Hutchinson Volunteer
Fire Department

The Hutchinson Fire Department boasts a long and proud tradition. Started in 1884, the department has provides service to the City of Hutchinson Minnesota, Hutchinson, Hassan  Valley, Acoma, Lynn, Collins, Boon Lake, Cedar Mills, and  Ellsworth Townships, and the Villages of Biscay and Cedar Mills. As the community changes and grows our 35 member department strives to keep pace with improved equipment, better training and greater fire prevention campaigns. 

Thanks to the strong financial commitment of the Hutchinson city council, the department just took delivery of two new fire trucks. The new ladder truck features greater capacity and modern safety features for fire fighters. This rig hauls 6 firefighters, making initial attack on fire scenes more efficient due to greater manpower. The 100 foot ladder has automatic safety features that prevent damage to the truck and keep the firefighters safe while performing a dangerous job. The new rescue truck is a welcome addition as well. Its increased capacity to provide scene lighting and a more user friendly layout also help make the job safer for firefighters. Needless to say, the firefighters are thrilled with the new trucks. This community can be very proud of its fire apparatus.

Each year the department regretfully says goodbye to a small number of fire fighters as they move on for one reason or another. For the past three years, as members are replaced, new recruits have been trained at Hennepin Technical College for fire fighter 1 certification. At the end of the course these new firefighters are state certified, providing a more highly trained force than in the past. That, combined with the older members experience and commitment to continuous training and drill, makes for a very competent fire department. The new training facility enables us to drill on different skills on a more regular basis as well.

No amount of training can make fighting a preventable fire worthwhile. For that reason many hours of fire prevention training are provided in the local elementary schools and daycares in the community. As the students take home what they learn the community becomes a safer place.  As much as firefighters enjoy putting down a roaring blaze, we would really rather not have to settle for minimizing property damage. Hopefully our prevention efforts stop property loss before it can start, and more importantly eliminate fire related deaths in the community. The children who receive fire prevention training help us keep the big fires on the training ground.

Last updated on January 11, 2001