, Fergus Falls and Orwell. The annual budget is around $1,200,000. Three-quarters of the funds are provided by city taxpayers. The remainder comes from the townships and the state of Minnesota. In 2025 the department responded to 484 incidents. The largest was the OLV fire which occurred the very same day as this program one year ago exactly.
Last year the city approved purchase of a new 100-foot ladder truck to replace a 30-year-old unit at a cost of $2,037,000. It will take nearly four years to build and arrive in 2029.
A safety program mentioned was "Sound the Alarm." The department works in partnership with the Red Cross to install battery operated smoke alarms in homes.
In closing Chief Muchow mentioned the ongoing training and maintenance the department performs and invited those present to view the equipment.
