Fire Hydrants - Help Us Help You!
The winter months bring a special concern to the South Metro Fire Department. Winter snowfall, with the plowing of snow, can often hide fire hydrants under a large amount of snow making them impossible to find quickly. While the department does its best to shovel out hydrants after a snowfall, this sometimes takes days to finish. In the event of a fire, firefighters have to locate and shovel out fire hydrants before hooking up to them. Precious time is lost and in the event of an emergency. The few minutes saved can be the difference in saving lives and property. Please make it a point to uncover fire hydrants in your neighborhood after each and every snowfall. Please don’t let your neighborhood hydrant remain “under cover”. Your help is greatly appreciated.
We are asking that you help us by keeping the fire hydrant closest to your residence or business clear of snow. We need a three foot path leading from the street to the hydrant and a three foot path around the hydrant. When shoveling snow be aware of vehicle traffic. Do not stand in the street and be careful not to slip and fall out into the roadway.
About Us
The South Metro Fire Department serves the cities of South St. Paul and West St. Paul, covering approximately 11 square miles and a population of roughly 40,000. Our district has a large number of multi-residential dwellings. We have diverse commercial industries, although typically limited to light industrial, mercantile and restaurants. The district is not a “bedroom” community; our population rises considerably during the day.
The department has 38 full-time employees, including a chief, fire marshal, assistant chief, three captains, six lieutenants, four inspector/firefighters, 21 firefighters and one secretary. Our suppression crews work 24-hour rotating shifts.
The Fire Department is responsible for fire suppression, EMS (including BLS transport), special operations (hazmat, technical rescue and water rescue) and fire prevention (inspections, plan review, fire investigation and public education). We respond from two stations to over 4,600 alarms per year of which approximately 1,300 are fire related and 3,300 are medical related. Additionally, we have several members who serve on the Dakota County Special Operations Team and Minnesota Task Force 1.
