The Virginia Fire Separtment is receiving an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The $60,385 is for Operations and Safety. Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis tells The Northland Fire Wire that the funding is for firefighter wellness and fitness programs, which includes fitness equipment and a formal fitness and injury prevention program. A certified Peer Fitness Program class is also part of the grant funding.

For at least a year, the Virginia Fire Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office have been working on bringing an Advanced Fire Investigation Course to the area. This past week, all that planning and hard work paid off. The weeklong class, held at the Virginia fire station, was a combination of classroom and in the field training. “We were more than happy to put this class together,” said Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis and Virginia Fire Marshal Chris Clark. “We had a vacant house which we were able to use for creating fire scenes and that added a lot to this educational experience.” Instructors with a wide variety of skills instructed the students in such areas as: interview techniques, scene assessment, report writing, and photography. On Tuesday, firefighters from Virginia, Eveleth, and Mountain Iron helped out by conducting live burns at the house in the southside area. “In essence, we were able to conduct two in-field training sessions,” said Clark. “We had one for the firefighters and one for the fire investigation students. This was a win-win situation all the way around.” The fire investigation students wrapped up the week by presenting their “findings” on the various fire scenes, something they would end up doing in their actual jobs as investigators. “The Virginia Fire Department has started offering regional training classes,” said Lewis. “In this class, we had students from throughout the state representing not only fire departments, but law enforcement agencies. We’re very proud we could do this.”

Firefighters from Virginia, Mountain Iron, and Eveleth create fire scenes for the fire investigation students.

Duluth Fire Captain Lisa Consie gets some camera tips from Photography Instructor Janet Nelson.

The Lakeland and Mountain Iron Fire Departments are getting Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grants were announced today.
Mountain Iron is receiving $164,524 while Lakeland is getting $53,145. Both grants are for Operations and Safety.

June 20 – An early morning dryer fire forced the evacuation of around a dozen residents from the Laurentian Apartments in Biwabik. The fire was reported around 4:50 a.m. and firefighters from Biwabik, Biwabik Township, Aurora, Lakeland and Gilbert were dispatched. While the fire was contained to the dryer, there was concern that the fire may have extended in other parts of the building. Incident Commander and Interim Biwabik Fire Chief Mary Sprague called for the additional resources as a precautionary measure. The apartment building was filled with smoke and all of occupants were able to get out safely. The American Red Cross was called to assist the residents. No injuries were reported.

Virginia firefighters, along with a Lake Superior College intern and Virginia police officers, rescued five ducklings yesterday from a storm drain. The incident was near the St. Louis County Courthouse in Virginia. The ducklings were not injured and were later reunited with their mother.
Photos courtesy of the Virginia Fire Department.

Firefighters from three Iron Range departments were dispatched last night to a report of a house fire in Hibbing. The fire was called in around 10:25 p.m. at 1112 15 Avenue East. Firefighters contained the fire to the contents of an upstairs bedroom. Damages were estimated around $25,000. Crews from Hibbing, Chisholm, and Keewatin were on the scene. There were no injuries. The cause is under investigation. Three people were living in the home at the time.

A late night fire at the Sawmill Saloon and Restaurant caused a small amount of damage to the Mountain Iron business. The fire was reported around 11:40 p.m. Sunday. Fast acting employees using buckets of water and fire extinguishers were able to contain most of the fire to a small storage area on the west side of the building. Firefighters from Virginia, Mountain Iron, and Fayal Township were dispatched to the scene. No injuries were reported and the business was open on Memorial Day. Photos courtesy of Jeff Damm of Virginia for The Northland Fire Wire.

Firefighters from Eveleth, Fayal Township, Gilbert and Virginia battled an early morning fire at Aqua Power on Hat Trick Avenue in Eveleth. The fire was reported around 3:10 a.m. Arriving crews found two semi tractor trailer trucks in flames. The trucks were parked outside the business. Once on the scene, crews were able to quickly contain the fire. Both rigs are a total loss. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Brimson Area Volunteer Fire Department and the Balsam Township Fire Department have been awarded funding through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Brimson will be receiving $30,905 and Balsam is getting $24,940. Both grants are for Operations and Safety.

May 12 – Mountain Iron, Virginia, Fayal Township and Eveleth firefighters were dispatched to a late morning fire in Mountain Iron. The fire was called in around 11:20 a.m. in the 8300 block of Gardenia Street. The fire was contained to the kitchen area. No injuries were reported, but two dogs perished. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.