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<br />VOL~ME'1 wr NUMBER 2
<br />
<br />MAY/JUNE 1985
<br />
<br />The ,Anoka-Champlin Fire Department
<br />A Little History and a Lot That's New!
<br />
<br />The Anoka-Champlin Fire
<br />Department is unique. Unlike
<br />most suburban communities,
<br />the department's history is
<br />over 100 years old. It has ex-
<br />perienced the entire American
<br />firefighting development spec-
<br />trum from hand-made, hand-
<br />drawn ladder and bucket carts,
<br />'. through horse-drawn steamer
<br />and. chemical units, to the
<br />
<br />modern engine and truck com-
<br />panies. The department re-
<br />cently entered another mile-'
<br />stone in its long history by ad-
<br />ding the City of Champlin as
<br />an integral part of the fire
<br />department.
<br />On March 20th, Mayors B:I
<br />Haas of Champ' '" and ...0"
<br />raine Hos,el'e' 0' Ano.a s g"'-
<br />ed a Jo' "'j Powers Agreement
<br />
<br />lin Fire Department also pro-
<br />vides fire protection and
<br />emergency services to the Ci-
<br />ty of Ramsey and Burns
<br />Township 0'" a Con";!..... b~
<br />a~::1'o C~. G" . - I"
<br />
<br />creating the Anoka-Champlin
<br />Fire Department at a loint
<br />meeting' of the' Anoka and
<br />Champlin City Councils. A
<br />Joint Powers Fire Board, com-
<br />prised of two members each
<br />from Al"Iol.{a and C'"'a"""c ,. a"a
<br />'he ;: 'e eh e' "as oee" .0......-
<br />ec '0 o.ersee ;,'"'e act. t ,es of
<br />the .'1e'...., combined fire de.
<br />partment. The Anoka-Champ-
<br />
<br />.... s _ .... b. ..... ........
<br />......e . 'e depar'''''en, ~.as
<br />organized 10 Anoka in July,
<br />1878, with the first engine
<br />house being completed in
<br />December of that year. March
<br />11, 1942 saw the fire depart-
<br />ment's entry into the ambu-
<br />lance service, which respond-
<br />ed to as many as 600 calls per
<br />year before it was transferred
<br />to the Mercy-Unity Ambulance
<br />Service in 1965. Later, in 1979,
<br />the City of Anoka completed
<br />construction of a new, four
<br />. double-bay station to better
<br />accommodate the depart-
<br />ment's growing roster of ap-
<br />paratus. The current roster in-
<br />r- .-:es 3 r' ;rnp n~ e"c "'es 2
<br />
<br />
<br />,.... .t. .. I.a. ~.....
<br />
<br />....
<br />
<br />protection strategy for
<br />residents which includes a
<br />strong emphasis 0" ! 'e
<br />pre'.en' on
<br />
<br />p a;'orrn i~uC' "ac'.e 'e
<br />service in the world, manufac-
<br />tured by Pierce Equipment
<br />Company, Appleton, Wiscon-
<br />sin. The 35 ton truck, powered
<br />by a 445 horsepower' e.ngine,
<br />has a 110 foot aerial/platform
<br />and is capable of pumping
<br />1,500 gallons per minute. The
<br />new truck- is needed for pro-
<br />tection of the senior high-rise
<br />in Anoka and the industrial
<br />areas, among other uses.
<br />Of course, all this fire pro-
<br />tection would not'be pOSSible
<br />. without the efforts of the 29
<br />members that volunteer their
<br />time, effort and firefighting ex-
<br />""f!/&r'" -p. ~"'-r.
<br />
<br />1
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<br />
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<br />u ~".~".... c:r I ( M cI ;....... ~ lIP .. --
<br />purpose; they are an essential dedicated volunteers '0' ~I'te"
<br />.part of our comprehensive fire many hours of service.
<br />
<br />INSIDE YOUR NEWSLETTER
<br />
<br />What Does This New
<br />Fire Truc,k Mean
<br />To Ramsey
<br />
<br />Y,our first reaction might be
<br />to question why Ramsey
<br />would ever need a fire truck
<br />with a ladder capable of reach-
<br />ing heights of 10 stories; it's a
<br />certainty that there isn't a
<br />building or tree in Ramsey for
<br />which that type of fire truck
<br />would be required.
<br />Wrong. Anoka Fire Chief
<br />Jake Strouse informs us that
<br />one of the truck's major
<br />features is that it greatly en-
<br />hances the fighting of fires on
<br />long, low frame buildings (like
<br />industriai warehouses and
<br />
<br />Tri-Clty News. . . . . pages 2-3 Chamt>ef
<br />!fi~,~+k_~'i~;~s .... ,:.;,' : . pages 4-9 A VTI . ..
<br />Ramsey'News,~. ~pagJes,;'iQ;jm1.1'~~~4j~C~OOI District
<br />A'lJdover News. . .. ~. pages 17-2,f''''A8C~~ '
<br />~ -<' ~ ;gj
<br />
<br />~~"
<br />page 23
<br />. . . . . pages 24-26
<br />. . . . . . . page 27
<br />
<br />
<br />plants) by allowing the fire
<br />fighter to attack the fire from
<br />above. This truck, with the ex-
<br />tended ladder capability,
<br />could be a real asset to the in-
<br />dustrial area in Ramsey along
<br />Hwy.10.. -
<br />One of the real hazards in
<br />modern day construction is
<br />the use of steel truss roofs.
<br />Years ago, buildings were con-
<br />structed with 12'x12' wooden
<br />beams and those wooden
<br />beams. can burn for 2 to 3
<br />hours, and still retain their
<br />
<br />strength! Fire fighters up on
<br />, the roofs would get a warning
<br />when wood beams were about
<br />to collapse .because those
<br />wood beams would begin to
<br />, feel rubbery as they were los-
<br />ing their strength. Steel beams
<br />on the other hand give the fire
<br />fighter no warning; when the
<br />steel'loses is temper -- it col-
<br />lapses.
<br />Here's another example of
<br />how this improved fire truck
<br />could be used. Consider the
<br />ramifications of a fire fighter
<br />
<br />having to get on the roof of a
<br />very steep-roofed house, of
<br />which there are a number in
<br />Ramsey, to put out a chimney
<br />fire for instance. Consider also
<br />that it is winter and the roof is
<br />covered with snow and ice.
<br />This extended ladder would
<br />allow the fire fighter, again, to
<br />more safely attack the fire
<br />from above.
<br />Anoka Fire Chief Strouse
<br />added, that as a, matter of
<br />course, this new fire vehicle
<br />will not be dispatched to a fire
<br />
<br />~w.;:
<br />
<br />in Ramsey or Champlin, or
<br />even Anoka. It is a special pur-
<br />pose vehicle and will only be
<br />dispatched when the emer-
<br />gency calls for a vehicle with
<br />such capabilities.
<br />So, contrary to what your
<br />first thoughts on this new fire
<br />truck might have been, it is
<br />another example of the Anoka
<br />Fire Department's endeavor to
<br />provide the best and safest
<br />service possible,
<br />See page 17 for the story on
<br />Andover's Fire Fighters.
<br />
<br />Tri.City News . CaNt-sort
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<br />.- - Anoka, M N 55303
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