Grand Forks' trend of fewer fires continued in 2024
"Fire prevention is our first line of defense," Chuck Marcott said. "If we can prevent every emergency from happening, that's the goal."
In 2024, the GFFD recorded 48 structure fires, 37 fewer than in 2023 but 16 more than 2022, according to the recently released 2024 annual report and previous annual reports. Those with an identified cause included 14 cooking fires, 12 unintentional fires, four electrical fires and three intentional fires.
Overall, there were 103 fires recorded by the GFFD last year, 111 in 2023, 116 in 2022 and 130 in 2021, showing a downward trend, according to information shared by Deputy Fire Chief Brian Geatz.
These are numbers Marcott likes to see. Though there are likely multiple contributing factors, he believes some of the decrease can be attributed to the GFFD's increase in fire prevention efforts. It's an initiative that's being carried out by agencies nationwide.
The GFFD put its focus on prevention education, as well as inspections and home visits. In 2024, there were 600 permitted inspections, 1,066 non-permitted inspections, 186 apartment inspections, 24 daycare inspections, 56 home child care visits and 19 home safety visits. Permitted inspections are for businesses — such as restaurants and manufacturing facilities — that require annual permits. Non-permitted locations would include locations like apartment buildings and office spaces, Marcott said.
The decline in local fires is part of a nationwide trend, he said. Throughout the country, efforts have been made to advance building and fire safety codes, as well as carrying out inspections to enforce the codes. The GFFD has undertaken campaigns to get the word out about its free home safety visits, where the focus is not on enforcing codes, but instead identifying fire hazards and other concerns in local residences, Marcott said. Potential hazards range from fall risks to lack of smoke or carbon monoxide detectors.
The annual report included photos that showed the aftermath of local fires, the severity of which Marcott suspects would surprise people. He believes the photos emphasize a necessity for getting ahead of the issue.
"It's so important to get out in front of these with fire prevention and home safety visits," Marcott said.
Other items highlighted in the fire department's annual report were the agency's recent equipment purchases: Genesis hydraulic combination tools and ROLLNRACK hose management systems. When deciding whether to invest in new equipment, the GFFD considers speed, ergonomics and safety; these two new assets fit the bill, Marcott said.
Battery-operated hydraulic tools have been around for quite some time, but the earlier models were more cumbersome to handle, he said. They had external motors and hoses, which made utilizing them very labor intensive. Updating the agency's hydraulic combination tools has proven to be a great asset, and since they have been placed in each engine, the resource is available regardless of where a fire occurs, Marcott said.
The other new piece of equipment — the ROLLNRACK — is designed for a fire hose, which can get very heavy and can also be labor intensive to roll and lift, he said.
"Back injuries are one of the most common leading injuries in the fire service," Marcott said. "So we're investing in these technologies to lessen the frequency and severity of those injuries."
Another investment, even more recent and not included in the annual report, was a new fire engine. The vehicle will become the GFFD's primary engine, and allow for an existing one to go into reserve status. The new vehicle will be based at Station 3, which is located near Walmart on the south side of town, Marcott said.
The engine is not particularly different from the GFFD's existing vehicles, but was purchased with durability in mind. These vehicles are not cheap, so it's important to consider factors such as the material, Marcott said.
Geatz said engine costs have skyrocketed all throughout the country, almost doubling within the last five years. He said the vehicles aren't made to last as long, either, and older vehicle parts are hard to come by, so engines need to be replaced more quickly.
"The 25-year-old engine that it replaced has had many issues the last few years, and has had many costly repairs to keep it running," Geatz said. "It gets to a point where it becomes cost prohibitive and not safe for the citizens of Grand Forks to take chances on continuing to repair fire engines as they age. This is why the department has a replacement schedule for its fleet built into the budget, as do most career departments in the country."
The GFFD now has five frontline apparatus engines, two fully serviceable backup engines, one frontline aerial ladder and one backup aerial ladder. The agency also has specialty vehicles for HAZMAT and rescue purposes.
"We're very fortunate to have the fleet that we have," Marcott said.
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Jun. 14—GRAND FORKS — Increased risk reduction efforts throughout the city have likely contributed to the Grand Forks Fire Department's decline in fire calls in recent years, including 2024, according to one of the agency's deputy chiefs. "Fire prevention is our first line of defense," Chuck Marcott said. "If we can prevent every emergency from happening, that's the goal." In 2024, the GFFD recorded 48 structure fires, 37 fewer than in 2023 but 16 more than 2022, according to the recently released 2024 annual report and previous annual reports. Those with an identified cause included 14 cooking fires, 12 unintentional fires, four electrical fires and three intentional fires. Overall, there were 103 fires recorded by the GFFD last year, 111 in 2023, 116 in 2022 and 130 in 2021, showing a downward trend, according to information shared by Deputy Fire Chief Brian Geatz. These are numbers Marcott likes to see. Though there are likely multiple contributing factors, he believes some of the decrease can be attributed to the GFFD's increase in fire prevention efforts. It's an initiative that's being carried out by agencies nationwide. The GFFD put its focus on prevention education, as well as inspections and home visits. In 2024, there were 600 permitted inspections, 1,066 non-permitted inspections, 186 apartment inspections, 24 daycare inspections, 56 home child care visits and 19 home safety visits. Permitted inspections are for businesses — such as restaurants and manufacturing facilities — that require annual permits. Non-permitted locations would include locations like apartment buildings and office spaces, Marcott said. The decline in local fires is part of a nationwide trend, he said. Throughout the country, efforts have been made to advance building and fire safety codes, as well as carrying out inspections to enforce the codes. The GFFD has undertaken campaigns to get the word out about its free home safety visits, where the focus is not on enforcing codes, but instead identifying fire hazards and other concerns in local residences, Marcott said. Potential hazards range from fall risks to lack of smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. The annual report included photos that showed the aftermath of local fires, the severity of which Marcott suspects would surprise people. He believes the photos emphasize a necessity for getting ahead of the issue. "It's so important to get out in front of these with fire prevention and home safety visits," Marcott said. Other items highlighted in the fire department's annual report were the agency's recent equipment purchases: Genesis hydraulic combination tools and ROLLNRACK hose management systems. When deciding whether to invest in new equipment, the GFFD considers speed, ergonomics and safety; these two new assets fit the bill, Marcott said. Battery-operated hydraulic tools have been around for quite some time, but the earlier models were more cumbersome to handle, he said. They had external motors and hoses, which made utilizing them very labor intensive. Updating the agency's hydraulic combination tools has proven to be a great asset, and since they have been placed in each engine, the resource is available regardless of where a fire occurs, Marcott said. The other new piece of equipment — the ROLLNRACK — is designed for a fire hose, which can get very heavy and can also be labor intensive to roll and lift, he said. "Back injuries are one of the most common leading injuries in the fire service," Marcott said. "So we're investing in these technologies to lessen the frequency and severity of those injuries." Another investment, even more recent and not included in the annual report, was a new fire engine. The vehicle will become the GFFD's primary engine, and allow for an existing one to go into reserve status. The new vehicle will be based at Station 3, which is located near Walmart on the south side of town, Marcott said. The engine is not particularly different from the GFFD's existing vehicles, but was purchased with durability in mind. These vehicles are not cheap, so it's important to consider factors such as the material, Marcott said. Geatz said engine costs have skyrocketed all throughout the country, almost doubling within the last five years. He said the vehicles aren't made to last as long, either, and older vehicle parts are hard to come by, so engines need to be replaced more quickly. "The 25-year-old engine that it replaced has had many issues the last few years, and has had many costly repairs to keep it running," Geatz said. "It gets to a point where it becomes cost prohibitive and not safe for the citizens of Grand Forks to take chances on continuing to repair fire engines as they age. This is why the department has a replacement schedule for its fleet built into the budget, as do most career departments in the country." The GFFD now has five frontline apparatus engines, two fully serviceable backup engines, one frontline aerial ladder and one backup aerial ladder. The agency also has specialty vehicles for HAZMAT and rescue purposes. "We're very fortunate to have the fleet that we have," Marcott said.
